The emergency sirens inside Site Zero howled louder now, a broken chorus echoing off the cold steel walls.
Irfan Shah sprinted through the labyrinthine maintenance corridors, the portable drive clutched tight against his chest.
Behind him, the distant rumble of armored boots grew louder.
Black Omega units — faster, more aggressive after the breach he had caused.
No hiding.
No stalling.
Only forward.
He turned a corner, nearly slamming into a heavy blast door slamming down from the ceiling.
Just in time, he slid under the narrowing gap, boots scraping sparks against the steel.
A heartbeat later and he would've been trapped.
LUCIA's voice whispered urgently in his mind:
"Warning: Facility lockdown protocol initiated. Exit routes compromised. Estimated containment in T-minus 5 minutes."
Irfan cursed under his breath, skidding to a stop at the next junction.
Two paths.
Both unknown.
No time to think.
No time to plan.
He chose the left path, plunging into the darkness.
The tunnel narrowed sharply, forcing him to duck, his breathing ragged.
Sweat stung his eyes.
Every muscle screamed.
But he kept moving.
For Aina.
For Reza.
For the city above that didn't even know it was already falling.
Suddenly, through a broken maintenance grate ahead, he caught a flash — movement.
Not soldiers.
Not Black Omega.
Aina.
Dragging Reza, bloodied but alive, down a side passage.
Relief and terror hit Irfan simultaneously.
They were alive.
But barely.
He banged on the grating to catch their attention.
Aina spun, weapon raised — and then her face broke into raw, exhausted relief when she saw him.
Irfan yanked the rusted grate free, helping Reza through first.
She was pale, favoring one leg, but her grip on his shoulder was iron-strong.
"You look like hell, genius," she rasped.
"You're no supermodel either," Irfan shot back with a grim smile.
Aina clambered through after her, gun ready, eyes scanning the shadows.
"Exit's that way," she gasped, pointing toward a ventilation shaft marked with ancient emergency symbols.
"It's our only shot."
But footsteps thundered behind them now — closing fast.
Too fast.
Black Omega had triangulated their position.
LUCIA whispered:
"Multiple heat signatures converging. Contact imminent in 30 seconds."
No choice.
They had to move.
Now.
Aina led the charge toward the shaft entrance.
Irfan slung Reza's arm over his shoulder, practically carrying her.
The shaft was barely wide enough for two people.
Rust flaked off the walls as they forced themselves forward.
Shots rang out behind them — armor-piercing rounds chewing into the steel plating inches from Irfan's head.
He ducked lower, heart pounding.
Almost there.
They reached the shaft's mouth —
only to find a heavy security grate still sealed over it.
No time for finesse.
Irfan jammed a stolen Omega sidearm into the locking mechanism and fired point-blank.
Bang!
The grate buckled, falling loose.
Freedom — within reach.
Reza slipped through first, pulling herself into the open shaft.
Aina followed, covering Irfan as Black Omega operatives stormed into view.
Irfan fired blindly to keep their heads down, diving into the shaft after them.
Bullets sparked off the metal walls behind them.
But they were moving.
Alive.
For now.
As they crawled through the narrow, suffocating darkness, Irfan couldn't shake the feeling gnawing at his spine.
This wasn't victory.
This was escape.
Temporary.
Fragile.
And the storm outside Site Zero was only just beginning.
Above ground, PHALANX was already moving to crush the city's spirit before the first cry of resistance could even be heard.
And somewhere in the dark, Agent Shadow watched.
Waiting.
Smiling.
Because the true hunt was still to come.