Cain stepped over the tangled wires and sparks that still arced from the broken hub, the pulse of the Grid now a weak echo in the walls. Every step in the ruined corridor felt heavier, weighted by the knowledge of what they'd unleashed. Outside, the city stuttered—a thousand blinking lights, alarms, and mechanical hums now fighting against their own protocols, unsure how to react.
Susan followed closely, rifle ready, scanning the shadows even as her lungs burned. "You feel that?" she muttered. "It's like the city itself is… alive. And it hates us."
Cain didn't answer immediately. Instead, he reached the elevator shaft, peering into its darkness. The cables were severed, the counterweights dangling uselessly. "Alive," he said finally, voice low, "and desperate."
