The Escape Protocol

Veyna sprinted down the corridor, lungs burning from the icy air. The alarm’s piercing wail bounced off the sterile metallic walls, drowning out her own pounding footsteps. Behind her, the Sentinel drone’s red eye flickered, tracking her every move.

> “Directive 44 engaged. Unauthorized entity detected. Engaging termination protocol.”

Her heart slammed against her ribs. Termination? Not detainment?

The city didn’t waste resources on anomalies.

A whirring sound—like a high-frequency charge—sent adrenaline surging through her veins. It was about to fire.

Veyna lunged left, rolling into an adjacent service tunnel. A flash of white-hot plasma seared past her, vaporizing the steel panel behind her. She barely had time to react before the Sentinel followed, its hovering frame sleek and merciless.

She reached for the NeuroLock on her wrist, instinct overriding panic.

Override command. Emergency access. Open nearest exit.

A faint beep. Error. Access denied.

“Dammit!” she hissed. The system had locked her out. The Cortex knew she was rogue.

She needed an escape route. Now.

The Underground

She wasn’t far from The Undervault, the labyrinthine network of tunnels beneath Cyropolis—a place only rebels and ghosts dared to tread. If she could reach it, she might have a chance to disappear.

But the Sentinel wasn’t slowing down.

Veyna pivoted sharply, dashing through a maintenance hatch. The corridors darkened, the sterile lighting replaced by flickering amber panels—older infrastructure, untouched by The Cortex’s direct control.

The Sentinel hesitated. Just a fraction of a second.

It was enough.

Veyna leapt down a vertical shaft, gripping the cold rungs of a rusted ladder. Below, the world shifted—the pristine order of Cyropolis gave way to something ancient. Forgotten.

She had made it to The Undervault.

The system above was failing. The city below was waiting.

And the countdown was still ticking.

> [00:53:07] UNTIL CORE FAILURE.