The freezing air clung to our skin as we circled the Nexus Court. We had to avoid the main entrances and exits as much as possible. So I planned to sneak Heather through the hallway that connected the hangar, with the Nexu's service room.

I expected more security given the chaos in the city, but, surprisingly, everything seemed normal. Two guards stood by the front door, one sat at the Central Fountain eating a take out noodles like it was his last meal, another was posted on the Bridge of Honor, and a pair guarded the back of the building, seeming extremely bored. 

I led Heather through areas I knew were not under surveillance, and we reached the hangar quite easily, which gave me a glimmer of hope. We slipped into the corridor that connected to the Nexus and waited inside. We couldn't turn on the lights. Only a few faint red emergency points, like fireflies, illuminated the space.

I took out my pager and messaged Michael: Time to shake things up. We're ready.

Then I quickly sent a message to Kate, Laura, and Erik through the Reg Bracelet. They needed to cause enough chaos to pull every patrol and security team away from the Nexus. We needed a clear path. So it was all about waiting now.

"What are you going to say to her?" Heather whispered, leaning her head back against the wall.

"To who?" I asked, a little confused.

"Brooke." Her silhouette turned to me under the red lights. "How are you going to get her to open the door to the Orb?"

I paused for a moment, thinking. I had plenty of ideas, but none of them felt quite right. When I first proposed forcing Brooke to unlock the Orb's door, it'd seemed easy in my mind. But now, as the moment approached, the certainty of the plan was beginning to slip away.

"Honestly?" I said as I mirrored her position and leaned my head next to hers on the wall. "I don't know. She's so damn smart and hard to read. But I've got a feeling I'll figure something out once I see her."

Heather nodded. "Just... be careful. If anything feels off, we fall back, no heroics. Remember Kate gave us the explosives. We can still go with plan B."

"I know." Heather was still tense about me tagging along for the whole mission. "Don't worry, I'm pretty sure Brooke's more likely to mess with my head than shoot me."

"That's what I'm worried about." She muttered.

I turned to face her, the red lights of the hallway reflected in her eyes. "Trust me, okay?" I said caressing her cheek.

Almost simultaneously, my pager vibrated, followed by messages from Kate and Erik. They both said the same thing, the diversion had begun.

"Chaos unleashed." I informed Heather, showing her the message.

The security tone echoed through the complex, a piercing alarm like a cry for help. Great, it was the call for reinforcements. Then came movement, distant shouts, and the buzz of spaceships leaving the Nexus. Heather and I remained in silence, almost holding our breaths. We locked eyes, as if holding each other's gaze could steady the rush of adrenaline we both felt. 

Just as calm began to return, another message arrived. This time, it wasn't from Michael or Erik, it was from Brooke.

"Where are you." No question mark. Of course, she didn't need one. My stomach twisted.

I swallowed hard and typed back: "Abducted by the city chaos. Be right back. Where are you?"

That question could come in handy. Brooke replied, "Room 403. Come."

Great. With Brooke in place, moving Heather would be easier. Once we were sure the coast was clear, we slipped out of the corridor, and got inside the Nexus, straight into the lion's den.

The marble floor beneath our feet seemed impossibly loud. Every step echoed, and I swear I could hear every rustle of our clothes as if my high-alert state somehow increased my senses. 

 We silently crossed the conference room, slipping through the back door to reach the service stairs. We had a long climb ahead since using elevators was too risky. But despite all the difficulties, I couldn't help feeling a spark of happiness every time we made it somewhere unnoticed. We had to hold on to the small victories, those were the only things keeping us going.

Our footsteps echoed on the metal stairs as we climbed, no matter how careful we tried to be. When we reached the 20th floor, a sound drifted down from above. We froze instantly. It was faint, but unmistakable, soft laughter, almost like a child's.

I glanced at Heather. She pressed a finger to her lips. Silence.

She moved away from the center of the stairs. I slowly looked up. More giggling. Footsteps. Then, out of nowhere, a head peeked down from the gap in the stairwell. It was only for a second, but I was sure, I'd seen a child.

"I saw you!" The child's voice echoed down the stairwell, clear and playful, cutting through the silence like a knife.

Fuck. The footsteps multiply. The sound growing stronger at every second. More giggling.

"Hello, hello, hello!" A voice came from the void as we heard the child running down, each metallic thud reverberating in my chest.

There was nowhere to go. We'd have to face the kid. Heather leaned toward me. "Just act normal." She whispered.

We stood still as the child finally reached us. She had a small digital ball in one hand, spinning it around her wrist on a rubber string. In the other, she clutched a robot figurine, tapping it rhythmically against the stair railing. Her features seemed familiar to me, but it was hard to tell because her eyes were techno-human. Then, small lights flickered at the back of her head, and I noticed the implant. Her long, silky black hair was shaved just around that area, meaning the implant was recent. I shot a glance at Heather. She was doing the same thing I was, mentally scrambling to place this girl.

