Kieran's lungs burned as he sprinted down the darkened alley, clutching the backpack like a lifeline. The city's labyrinthine streets stretched endlessly before him, each turn feeling more disorienting than the last. The glowing tendrils in the sky above seemed to ripple in response to his every move, as though watching him.
Behind him, the faint echo of heavy boots grew louder. Whoever—or whatever—had come for them wasn't giving up easily.
His mind raced as fast as his feet. Maya's voice rang in his ears: "If they wanted to stop us, they'd have done it already." What did that mean? And why now? They had been careful for months, keeping their discoveries quiet, hidden in their makeshift lab. What had triggered this sudden hunt?
He skidded to a stop at a junction, glancing in both directions. The right led deeper into the slums, a maze of narrow, shadow-filled alleys. The left opened up to a busy marketplace, its neon signs flickering against the encroaching night. He hesitated for a moment, then turned right. The crowd would be safer, but it was also easier for him to be seen.
The alley seemed to close in around him, the walls narrowing as though they had a mind of their own. Just as he thought he might lose them, a shadowy figure stepped out of the darkness ahead.
Kieran's heart leaped into his throat. The figure wore a long, tattered coat, and a hood obscured their face. But what caught his attention wasn't their appearance—it was the faint, glowing device in their hand, emitting the same rhythmic clicks and hums as the signal on the radio.
"You," Kieran breathed, instinctively clutching the backpack tighter.
The figure tilted their head, the glow of the device illuminating the edge of a sharp jawline. "You're carrying something you don't understand, kid." Their voice was low, almost amused.
"Stay back!" Kieran warned, though his voice trembled.
"I'm not with them," the figure said, taking a cautious step forward. "But if you don't come with me now, you won't have time to figure out who is."
As if on cue, the boots behind Kieran grew louder. He glanced over his shoulder, catching a glimpse of black-clad figures rounding the corner.
"Trust me," the hooded stranger urged. "Or don't. Either way, we need to move."
Kieran hesitated for only a second before the figure grabbed his arm and pulled him into a hidden doorway. It was so seamless, so precise, he barely had time to process what was happening.
They slipped through a series of twisting passages, the stranger leading him with unerring certainty. Finally, they emerged into a dimly lit underground chamber, filled with strange machinery and glowing screens.
The stranger dropped their hood, revealing a young woman with strikingly bright, silver hair. Her eyes were sharp, scanning him with an intensity that made Kieran feel like he was being analyzed piece by piece.
"Who are you?" he asked, still clutching the backpack.
She ignored the question, instead focusing on the bag. "The signal—how did you decode it?"
"My sister," Kieran said, trying to steady his breathing. "She's the one who figured it out."
The woman's expression darkened. "Then they'll be after her too."
Kieran's stomach sank. "She… she told me to run. I don't know if she—"
"She'll be fine," the woman interrupted, though her tone carried no reassurance. "If she's as resourceful as you, she can handle herself. But we don't have time to wait for her. You need to tell me everything you know about this signal."
"It's a map," Kieran said, opening the backpack and pulling out the radio. "We don't know what it's for, but it shows parts of the city that don't exist on any official records."
The woman's lips pressed into a thin line. "It's not a map of what's above the city. It's what's below."
Kieran blinked. "Below? You mean, like… tunnels?"
"Tunnels," she said, her voice heavy with meaning. "And something far more dangerous. You've stumbled onto something they've been hiding for decades. Something that could change everything."
Before Kieran could respond, the sound of distant alarms echoed through the chamber. The woman's eyes snapped to one of the glowing screens, which displayed a network of red dots converging on their location.
"They've found us," she said, her voice sharp. "We need to move. Now."
Kieran grabbed the radio and slung the backpack over his shoulder, his fear giving way to a growing determination.
"Who are you?" he asked again as they hurried toward an exit.
The woman glanced back at him, her silver hair catching the light like liquid metal.
"Call me Selene," she said. "And if you want to survive, you'd better keep up."