Chapter 11: The Fault Line

The air inside the core chamber felt thick—heavy with betrayal, static, and the distant hum of the override ticking toward completion. Ryo stood frozen, his hand gripping his weapon as Kalem’s smirk twisted into something colder. The glow of the core reflected off Kalem’s plasma rifle, now aimed steadily at Ryo and Aya.

"You made this way too easy," Kalem said, his voice dripping with amusement. "All that trust—wasted."

Aya shot Ryo a sharp look, panic flickering in her eyes. "What do we do now?" she whispered.

"Stall," Ryo muttered under his breath. "Keep him talking. I’ll figure something out."

Aya’s expression darkened. "Better figure fast."

Kalem tilted his head, amused. "I always liked people who thought they could outsmart a problem by dragging it out." He stepped closer, tapping a few commands into his wrist interface. The screens around the core chamber flickered violently as the countdown accelerated.

"Fifty-eight minutes until full synchronization," Kalem said, his grin widening. "Not much time left, is there?"

Ryo took a cautious step forward, hands partially raised. "You don’t have to do this, Kalem. Whatever Thorne promised you—he’s lying. He’ll control you the same way he controls everyone else."

Kalem let out a short laugh, but there was no humor in it. "You really think I believe in freedom, Ryo? I’m not interested in some grand revolution. I just want to survive—and in this world, survival has a price."

Aya scowled. "So you’re selling us out to stay alive. Real noble."

"You’d do the same in my place," Kalem shot back, leveling his weapon. "The difference is, I don’t lie to myself about it."

Ryo’s mind raced, weighing his options. If he could keep Kalem talking just a little longer, Aya might be able to disable the system from her console. He glanced at her subtly, and she gave him a quick nod, already moving her fingers over the terminal behind her back.

Kalem’s gaze flickered toward Aya, suspicion flashing in his eyes. "I wouldn’t try that if I were you."

Kalem’s weapon hummed as it charged, and before anyone could react, a blast of plasma streaked through the air. Aya dove behind a console just in time, the shot missing her by inches and scorching the metal surface.

Ryo sprang into action, drawing his weapon and firing a volley of shots at Kalem. Plasma bursts collided with the walls, sparking explosions that lit the room in brilliant flashes of light.

Kalem ducked behind a pillar, returning fire with sharp precision. "You know this is pointless!" he shouted over the noise. "Even if you stop me, the override’s already in motion. You’ll never beat the system!"

Ryo’s jaw tightened as he crouched behind cover, sweat dripping down his forehead. He had to think fast. They were running out of time, and the longer they fought, the closer the city came to falling under Thorne’s control.

"Keep him busy!" Aya called from her console. "I’m almost through the final layer!"

Kalem’s plasma rifle hissed as it discharged again, sending sparks raining across the room. Ryo dodged to the side, narrowly avoiding a direct hit. The heat from the blast seared the air, but he kept moving, circling Kalem’s position.

"You really think you’ll walk away from this?" Ryo shouted, firing another shot. "Thorne doesn’t leave loose ends!"

Kalem snarled, his expression flickering with frustration. "Better to die on my own terms than play along with your fairy tale of freedom!"

As the firefight raged inside the core chamber, a distant explosion rumbled through the tunnels. Ryo glanced toward the entrance just as the door slammed open—and Elena burst through, her sidearm drawn, her expression fierce.

"Miss me?" she shouted, firing two quick shots that sent Kalem diving for cover.

Ryo couldn’t help but grin. "Took you long enough."

Elena darted toward him, sliding behind the same console. "Had to stop for coffee. What’d I miss?"

"Just Kalem betraying us and trying to doom the city," Ryo muttered, reloading his weapon. "The usual."

Kalem snarled from behind his cover. "You’re too late, Elena. The override’s locked in."

Elena’s eyes narrowed. "Funny. I’ve heard that before."

Across the room, Aya’s hands flew over the console, fighting against the core’s defenses with every keystroke. The code twisted and morphed, resisting her at every turn, but she gritted her teeth and pressed on.

"Come on, come on..." she whispered under her breath, sweat beading on her forehead.

The override countdown ticked down to forty-seven minutes.

Kalem noticed her progress and cursed. "Enough of this."

He charged toward the console, weapon raised—intent on ending the hack before it could succeed.

Ryo saw the movement and knew instantly what he had to do. Without hesitation, he threw himself into Kalem’s path, slamming into him with full force. The two of them crashed to the ground, weapons scattering across the floor.

"Ryo!" Aya shouted, panic in her voice.

Kalem snarled, wrestling Ryo for control. "You’re insane, Nakamura!"

"Maybe," Ryo growled, driving an elbow into Kalem’s ribs. "But at least I know what side I’m on."

The two men grappled, fists flying in a brutal struggle for dominance. Ryo fought with everything he had, knowing that if Kalem reached the console, it was over.

Elena joined the fray, kicking Kalem hard in the side and sending him sprawling across the floor. "Stay down, you bastard."

Kalem coughed, struggling to rise—but before he could, Ryo was on him again, slamming him back to the ground.

Meanwhile, Aya’s console flashed green, signaling the final layer of encryption had been cracked.

"I’ve got it!" she shouted triumphantly. "Initiating shutdown sequence!"

The core’s glow flickered, dimming slightly as the countdown on the screens slowed—each second crawling by as the system fought to stay online.

Kalem’s eyes widened in disbelief. "No! You can’t—"

"It’s over," Ryo said coldly, pinning Kalem to the ground. "You lose."

Kalem struggled one last time, but it was no use. He slumped back with a defeated growl, his face twisted in frustration.

Aya’s hands flew over the controls, inputting the final commands to sever the core from the network. The hum in the room began to die down, the lights dimming as the synchronization process ground to a halt.

The override sequence froze at five minutes, twenty-nine seconds—just short of completion.

Ryo stood, breathing hard, as the room fell into eerie silence. Elena nudged Kalem with her boot, her expression hard. "Not so smug now, are you?"

Kalem glared at them, his eyes burning with hatred. "This isn’t over."

Ryo stared down at him, his gaze cold and unyielding. "Yes, it is."

Aya leaned back from the console, exhaling in relief. "The city’s safe. For now."