2025-03-24 21:33:49The sterile glow of the holographic display cast flickering shadows across the lab as Dr. Lillian Carter examined Malcolm with a mixture of curiosity and wariness. He could tell she was stalling—measuring his reactions, deciding how much to reveal.
Malcolm didn’t have the patience for mind games.
“You said it’s a key,” he said, stepping forward. “A key to what?”
Carter tapped the floating projection, zooming in on the intricate markings on the device Malcolm had risked his life to steal. The engravings pulsed faintly, forming an unfamiliar but deliberate pattern.
“To a hidden network,” she answered. “One that exists outside of corporate control, beyond the reach of the Syndicate, the government—anyone. It’s called the Aether Grid.”
Malcolm frowned. “Never heard of it.”
Carter smirked. “That’s the point.”
She turned back to the screen. “The Aether Grid isn’t just a network. It’s an unlocked system—a data structure free from surveillance, manipulation, and censorship. It was supposed to be humanity’s last defense against digital enslavement.”
Malcolm’s jaw tightened. “And let me guess—someone wanted it buried.”
Carter nodded. “The Syndicate. The corporations. Even the World Security Coalition. The moment they realized it couldn’t be controlled, they shut it down. But they didn’t destroy it. They couldn’t.”
She pointed to the device in Malcolm’s possession.
“They locked it away—sealed the last access points with encryption so complex, only someone with this key could open it.”
Malcolm exhaled. He’d spent years dodging corrupt cops, mercenaries, and bounty hunters. But this? This was bigger.
It wasn’t just about surviving anymore.
It was about changing the game.
Zeke’s voice crackled over Malcolm’s earpiece.
“Uh, dude? We got a problem.”
Malcolm stiffened. “What kind of problem?”
“The Syndicate’s tracking us. They must’ve caught your trail when you hit the tunnel. I just intercepted a transmission—they’ve sent a team to Sector 12. You need to get out. Now.”
Carter swore under her breath. She moved to a nearby console and began typing rapidly.
“I can erase our presence in the system,” she said. “Buy us a few minutes.”
Malcolm shook his head. “Not enough. We need to be gone before they lock this district down.”
Carter hesitated. “I can’t leave. I still have data stored on the internal servers. If I go now, it’s lost forever.”
Malcolm clenched his jaw. They didn’t have time for this.
Then an idea hit him.
“How much data?”
Carter eyed him warily. “A lot.”
He pulled out a storage drive from his belt. “Enough to fit on this?”
Carter’s eyes widened. “If you compress the core files… maybe.”
“Then do it,” Malcolm said.
Carter hesitated for only a second before her hands flew across the keyboard.
Zeke’s voice came back. “Dude, I don’t wanna rush you, but you have less than five minutes before this place turns into a warzone.”
Malcolm turned to Carter. “You got an exit?”
She grabbed a duffel bag from under a nearby table. “Service tunnel. Two blocks west. Leads to a hidden docking bay.”
Malcolm nodded. “Then let’s move.”
The moment they stepped out of the lab, the entire building shook.
Boom!
The overhead lights flickered. A deep, guttural rumble echoed through the floors.
Zeke swore through the comms. “Yeah… they brought explosives.”
Malcolm’s instincts kicked in. “Move!”
He grabbed Carter’s arm, yanking her behind cover as gunfire erupted from the end of the corridor. Syndicate mercenaries in black combat gear stormed in, weapons blazing.
Malcolm returned fire, ducking behind an overturned medical console.
Carter, surprisingly composed, pulled a compact pulse gun from her bag and fired three precise shots, taking down one of the attackers.
Malcolm raised an eyebrow. “Didn’t take you for the combat type.”
Carter smirked. “I didn’t survive this long by playing scientist.”
They raced down the hall, bullets tearing through glass panels and monitors.
Zeke’s voice came through. “The tunnel’s three doors down, but they’ve got security locks active.”
Malcolm swore. They’d have to override them manually.
Carter skidded to a stop at the control panel and plugged in a decryption tool. The screen flashed red. Access denied.
She gritted her teeth. “They’re blocking remote access. I need to bypass it manually.”
Malcolm turned, seeing more Syndicate soldiers closing in.
He exhaled. Fine.
“Take your time,” he said.
Then he stepped forward and threw himself into the fight.
Malcolm moved like a shadow, weaving between cover, his bullets finding their targets with precision. The corridor became a war zone—smoke, flashing muzzle fire, the sharp tang of burning circuits.
But there were too many of them.
Malcolm ducked behind a wall just as a grenade bounced toward him.
Shit.
He grabbed it, hurled it back just in time.
Boom!
The explosion rocked the hallway. Malcolm pushed forward, cutting through the disoriented mercs.
Carter yelled from the panel. “Almost there!”
Zeke shouted. “Mal, more incoming—north wing!”
Malcolm turned.
Two heavily armored Syndicate enforcers stomped into view, carrying high-powered plasma rifles.
“Oh, you’ve got to be kidding me,” Malcolm muttered.
The first one fired. A searing blue bolt grazed past his shoulder, melting through the metal wall behind him.
Malcolm rolled forward, fired two shots—both bounced harmlessly off their armor.
Yeah, that wasn’t gonna work.
“Zeke!” Malcolm barked. “Ideas?”
Zeke’s frantic typing filled the comms. “You’re not gonna like it.”
“I already don’t like it.”
Zeke sighed. “Power junction in the ceiling. Shoot it.”
Malcolm glanced up. High-voltage energy cables ran along the roof.
He fired.
Sparks exploded.
The two enforcers barely had time to react before a surge of electricity arced through their armor, sending them collapsing in a smoking heap.
Malcolm grinned. “I love it when you come through, Z.”
“Yeah, yeah,” Zeke muttered. “Now get the hell outta there.”
Carter slammed the override switch. The service tunnel doors hissed open.
Malcolm grabbed her hand, pulling her inside.
As the doors sealed shut behind them, the last thing they heard was the furious shouts of the Syndicate mercs as they realized their targets had escaped.
They raced down the tunnel, the sound of pursuit fading behind them.
Malcolm exhaled, adrenaline still pounding in his veins. He glanced at Carter.
“You okay?”
She nodded, though her breathing was ragged. “That was… intense.”
Malcolm smirked. “Welcome to my world.”
Carter checked the storage drive she had loaded with data. “It worked. We got everything.”
Malcolm rolled his shoulders. “Good. Because something tells me… this was just the beginning.
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