The Quantum Paradox

Chapter 4: The Price of Knowledge

The weight of Zeke’s words hung thick in the air.

Malcolm’s mind raced, analyzing every angle, every possibility. If the Parallax Syndicate wanted this device badly enough to send a hit squad after him, then it wasn’t just valuable—it was dangerous.

Zeke ran a hand through his unkempt hair, still staring at the artifact. “I’m telling you, man, this thing isn’t normal.” He tapped at his keyboard, pulling up a holographic interface that flickered against the cluttered walls of his hideout. “The symbols on the casing? They don’t match any known corporate tech. It’s older—way older. We’re talking pre-collapse era, maybe even pre-singularity.”

Malcolm exhaled. “You mean before everything went to hell.”

Zeke smirked. “Yeah, back when humanity still thought they were in control.” His fingers moved swiftly over the keys. “The problem is, there’s a failsafe. This thing has layers of security, and whatever is locked inside… someone went to extreme lengths to keep it buried.”

“Can you crack it?” Malcolm pressed.

Zeke gave him a flat look. “Dude, this isn’t some off-the-shelf encryption. This is quantum-level security. I can try to bypass it, but if I trip the wrong failsafe, this thing could fry itself. Or worse—set off a beacon that tells whoever made it exactly where we are.”

Malcolm swore under his breath. He had spent years stealing data, breaking into high-security vaults, outwitting mercs and corporate watchdogs alike. But this? This was bigger than anything he had ever handled.

He ran a hand over the device’s surface. The engravings pulsated faintly, almost as if alive.

“What if we don’t crack it?” Malcolm muttered. “What if we find someone who already knows what it is?”

Zeke raised an eyebrow. “You got someone in mind?”

Malcolm hesitated. There was only one person who might have answers, but going to her meant stepping back into a world he had deliberately left behind.

“Yeah,” he said finally. “Professor Lillian Carter.”

Zeke’s expression twisted into something between amusement and concern. “Oh, hell no. You’re talking about the Lillian Carter? The ex-military scientist who disappeared after the Helix Dynamics scandal? The same one who—”

“Yeah.” Malcolm cut him off. He didn’t need a recap of his history with her.

Zeke exhaled. “Man, you really don’t believe in taking the easy way out, do you?”

Malcolm’s lips twitched into a smirk. “Wouldn’t be fun if I did.”

The plan was simple—find Lillian before the Parallax Syndicate found him.

Of course, that was easier said than done.

Malcolm and Zeke moved through the backstreets of Neo-New York, avoiding the main thoroughfares where high-resolution cameras could pick up their faces. The city hummed with its usual chaotic energy—glowing billboards flashing government propaganda, drone patrols scanning for wanted criminals, the distant wail of sirens echoing through the alleyways.

Zeke led the way toward one of his safehouses, an old speakeasy repurposed into a tech hideout. They needed to lie low while he worked on tracing Lillian’s last known location.

But Malcolm’s instincts screamed danger.

Something was off.

He glanced at a reflective shop window as they passed. A dark figure moved through the crowd behind them. Too smooth. Too precise. Not a common street thug.

“Syndicate.” Malcolm’s voice was barely a whisper, but Zeke caught it.

“Shit,” Zeke muttered. “How many?”

“Two that I can see.” Malcolm’s hand hovered near his sidearm. “Probably more nearby.”

They had two options—run or fight.

But the decision was made for them.

A third Syndicate operative stepped into their path. A woman, clad in a sleek black suit, her blonde hair cropped short. She smiled, but there was no warmth in it.

“Malcolm Voss,” she said smoothly. “I’d say I’m surprised, but that’d be a lie.”

Zeke tensed beside him. “Who the hell is this?”

The woman’s smile widened. “Agent Delaney. Parallax Syndicate.” She tilted her head. “Hand over the device, and I’ll let you keep your kneecaps.”

Malcolm’s muscles coiled, ready to move. “Tempting offer,” he said dryly. “But I think I’ll pass.”

Agent Delaney sighed. “I figured you’d say that.” She snapped her fingers.

The alley exploded into chaos.

A Syndicate agent lunged from the side, a shock baton crackling in his grip. Malcolm dodged just in time, the weapon sizzling against the brick wall. He countered with a sharp elbow strike to the attacker’s throat, sending him reeling.

Zeke, despite not being much of a fighter, threw a makeshift EMP grenade onto the pavement. A pulse of blue light surged outward, frying nearby surveillance drones and temporarily blinding their pursuers.

“MOVE!” Zeke yelled.

Malcolm didn’t hesitate. He grabbed Zeke’s arm and sprinted.

The two of them weaved through the crowded streets, Syndicate agents in pursuit. The city itself became a battleground—ducking into underground tunnels, vaulting over barricades, slipping through gaps in security fences.

Malcolm’s breath was ragged by the time they reached the entrance of an abandoned maglev station. He shoved open the rusted doors, dragging Zeke inside.

The space was eerily quiet, the distant hum of electricity barely audible.

Zeke leaned against a pillar, panting. “We… gotta stop doing this.”

Malcolm checked his gun. Two bullets left. Not great.

“They’ll be back,” he said grimly.

Zeke nodded. “Yeah, but we bought some time. And I got what we needed.” He tapped a data pad. “Lillian Carter—last known location: Sector 12, Lunar District.”

Malcolm’s jaw clenched. Sector 12 was a high-security zone, off-limits to civilians. Whatever Lillian was up to, she wasn’t exactly hiding in plain sight.

But he didn’t have a choice.

If the Parallax Syndicate wanted this device badly enough to kill for it… then Lillian Carter was his only hope of understanding why.

And Malcolm Voss wasn’t about to let the future be decided by anyone but himself.

Let me know if you want any adjustments or if I should move on to Chapter 5: Infiltrating Sector 12!