2025-11-17 23:57:14
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The service exit groaned as Davion forced it open, the rusted hinges screeching loud enough to make everyone freeze. For a second, nobody moved. Even the air held its breath. Beverly leaned closer and whispered, “You’re going to get us killed with that door.”Davion shot her a look. “Sorry that I’m not a certified ninja.”Wilson raised his hand, trembling. “For the record, I am perfectly okay with turning around. Going home. Sleeping for like… a week.”“Wilson,” Irene said flatly, “if we leave now, HX-01 will track us down, one by one, dismantle us, and put our bones in alphabetical order.”“That is… aggressively unnecessary,” Wilson muttered, hugging himself.Davion sighed. “Let’s move. We don’t have time.”They slipped through the narrow exit and into a dim hallway—walls lined with peeling paint, pipes humming faintly overhead, and emergency lights flickering in a nervous rhythm. It felt like they were walking inside a dying machine.Beverly stepped beside Davion. “So what’s the pla
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Davion’s lungs burned. Every breath felt like fire in his chest, but he couldn’t slow down. Behind him, the metallic screech of HX-01’s armor echoed through the underground tunnels, each step a drumbeat of terror. Sparks and debris bounced off the walls as the prototype powered up, its movements jerky but lethal.“LEFT!” Davion shouted, grabbing Beverly’s wrist and pulling her hard around a corner.She stumbled but recovered. “You think I need directions from a guy who just tried to electroshock a murder robot?!” she yelled, half-laughing, half-panicked.“I DON’T HAVE TIME FOR YOUR SASS!” he snapped, though the words didn’t carry the usual bite—they were just adrenaline and fear.Irene and Wilson followed close behind, Wilson tripping over his own feet, banging against the walls. “OH MY GOD! I AM NOT BUILT FOR THIS!” he screamed, flailing wildly. “I’M A REGULAR HUMAN! A VERY SCARED REGULAR HUMAN!”“You’re literally slowing us down!” Irene yelled. “Get your head in the game!”“GAME?! T
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The tunnel ahead hummed like something alive.Not loud. Not threatening. Just… awake.Davion’s pulse kicked up. Beverly tightened her grip on his hand like she could feel the change in the air too. Wilson was already shaking his head.“Nope. No. Absolutely not—why is the tunnel glowing? Tunnels don’t glow! That’s how horror movies start!”Irene side-eyed him. “We’re already IN a horror movie.”“That doesn’t make me feel better!”They moved slowly, the old maintenance tunnel curving downward. The deeper they went, the more the faint blue glow reflected across the walls, painting their faces like ghostlight.Beverly whispered, “Davion… what is this place?”He didn’t answer at first. His throat felt tight. His brain was already fitting pieces together, one horrible click at a time.“This tunnel wasn’t on the original facility schematics,” he said quietly.“And?” Wilson asked.“And that means someone built it later. In secret.”“Fantastic,” Wilson muttered. “A secret under a secret. Love
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The moment the screen went black, the whole room felt like it exhaled.Then Beverly shot to her feet.“Reika—Davion, she’s coming.”Davion didn’t even pretend to act surprised. “Yeah. I figured.”Wilson paced near the door, rubbing the back of his neck. “So what, we just… wait for her to show up and murder us? Cool. Great plan.”Irene kicked a chair aside and muttered, “She’s not killing anybody. Not while I’m here.”Davion leaned forward, elbows on the table. “She said she wouldn’t come for me until she found whatever incomplete file Hale left behind. That means we have time.”“Time?” Beverly snapped. “Davion, the girl just shut down an entire government firewall in fifteen seconds. She can track us through a cereal box barcode.”That actually made Wilson pause. “Wait—can she?”“I don’t know!” Beverly yelled. “Probably!”Davion stood. “Look… we need to move. Now. Reika’s tracking the residue signal from Genesis. She’ll realize fast that the data trail cuts off here.”“Where do we eve
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The moment the screen went black, the whole room felt like it exhaled.Then Beverly shot to her feet.“Reika—Davion, she’s coming.”Davion didn’t even pretend to act surprised. “Yeah. I figured.”Wilson paced near the door, rubbing the back of his neck. “So what, we just… wait for her to show up and murder us? Cool. Great plan.”Irene kicked a chair aside and muttered, “She’s not killing anybody. Not while I’m here.”Davion leaned forward, elbows on the table. “She said she wouldn’t come for me until she found whatever incomplete file Hale left behind. That means we have time.”“Time?” Beverly snapped. “Davion, the girl just shut down an entire government firewall in fifteen seconds. She can track us through a cereal box barcode.”That actually made Wilson pause. “Wait—can she?”“I don’t know!” Beverly yelled. “Probably!”Davion stood. “Look… we need to move. Now. Reika’s tracking the residue signal from Genesis. She’ll realize fast that the data trail cuts off here.”“Where do we eve
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By the time they reached the safehouse, Beverly’s arms were shaking so hard she could barely keep hold of the girl. Davion grabbed the door and shouldered it open, letting them spill inside. It wasn’t much—just an old apartment above a boarded-up deli—but it was clean, quiet, and most importantly, off-grid.The door slammed shut behind them.Reika kicked the lock twice just to be sure. “Cute place,” she muttered. “Love the whole ‘we might get murdered but at least the walls are beige’ vibe.”Beverly ignored her and laid the girl—Omega—on the faded couch. Davion knelt beside them, brushing damp hair from the girl’s forehead. She felt like ice.“Beverly, get the blankets,” Davion said urgently.She grabbed two from the hallway closet and wrapped the child gently, tucking them under her chin. “Her pulse is weird,” Beverly whispered. “Fast and… glitchy.”Reika raised an eyebrow. “Glitchy. Great medical term.”Davion shot Reika a look sharp enough to cut metal. “You didn’t see what they di
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