"I know you." The girl said, pointing at Heather.

My heart raced. Heather frowned, and a moment later, she closed her eyes as if realization had dawned on her.

"You're Stella's daughter, aren't you?" Heather asked.

The girl nodded, tapping a small robot figure against the stair railing. Then it clicked for me too. Stella had twins. We met them the day we left for The Other Side. Heather played with them while we loaded the ship.

But something was off, this girl didn't look like the ones I remembered. None of them had implants and certainly not techno-human eyes.

"Where's your sister?" I asked.

Her glowing eyes flickered uncomfortably. She shook her head like she was glitching.

"She's not here."

"Is she with your mom?" Heather asked.

"No." The robot figure tapped faster against the railing.

"Where's your mom?" I asked.

The girl pointed upstairs. Shit. Stella was the head city's commander of the Security Department. I should have anticipated she would be here.

"Do you want to play with me?" The girl asked with a wide grin.

Heather's lips made a tight smile, and I crouched to meet the girl's eyes. "Oh, we'd love to, but we can't right now."

"My sister doesn't play with me anymore. I'm bored. Play with me." She suddenly grabbed Heather's arm and yanked her up the stairs, more forcefully than I expected. "Come with me!"

"I'll play later, I promise." Heather said, freeing herself from the girl's grip.

"No! Now!" She yelled.

Her shout reverberated through the stairwell. My heart pounded. We couldn't afford to make a scene. Not here. Not now.

"If you don't play with me, I'm going to tell mom." She said with her techno-human eyes turning red.

"I promise, later." Heather repeated, keeping her tone calm. "Just let me finish my work."

The girl hesitated, then drew in a sharp breath. "MOM! MOM!" Her screams rang like a siren, bouncing off the walls.

Heather reacted instantly. She slapped her hand over the girl's mouth, muffling the cries. Her other hand instinctively hovered near the laser gun at her belt.

"Calm down, Heather." I whispered, seeing the fury in her eyes.

But the girl wasn't done. She thrashed, kicking and writhing. Heather lifted her, holding her tight.

"We need to go. Now." She said carrying the girl.

"What?!"

"We'll hide her in your room." Heather said as she started to get up the stairs at full speed.

"Heather, they'll notice!"

"We don't have a choice!"

Just then, we heard footsteps below. Damn it. Someone had heard her.

"Hello?" A guard's voice echoed from a few floors down.

Heather pressed herself flat against the wall, holding the girl against her, tightening her grip to silence her completely. I held my breath, wishing we could just disappear. The girl thrashed violently, but Heather was too strong. After what felt like an eternity, the guard's footsteps receded and I finally exhaled.

"Let's go." I said.

When we got the my room, we tied the girl to a chair with whatever we could find and gagged her with a piece of cloth.

"What the hell are we doing?" I muttered, more to myself than to her.

"Grace, she was going to give us away. We'll let her go once everything it's over."

The girl had stopped fighting and stared at us with cold, hateful eyes.

"I'm sorry kid. I swear everything will be over soon." I said to the kid. 

Suddenly I got another message. Brooke again: Where are you!

"Shit." I whispered, my pulse spiking. Brooke was getting impatient, and I couldn't afford to keep her waiting much longer.

"I have to go, Brooke's going to lose it if I'm not there soon."

Heather glanced at me. "Then go. I'll stay with her."

I shook my head. "Are you sure?"

She nodded. "Text me once you're over and we'll meet at the Orb's floor."

I hesitated. "Fuck. I don't like this."

"I'll be fine. Just go before this escalates." Heather said.

I took a deep breath. "I'll text you. Be careful and make sure to use the backtrack."

"I know."

I leaned on her and took her hands. "We'll see each other soon."

Our eyes locked as Heather nodded sending me all the trust and strength I needed to leave her there.

"Just hurry." She said.

· · ·

Brooke was on the eighty floor, room 403, a sterile meeting room at the end of a long, soulless hallway. As I stepped off the elevator, I slowed my pace, forcing myself to calm down. Brooke could smell weakness a mile away, and the last thing I needed right now was to get caught in one of her mind games.

The hallway stretched out ahead, the white walls almost too bright, the overhead lights humming with a subtle buzz that set my teeth on edge. I locked my eyes on the door at the end. Just get to the door, deal with Brooke, and—

Something stopped me in my tracks.

The door was ajar. Only slightly, but enough for me to notice. And then I saw it, red streaks on the frame. Blood?

My stomach flipped.

I sprinted down the hall, adrenaline hitting me like a freight train. All that "stay calm" advice flew right out the window as I shoved the door open.

The blood splatters covering the walls of the conference room made the whole scene feel like a nightmare. A couple of chairs were torn down on the floor as if a fight had taken place. My eyes dropped to the large central table, and there it was, the source of the horror. Norman, Brooke's assistant, was slumped in a chair, his body tilted back, head hanging to the side with a bullet hole in his forehead and several more in his chest. The chair, once white, was now drenched in red.

