The night air was sharp against Maya's face, but there was no relief in it. The silence lasted only seconds before the key pulsed in her palm again—faster, harsher.
Ping. Ping. Ping.
Like a beacon.
Rei's face drained of color. "They've locked onto you. The override didn't save us—it painted a target."
Vector cursed violently, scanning the horizon. "Then we move. Now."
The three of them staggered from the grate into a ruined district aboveground—crumbling buildings half-swallowed by weeds, streets broken by old shellfire. The sky was bruised with smoke, hiding the stars.
The hum of engines swelled in the distance. Not one. Dozens.
"They're bringing carriers," Rei whispered. "Fast movers. They'll surround us in minutes."
Maya's stomach twisted, but her body moved on instinct. "Split up? Or stay together?"
"Together," Vector snapped. "If we scatter, they'll cut us down one by one."
The words were barely out before the sky split open. Floodlights blazed from hovering craft, bathing the ruins in white fire. Drones poured down like hornets from a nest.
"Run!"
They sprinted across fractured pavement, bullets chewing into the earth behind them. Maya's legs screamed, but adrenaline kept her upright. Rei fired blindly into the sky, dropping one drone, then another, but more filled the air.
The override key pulsed harder in her palm—blue light flaring, as if mocking her. The machines wanted her.
"Maya, toss it!" Vector shouted over the gunfire. "Throw it and they'll follow the signal!"
She clutched it tighter. Something deep inside her whispered don't let go. The key was dangerous—but also theirs.
"No," she gasped. "We need it. It's the only way inside Division systems."
"Then it'll get us killed first!" Vector barked.
A beam of energy scorched the ground at their feet, throwing them off balance. Maya stumbled, rolling behind a collapsed wall. Rei grabbed her arm, dragging her upright before another blast consumed the rubble.
Ahead, a skeletal tower loomed, half-collapsed but still standing. Vector pointed. "High ground. We move!"
They crashed through the broken entrance, scrambling up shattered stairwells. Drones zipped through broken windows, their red eyes searching. Bullets tore chunks of concrete from the walls as they climbed.
At the top, they found only ruin—a collapsed floor, jagged steel beams, and open sky. No shelter. No escape.
Engines roared as carriers circled above, floodlights pinning them like insects.
Maya's breath came ragged. The override key burned in her hand, pulsing faster and faster.
Below, soldiers fanned out, rifles raised. Above, drones hovered in perfect formation.
The Division had them trapped.
And for the first time, Maya felt it wasn't just pursuit anymore.
It was a hunt.