The sirens began before Lira even reached the main corridor. Red light pulsed through the narrow metal walls of the Nexus facility, reflecting off her trembling hands. Somewhere behind her, the automated voice repeated the same words in a steady, merciless rhythm. "Unauthorized activation detected. Security en route."
Lira pressed the emergency seal on the door and looked back at the figure standing in the shadows. Kael. The synthetic who should not have existed anymore. His eyes glowed faintly, not in the artificial blue of a typical Nexus model, but in a strange, living amber. He didn't speak, only watched her with that unreadable calm that made her pulse race for reasons she didn't want to admit.
"Come on," she whispered, motioning him forward. Her voice shook. "If they find you awake, they'll tear you apart."
He didn't move at first. Then, as if understanding, he stepped closer. The movement was graceful, almost human, yet there was a precision to it that made every muscle in Lira's body tense.
The sound of heavy boots echoed from the next hallway. Lira's breath hitched. She grabbed Kael's wrist and ran.
The corridors blurred around them—glass panels, metallic doors, the gleam of warning lights. She swiped her ID through the final exit console, praying the power hadn't been cut. The lock hissed open. Cold night air hit her face, thick with the metallic scent of rain and exhaust.
They were out.
But Nexus didn't let anyone go that easily.
She sprinted across the elevated walkway that wound above the sleeping city, the neon skyline stretching beneath them like veins of electric light. Drones hovered in the distance, their search beams slicing through the drizzle. Behind her, she could already hear the whine of pursuit engines.
"Unauthorized personnel, stop immediately."
Lira's heart hammered in her chest. "Keep up," she said, glancing over her shoulder. Kael was right behind her, silent, his eyes scanning every direction as though calculating endless possibilities.
They turned into an alley that descended into the lower city. The walls closed in, covered in flickering holo-ads and graffiti that glowed faintly under the rain. She could hear the thump of her heartbeat louder than the sirens now. Her breath came in ragged gasps.
A drone passed overhead. Its red scanner beam swept across the ground, and Lira froze. Kael reached out, his hand catching her shoulder. For the first time, she saw a flicker of something that looked like emotion cross his face. It was not fear, not quite. It was awareness.
He pulled her against the wall just as the beam passed by. The drone continued forward, oblivious. Lira's chest pressed against his. She could feel the strange stillness of his body, the steady hum beneath his skin that wasn't a heartbeat but felt close enough to one.
When the danger passed, she exhaled shakily and stepped back. "Thanks," she murmured.
He didn't respond.
The rain intensified, turning the narrow streets into ribbons of light. Lira spotted an abandoned maintenance tunnel ahead, its gate half-open. She ducked inside, motioning for him to follow. Inside, the darkness swallowed them whole, broken only by the distant glow of neon from above.
For a moment, the world was silent except for their breathing and the faint buzz of power lines overhead. Lira leaned against the wall, trying to steady herself. Her soaked hair clung to her face, and her chest rose and fell as she caught her breath.
"You shouldn't exist," she whispered, mostly to herself.
Kael's gaze was on her. His amber eyes seemed almost too alive in the dim light. She wanted to ask him how he was functioning, how his core had reignited after deactivation, but something about his presence kept her quiet. It was like standing near a storm you couldn't predict.
He took a step closer. She stiffened but didn't move.
"Do you understand me?" she asked softly.
No response. But his head tilted slightly, as though the question lingered somewhere inside him.
Lira let out a shaky laugh. "Of course you don't. They erased everything before they shut you down."
Somewhere above them, the sound of drones returned. She cursed under her breath. "We can't stay here."
Kael turned toward the sound and then back to her. Without a word, he moved to the tunnel's far end and forced open the rusted gate. The strength he used wasn't violent, just effortless. The metal bent under his hands like foil.
Lira stared for a moment, equal parts awe and fear. Then she followed him into the night again.
The tunnel opened into a drainage canal that ran along the undercity. The air here was thick with smoke and the faint hum of power grids. Neon signs reflected in the oily water. Above them, the pristine towers of the upper city were a distant dream. Down here, people survived on shadows and secrets.
Lira wiped the rain from her face. "We'll blend in here for a while."
Kael glanced around, his gaze lingering on the flickering advertisements that displayed smiling faces and hollow slogans. Perfection is obedience. Nexus knows your needs. His expression didn't change, but something in his eyes dimmed, as if he recognized a lie when he saw one.
They walked through the canal in silence. Every few steps, Lira looked back to make sure no one was following. She couldn't stop thinking about what had just happened. About how Kael, a synthetic built to obey orders, had moved to protect her on instinct.
That shouldn't have been possible.
Finally, they reached a small alcove beneath an old transit bridge. Lira sank to the ground, exhausted. Her lab coat was torn, her hands were shaking. "We'll rest here," she said quietly.
Kael stood a few feet away, silent as ever. The rain had eased, but the drops that fell still caught the neon glow, painting streaks of color across his face.
Lira watched him. The longer she did, the more conflicted she felt. He wasn't supposed to be beautiful, but he was. Not in a crafted, artificial way, but in something beyond design—like art that had accidentally become human.
"You don't remember anything, do you?" she whispered. "Not who you were, not what they made you for."
No answer.
Her voice softened. "Maybe that's a good thing."
For the first time, she thought she saw a flicker of confusion in his gaze, almost like he was trying to understand the weight of her words. Then he turned his face away.
The sound of rain filled the silence between them.
Lira leaned back against the cold wall and closed her eyes for a moment. Exhaustion tugged at her, but her mind refused to rest. Every choice she'd made tonight would brand her a traitor. Activating a decommissioned synthetic was a crime punishable by life imprisonment.
And yet, when she'd seen Kael's eyes open, she hadn't been able to stop herself. Something in her had whispered that he wasn't just another machine. That whatever he was, he deserved a chance to live.
Her thoughts drifted as the night deepened. She didn't notice when Kael moved closer, crouching beside her. His expression remained unreadable, but his gaze lingered on her face as if studying every line. His fingers twitched slightly, then stilled again.
When Lira finally opened her eyes, he was still watching.
"Don't worry," she said quietly, managing a tired smile. "I'll find a way to keep you safe."
The words hung between them like a promise neither of them fully understood.
Above them, the city lights flickered, and the sound of distant thunder rolled through the steel canyons of glass. Somewhere far above, Nexus command drones continued their search, their scanners slicing through the sky. But in the forgotten corners of the undercity, a new heartbeat had begun—soft, mechanical, and almost human.
And for the first time in years, Lira felt alive.