It rattled my teeth. Lights blew out in the southern quadrant. Sparks rained from the transformer and kissed my skin, but I didn’t feel any pain.
A voice, far away, echoed in my ear. DITA.
“Guards are on the move.”
I took the long way around the building, sprinting at top speed. My legs and lungs should’ve burned. I didn’t feel it.
Sliding through the darkness, I stayed low, my pulse a concerningly fast drumbeat in my ears as I reached the west side fence and the now-empty entrance gate.
I slipped through, pressing myself against the wall of the building. The security booth was just ahead.
“DITA, how long until backup arrives?”
“Reinforcements already in motion. ETA four minutes.”
Fuck. I had to be fast. But I could do that. I could do anything.
I yanked the booth door open, and one remaining guard spun. His hand went for a gun, and I ran straight at him, clamping my hand over his face. I shocked him, and I wasn’t careful. He convulsed beneath me, body twitching. His pants grew dark as he pissed himself, but I didn’t stop. I swore I heard his heart struggling.
“EON!” DITA screamed in my ear.
I dropped him.
I looked at vid feeds pulled up on the booth’s monitors.
Me: Where are you?
Taos: Storage 3, behind some crates.
I pulled up the feed, sparks flying from my fingers over the system’s controls. They weren’t visible on camera. They’d done at least that much.
The screens flashed red:LOCKDOWN IN PROGRESS. I tried to override it, but the system needed higher clearance.
“Should I—” DITA offered, but I shook my head.
“Work smarter, not harder.” I dragged the unconscious guard to the access panel and slapped his hand down to clear the override.
I let him flop back to the floor. “At least you get to keep it,” I muttered.
The Vector was still riding high in my system, making time feel fluid, slippery. I clenched my fists, ready to throw more Flux at the panel if I had to—
Then the light blinked green.
I didn’t hesitate. I hit the override, unlocking every security door in the building.
Me: You’re clear.
Taos: Copy. Moving.
Me: Front gate clear for two mins.
Shadows slipped out from behind the crates on the screen and disappeared down a now-open corridor.
I slipped back out into the rain, keeping low as I sprinted toward the rendezvous point.
Emergency lighting flickered inside the building, casting everything in an eerie red glow. Then I saw them—Taos, Vex, Marco—bolting toward the exit.
I waved them toward the gate.
