Chapter 13: The Betrayal

The air in District 14 felt heavier than usual, thick with the unspoken fear that gripped its streets. Henry paced the workshop, his thoughts churning. The tablet Rafe had shown him—images of people being dragged away, punished for his actions—played on a loop in his mind. He couldn’t shake the guilt, the overwhelming sense that he was failing the very people he wanted to help.

Mia sat silently in the corner, her face pale and drawn. She hadn’t said much since the footage, but Henry could feel the weight of her worry pressing down on him. She didn’t need to speak for him to know what she was thinking: This has gone too far.

Rafe’s return broke the silence. He entered with his usual confidence, but something about him felt off. He avoided looking directly at Henry or Mia, instead fiddling with the strap of his coat.

“They’re moving fast,” Rafe said, his tone clipped. “That enforcer? They’ve set up a new base near the southern gate. Heavy security, but it means they’re consolidating. They’re expecting you to run.”

Henry frowned, his pacing stopping mid-step. “I’m not running.”

“Didn’t think you would,” Rafe said, leaning against the wall. “But they’re not just coming for you anymore. They’ve started targeting anyone who might’ve helped you. You saw the footage. It’s only going to get worse.”

“What do you suggest, then?” Henry asked, his frustration bubbling to the surface. “We can’t just sit here and wait for them to round everyone up.”

Rafe hesitated, then pulled a small device from his pocket. It was a sleek, black disk with a faint blue light pulsing at its center. “This,” he said, holding it up, “is a backdoor into their network. A way to access their comms, their drones, even their enforcers. If you can get this inside their base, it’ll buy us time.”

Henry eyed the device suspiciously. “And how did you get this?”

Rafe’s smirk returned, though it lacked its usual sharpness. “Let’s just say I’ve got connections.”

The plan was simple, at least on the surface: Henry would use the backdoor device to disrupt the enforcer’s operations, throwing their systems into chaos and giving the district a chance to breathe. It was dangerous, but it was also the first real opportunity to fight back.

Mia was less convinced. “This feels wrong,” she said as they prepared to leave. “How do we know it’ll work? How do we know it’s not a trap?”

Henry hesitated, glancing at Rafe, who was checking his weapon. “We don’t,” he admitted. “But we don’t have a better option.”

Mia’s expression hardened. “I don’t trust him.”

Rafe laughed, though it sounded forced. “Good. Means you’re not stupid.”

The southern gate loomed ahead, a massive, rusted structure reinforced with layers of steel and guarded by patrols of drones and soldiers. Henry could feel the weight of the system pressing against his mind as they approached, the hum in his chip growing louder with each step.

They stopped in the shadows of a derelict building, the faint glow of the gate’s floodlights casting long shadows across the ground. Rafe handed Henry the device, his expression unreadable. “This is it,” he said. “Get that thing inside, and we’ve got a shot.”

Henry nodded, gripping the device tightly. “And you’re sure this will work?”

“As sure as I can be,” Rafe said, his smirk returning. “Now go.”

Moving through the gate’s perimeter was harder than Henry had expected. The patrols were tighter, the drones more numerous. He could feel their signals brushing against his mind, each one a potential threat. But the hum in his chip sharpened his focus, guiding him as he slipped through the shadows.

When he reached the base of the gate, he found an access panel embedded in the wall. It was old and rusted, but the faint glow of its display showed it was still operational. Henry placed the device against the panel, watching as its blue light pulsed faster.

He closed his eyes, reaching out with his mind to connect to the device. The system opened up before him, a labyrinth of signals and commands. He could feel the drones, the surveillance feeds, the faint presence of the enforcer’s connection.

And then, something changed.

The system pushed back.

Henry’s eyes snapped open as the panel’s display turned red, an alarm blaring through the air. He stumbled back, his heart pounding. He tried to reach out again, but the system felt different now—hostile, like it was fighting him.

From the shadows, the enforcer emerged, their sleek armor gleaming under the floodlights. They moved with deliberate precision, their helmet tilting as they studied him.

“You’ve been compromised,” the enforcer said, their voice cold and mechanical. “You trusted the wrong ally.”

Henry’s stomach dropped. “What are you talking about?”

The enforcer didn’t answer. Instead, they raised their hand, and the drones around the gate shifted, their weapons locking onto Henry.

Behind him, Rafe appeared, his smirk replaced with something colder. “Sorry, kid,” he said. “It’s nothing personal. Just business.”

Henry stared at him, disbelief and betrayal warring in his chest. “You set me up.”

Rafe shrugged. “The upper city pays well for anomalies like you. And unlike you, I know when to play my cards right.”

The drones closed in, their engines humming ominously. Henry’s mind raced, the hum in his chip growing deafening. He could feel the enforcer’s presence pressing against him, the weight of the system threatening to overwhelm him.

Mia’s voice cut through the chaos. “Henry, move!”

She appeared from the shadows, her face pale but determined. She grabbed his arm, pulling him away from the gate as the drones opened fire. Sparks and debris filled the air as they ran, the sound of engines and shouted orders echoing behind them.

Henry stumbled, his vision blurring as the strain of the system took its toll. Mia held him up, her grip tight as they ducked into a nearby alley. The sounds of pursuit grew fainter, but Henry knew it wouldn’t last.

When they finally stopped, Henry collapsed against the wall, his chest heaving. Mia knelt beside him, her face streaked with tears and grime. “Are you okay?” she asked, her voice shaking.

“I will be,” he said, though the words felt hollow. The betrayal cut deeper than he wanted to admit.

Mia gripped his hand tightly, her expression hardening. “We can’t trust anyone anymore, Henry. It’s just us now.”

Henry nodded, his resolve hardening. The upper city had turned the people he wanted to save against him. If he was going to fight back, he couldn’t rely on anyone else. He would have to find his own way.

And he would make them pay.