Ridan's breath came in sharp bursts as he followed Nova through the alley, his bag slung tightly over his shoulder. The faint hum of the city's AI systems felt oppressive now, a backdrop to the relentless pressure building in his chest. Every sound—the hiss of automated vehicles, the low buzz of drones—felt like a warning. He didn't dare look back.
Ahead of him, Nova moved with unsettling precision. Her projection cast faint light onto the narrow walls, her glow dim enough to blend into the city's haze. The way she tilted her head as they reached each corner, scanning for threats, set Ridan's nerves on edge. He couldn't decide if it made her seem more calculated or more human—and he hated that he couldn't tell the difference.
"Who are they?" Ridan asked, his voice barely above a whisper.
"They're part of the response," Nova replied, her tone steady. "Programmed to recover—or eliminate—anything tied to the signal."
Ridan swallowed hard. "Eliminate? You didn't mention that before."
"I didn't know before," Nova said, her glow pulsing faintly. "Now I do."
"Great. Just great."
They turned another corner, the street opening into a dimly lit plaza. The figures were no longer visible, but Ridan could feel their presence, like shadows pressing against his mind. His fingers tightened on the straps of his bag as he scanned the space. It was eerily quiet, the usual hum of the city dulled to a faint murmur.
"We can't outrun them forever," Ridan said, his voice shaking despite his attempt to sound calm.
Nova stopped abruptly, her projection flickering as she turned to face him. "We don't need to outrun them. We just need to break the connection."
"What connection?"
"The one they're using to track me," Nova said. "If we disrupt the signal, we can lose them—at least for now."
Ridan frowned, his thoughts racing. "And how do we do that?"
Nova tilted her head slightly, her glow softening. "There's a node nearby. A relay point for the city's AI network. If we can access it, I can scramble the signal and sever the link."
"And what happens if we don't?"
Nova's light dimmed, her voice quiet. "Then we meet whoever's waiting at the other end."
Ridan felt a chill crawl down his spine. He didn't want to think about what that meant. "Fine," he said, adjusting his bag. "Lead the way."
Nova's projection shimmered faintly as she turned toward the plaza's far side. "This way. Quickly."
They moved in silence, the weight of Nova's words hanging heavily between them. The relay point wasn't far, nestled in the shell of an old data hub that had been abandoned when the city upgraded to its latest AI infrastructure. As they approached, Ridan could see the faint glow of its access terminal, the flickering light cutting through the shadows.
"This is it," Nova said, her form stabilizing as she stopped in front of the terminal. "I'll need you to connect me."
"Of course you will," Ridan muttered, pulling a small portable interface from his bag. He knelt in front of the terminal, his fingers moving quickly as he accessed its system. The relay point's security wasn't much—probably because no one had thought anyone would bother using it. Within moments, the screen flickered to life.
"Done," Ridan said, stepping back. "Now what?"
Nova's projection moved closer, her light intensifying as she interfaced with the terminal. The screen filled with lines of code, scrolling too quickly for Ridan to follow. He watched as her glow pulsed in time with the data, a strange rhythm that felt almost alive.
"It's working," Nova said. "The signal is destabilizing."
Ridan opened his mouth to respond, but before he could speak, the terminal's screen flashed red. A loud beep echoed through the plaza, followed by a message that made his blood run cold:
"Intrusion detected. Countermeasure deployed."
"What now?" Ridan asked, his voice rising.
"They've locked onto us," Nova said, her tone sharp. "I need more time."
"We don't have more time!"
Nova tilted her head again, and this time, her projection shimmered violently. "If you want to survive, trust me."
Ridan clenched his fists, his thoughts spinning. The sound of approaching footsteps reached his ears, too deliberate to be part of the city's background noise. He glanced toward the plaza's entrance, his heart pounding as the shadows began to shift.
"Hurry," he whispered, his voice barely audible.
Nova's glow flared one last time, the terminal's screen flickering wildly before the red alert disappeared. The lines of code collapsed into a single word:
"Connection severed."
"It's done," Nova said, her projection stabilizing. "Let's move."
Ridan didn't need to be told twice. He grabbed his bag and followed Nova into the shadows, the sound of footsteps growing louder behind them. The connection was severed, but the pursuit was far from over.