Chapter 7: Escape

The hum of the machinery was relentless, a low vibration that crawled into Sirius Capella’s bones as he assessed the room. The air smelled faintly of heated metal and burned circuits, a sharp contrast to the sterile corridors they had traversed earlier. Around him, his team stood under the watchful eyes of their captors—heavily armed, precise, and utterly silent apart from barked orders.

Maya Ramirez sat on the floor nearby, her hands restrained, her jaw tight. She scanned the armed group with calculated contempt, her gaze lingering on their leader. “So, what’s the grand plan?” she asked, her voice dripping with defiance. “Or are we just supposed to sit here and admire your shiny armor?”

The leader, clad in matte black gear with no visible insignia, ignored her, focusing instead on the heavy equipment they were assembling. Large, ominous devices hummed with power, their purpose unclear.

“Keep quiet,” one of the soldiers snapped. His weapon shifted slightly toward her, a warning rather than a threat.

Sirius tilted his head, calculating the odds. “Whatever you’re setting up, it seems overcomplicated for a few survivors.”

The leader turned then, their mask reflecting the room’s harsh lighting. “You wouldn’t understand,” they said, their voice filtered through a modulator. “But you will. Soon.”

“That’s not exactly reassuring,” Sirius replied. He locked eyes—or at least he assumed he did—with the leader, testing their composure. “You’ve already gone through the trouble of keeping us alive. Why not skip the theatrics?”

The leader paused, then gestured for their soldiers to continue. “Patience.”

Patience wasn’t something Sirius had much of. His mind raced, analyzing the layout of the room, the positions of their captors, and the equipment. He needed to understand what they were dealing with—and how to turn it against them.

Behind Sirius, Akira Tanaka shifted uncomfortably, his hands also bound. “Tino,” Akira whispered, his voice barely audible. “Can you interface with anything in this room?”

Tino, seated with mechanical stillness a few meters away, emitted a soft hum. “Attempting passive scans. Stand by.”

Maya leaned slightly toward Sirius, her voice low. “If we’re going to make a move, we need to know what they’re guarding.”

“I’m working on it,” Sirius replied just as quietly. “But we can’t act until we understand what’s at stake.”

A sudden crash interrupted their hushed exchange. One of the large devices sparked violently, sending a shower of blue light across the room. The soldiers reacted immediately, moving to stabilize the equipment. In the confusion, Sirius caught a glimpse of the device’s inner workings: coils of superheated metal and intricate energy conduits, radiating a pulsing glow.

“They’re powering something big,” Akira murmured, his voice tense. “That’s not just a generator—it’s a weapon.”

“Or a trap,” Maya added.

Tino’s optics flickered as it processed the data from its scans. “Primary device appears to be an energy dispersal system. Purpose unknown. Secondary systems indicate remote control functionality. Suggest seizing control to disrupt enemy operations.”

Sirius filed that information away, his mind already piecing together a plan. “Akira, if Tino can get a connection, can you override it?”

“It’ll be messy,” Akira admitted. “But yes. If I can get my hands on a terminal.”

“Then we need a distraction,” Sirius said. His voice was steady, even as his pulse quickened. “Something big enough to make them scramble.”

Maya smirked faintly. “Now you’re speaking my language.”

The opportunity came faster than Sirius expected. One of the soldiers miscalculated while handling the volatile equipment, and another burst of blue light filled the room, accompanied by a loud crack. The soldiers barked orders at one another, their focus momentarily fractured.

Sirius acted without hesitation. He surged to his feet, his bound hands swinging upward to catch the nearest soldier under the chin. The force of the blow sent the man stumbling back, his weapon clattering to the floor.

Maya was already moving, using the distraction to disable another soldier with a swift kick to the knee. She followed it up with a jab to the throat, her precision honed by years of combat training.

Akira scrambled toward the nearest console, his fingers flying over the interface despite his restraints. “Tino, I need that connection now!” he shouted.

“Establishing link,” Tino replied, its voice calm amidst the chaos. It rose with fluid efficiency, dodging the panicked gunfire of the remaining soldiers.

Sirius seized a fallen weapon, spinning to face the leader. “Call them off,” he demanded, his tone sharp. “Or this ends badly for you.”

The leader didn’t flinch. Instead, they raised a hand, and the remaining soldiers froze, their weapons still trained on the team. “Impressive,” the leader said, their tone unreadable. “But futile.”

A sharp crack echoed through the room, and Sirius felt the impact before he registered the sound. His weapon clattered to the floor as an unseen force slammed into his chest, knocking him backward. He hit the ground hard, his vision swimming.

“Sirius!” Maya shouted, her voice cutting through the ringing in his ears.

The leader stepped forward, their weapon aimed at Sirius’s head. “You should’ve stayed in your place,” they said coldly.

Before they could fire, a deafening roar filled the room. The machinery behind them erupted in a cascade of sparks, sending soldiers scattering for cover. Akira grinned triumphantly from his position at the console. “Got it!” he shouted.

Tino moved like a blur, seizing the leader’s weapon and disabling it with a precise strike. “Control reestablished. Enemy systems neutralized.”

Sirius pushed himself to his feet, his chest aching but functional. He locked eyes with the leader, whose composure had finally cracked. “This isn’t over,” they hissed before retreating into the shadows with their remaining soldiers.

“Let them run,” Maya said, picking up a discarded rifle. “They won’t get far.”

“Not our priority,” Sirius said, his voice firm. He turned to Akira. “What did you do?”

“Overloaded their systems,” Akira replied, still typing furiously. “But it’s temporary. We need to move before they regroup.”

Sirius nodded, already scanning the room for an exit. “Tino, where’s the nearest safe path?”

Tino’s optics glowed as it processed the request. “Emergency access tunnel detected. Ninety meters east.”

“Then that’s where we’re going,” Sirius said. He turned to the survivors, his expression unreadable. “Stay close and keep quiet.”

The access tunnel was narrow and dimly lit, its walls lined with exposed pipes that dripped condensation. The sound of their footsteps echoed ominously, a reminder that they were far from safety.

“Where does this lead?” Maya asked, her voice low.

“Back toward the lower levels,” Tino replied. “Limited structural stability detected. Caution is advised.”

“Great,” Maya muttered. “Just what we needed.”

As they moved deeper into the tunnel, the air grew colder, and the faint sound of rushing water reached their ears. Sirius felt the weight of the situation pressing down on him—every decision, every misstep could mean the difference between survival and death.

“We’re not out of this yet,” he said, his tone grim.

Akira glanced at him, his expression weary but determined. “We’ll figure it out.”

Sirius didn’t respond. The path ahead was long, and the shadows seemed to stretch endlessly. There was no telling what awaited them on the other side.