On the other side, Gabriel, the other assistant, lay sprawled out, half his body draped over the table like he'd just fallen asleep. But there was nothing peaceful about his face. His techno-human eyes were wide open, staring into nothingness, surrounded by a pool of blood that wrapped around him like a sickening blanket. His back was riddled with holes.

Then I gazed at a figure at the far end of the room. Brooke was standing straight ahead with her arms crossed over her chest. Not a speck of blood on her.

"Finally." Brooke said.

"What the hell happened?!"

"I hoped you could tell me." She said her eyes piercing my soul. None of this was part of our plan. Whoever had killed Norman and Gabriel was operating independently, and that was a problem we hadn't anticipated.

"Me? I have no idea, we might have a rebel around." I said.

"This is all your fault" She said.

"What?!"

"If you had been here, we wouldn't have gotten a murderer in. Where the hell were you?"

"I got caught up in the protest and didn't want to come back until things were under control." I prayed my lie sounded convincing.

Brooke remained silent.

"When did this happen?" I said.

"I just found them. Must have been tonight." She replied. "Whoever did this must still be here." She added.

I nodded. "We'll find them."

Brooke let out a tired sigh. "You take care of it. I'll have to leave for the border. There's been an attack."

"Leave? Now?" I exclaimed, panic rising in my chest.

"Yes, reinforcements have already left; I should go too." She insisted.

"Won't that be more risky?" I asked. 

"Riskier than staying here, where someone is killing at will? Doubt it." 

Damn it. If Brooke left, we wouldn't have a chance to force her to open the door to the Orb without blowing everything up.

"What about the Orb?" I asked, trying to steer the conversation.

She raised an eyebrow and gazed at me. "What about it?"

"We should check if everything is okay," I said, forcing urgency into my voice. "What if the next attack targets the Orb?"

Brooke hesitated, the gears turning in her mind.

"The Orb is safe. There's no way to harm that." She said. "By the way get, ready. You're coming with me."

Damn it. Me, leaving with her? No way. This wasn't how things were supposed to go. Brooke headed toward the door as my mind scrambled to come up with a way to convince her.

"I don't want you to go." I said.

"What the hell is going on with you?" She sighed exasperated.

"I'm scared for you. I don't want anything to happen to you." I said.

Brooke stopped, hesitating for a few seconds.

"Oh, Grace, you've always been so emotional," she said, like it was a flaw, though I could sense a hint of enjoyment behind her words. "It's kind of sweet, but not helpful at all."

I bite my tongue."I just think it's smarter for you to stay here and hide on the Orb's floor. It's the safest place, right? I can keep watch while we deal with the attack."

Brooke considered this for a moment. "If you want to spend time with me, just say it."

"We can have our time together once this is over, but only if you're still alive." I stepped closer, locking eyes with her. "We need someone to lead us after all this. We need you to help keep this society together. We can't do it without you."

Brooke reached out and caressed my face gently. "You look... so nervous... so scared."

She was right. I was screaming inside, and my skin was betraying me.

"Is this all for me?" She mused for herself. 

I nodded.

"Maybe you're right. I'll send Stella to handle the attack. You and I will stay at the Orb."

She leaned in and kissed my cheek before leaving the room. My stomach twisted like a hurricane, and my fingers shook, finally free from her watchful gaze. She'd open the door to the Orb. This was our moment, our chance. I quickly texted Heather.

Now everything hinged on the next few moments, just a few more steps that had to go smoothly. No surprises. No unexpected setbacks.

After waiting for Brooke to arrange the security teams and manage the chaos from the attack, we finally took the elevator to The Orb's tower. A ride that felt painfully long. I couldn't stop thinking about what would happen next. Would Heather be waiting for us? Would her algorithm actually work? What would happen once we got through all this? Assuming, of course, we made it past the obstacles ahead.

The doors of the elevator opened. The silence was overwhelming. I stepped out first. I looked around,  pretending to be checking for intruders. I needed Brooke to feel safe.

Brooke smirked at me as if I was being overactive with my protection. I really didn't understand that woman. Then she placed herself in front of the big door to The Orb and passed her Reg Bracelet through the sensor. I held my breath. A beep followed. The door slid open.

I stepped to the side as if covering Brooke's back. I turned around discreetly, glancing at the stairs, and there she was. Heather waited silently as we stepped inside. I signaled her to come; it was time. Now or never. I drew my laser gun and aimed it at Brooke's head.

"Don't move." My words, as sharp spears, landed on Brooke's eyes as she turned to face me.

Author's Note: 

Hello!! Happy Sunday!! (In case you're reading this on a different day, happy whatever day it is!! 🤣) How's it going so far? 🥰

I had my heart in my hand while writing this chapter. What did you think of it???

Thank you so much for reading! If you made it this far, you'll be forever in my heart!

Love you all!!

Ava 💫