Echoes of the Algorithm

Mountain Door

Maeson jerked the heavy steering wheel hard to the left. The sports car tires screamed against the cold wet road. The deadly rocket zoomed past their right window. It missed the glass by only a few inches. The explosive weapon hit the mountain wall right behind them. A massive ball of bright orange fire erupted into the dark sky. The shockwave slammed into the side of their fast vehicle. The car spun out of control. Maeson slammed his foot onto the brakes. The vehicle skidded violently across the dirty pavement and crashed hard into a thick row of tall trees.

Glass shattered everywhere. The loud crunch of folding metal filled his ears. White smoke poured out from the crushed front hood. Maeson coughed and waved his hands in the thick air. His head throbbed with deep pain. He looked over at the passenger seat. Ava sat very still. Her eyes were tightly closed. A small cut on her forehead leaked dark blood. Ava, he shouted loudly. Please wake up. He reached over and shook her soft shoulder. She let out a quiet groan and slowly opened her bright eyes. She touched her bleeding head and winced in sharp terrible pain.

I am alive, she whispered softly. She unbuckled her tight seatbelt. Are you badly hurt? Maeson shook his head. Just a few bruises, he said. He pushed his door open and stumbled out into the cold night air. He grabbed his black tool bag from the back seat. He helped Ava out of the wrecked vehicle. They stood together on the dark mountain road. The purple fog was very thick here. It smelled like burning ozone and old copper. The mercenary transport van was gone. It had disappeared higher up the steep mountain path while they were trapped inside it.

We lost them, Ava said. Her voice carried a heavy sadness. They have your little sister right now. Maeson pulled out his phone. The glowing screen was cracked, but the map still worked perfectly. The red dot was blinking near the very top of the massive mountain. No, we have not lost them yet, he replied with strong confidence. They stopped moving. They reached the end of the road. We have to walk the rest of the way. He grabbed her soft hand. They began to climb up the steep dirt path. The dark forest around them felt very cold.

They walked for thirty long minutes. The sharp rocks cut into their expensive shoes. The purple energy in the air made their skin tingle. Maeson kept his eyes glued to the cracked phone screen. He thought about his sick sister. He remembered her bright smile before she got sick. He promised their parents he would always protect her. He failed today, but he refused to give up. He would burn this whole mountain down if he had to. Ava squeezed his hand tight. I know you are scared, she said softly. But we will save her tonight together right now.

Maeson looked at the brave billionaire heiress. She had lost her father and her whole life today. Yet she was still fighting right beside him. Thank you, he whispered. You are much stronger than I ever thought. Ava gave him a small sad smile. Before she could reply, Maeson held up his right hand. Stop, he ordered quietly. He pointed through the thick trees. A bright white light shone through the dark fog ahead of them. They crept forward very slowly. They hid behind a massive gray boulder and looked at the strange clearing located at the mountain peak area.

The transport van was parked near the edge of a giant stone wall. The wall was built directly into the side of the rocky mountain. A massive stone door stood in the center. The door was covered in the exact same glowing symbols that were carved into the ancient metal cylinder. The tall mercenary with the hawk pin stood near the back of the open van. Two other armed guards were pulling a heavy medical stretcher out of the vehicle. Maeson saw the pale face of his young sister. She was still connected to her loud breathing machines right now.

She looked so small and fragile in the bright light. Maeson felt a fresh wave of hot anger burn in his chest. He wanted to run out there and fight them all. But he forced himself to stay hidden behind the cold rock. The tall mercenary walked up to the massive stone door. He pulled out a small black tablet. He plugged a thick cable from the tablet into a hole near the ancient symbols. He is trying to force the door open with a translation program, Ava whispered in absolute pure shock. He has the main code right now.

He stole a copy of my artificial intelligence from the testing lab, Maeson realized. If he opens that door, he will unleash the main source of the dark magic. I have to hack his tablet before the code finishes processing. Maeson opened his black bag and pulled out his computer. He turned the power on. The blue screen lit up his focused face. He started typing a fast wireless override command. He was only ten seconds away from stopping the mercenary. Suddenly, a cold heavy metal barrel pressed firmly against his bare neck. Freeze now.