he first impact rattled the chamber like a drum. Dust sifted down from the cracked ceiling. Then came the second, heavier — a thud that wasn't just sound but vibration, shaking the node's walls.
Vector raised his weapon instantly. "They've found us."
"No…" Rei's eyes flicked to the glyphs that still pulsed faintly from the walls. "They've been waiting. This node was a trap."
Maya staggered to her feet, her pulse still echoing with Kiran's voice. Her hands shook as she tightened her grip on the rifle. Don't come for me. The words still gnawed at her, even as the Archive hissed in her veins.
Another impact. Then the wall tore inward.
The Architects arrived not with soldiers first but with light — jagged, red-coded beams that sliced across the chamber, cutting deep grooves into steel. Drones poured through the breach, moving like a swarm, their optics burning crimson.
Vector fired first. Plasma bolts tore through the lead drones, scattering debris. "Move! We're not dying in another tomb!"
Rei hunched over the console, hands dancing across broken glyphs. "I can stall them — maybe reroute the drones still loyal to Maya. But it'll take—"
He didn't finish.
Because in the gap of the broken wall, a figure stepped forward.
Tall. Armored. The helmet glowed with a lattice of red Architect code. And behind the glow — a face she knew.
Maya's chest locked. "Kiran…"
For a moment, his eyes were his own, wide and startled. Then the red light flared, swallowing them whole. His movements snapped mechanical, precise.
"Anchor located," he said, his voice layered with static. "Transfer protocol: initiate."
Vector swore viciously, firing a full burst toward the figure. "They've got him! They've turned him!"
Maya's scream tore from her throat before the shot hit — and the drones threw themselves in front of him, absorbing the blasts like shields. Kiran didn't flinch.
"Maya…" His voice fractured, caught between plea and command. "Run."
Then the swarm surged, and the chamber erupted into chaos.
Next chapter: Rei's Betrayal — secrets unravel, and not everyone at Maya's side is truly loyal.