The Last Code

Node 2

The transfer was quick—just a rush of static and a sharp pull in my chest—and then I was standing in Eden Beta 0.1. Or what was left of it.

The place felt... wrong. The air hummed with static, and the ground beneath my boots rippled like liquid. Buildings stretched and warped in the distance, their outlines glitching in and out of focus.

"Signal's weak," Zeke's voice crackled in my earpiece. "She's close, but the corruption's messing with the tracker."

I glanced down at my wristband. The display flickered, the green marker dancing on the map. Great.

I took a step forward, then another, keeping my eyes on the shifting terrain. The glitches were worse there. Chunks of the ground were missing, replaced by gaping voids of light.

"Zeke, you sure she's in Sector 3?" I asked, stepping over a fractured pipeline.

"Unless she's moved in the last two minutes," he replied. "Just keep going."

I did. Slowly. Carefully. Every sound felt amplified—the crunch of my boots on the unstable ground, the distant hum of corrupted data streams.

And then I heard it. A faint voice, barely audible over the static.

I froze, holding my breath.

"Hello?" I called out.

No response. Just the static, louder now, buzzing in my ears.

"Suvi?" I tried again, my voice steady but louder this time.

There was movement up ahead—a flicker of light, like a shadow passing through a glitch.

"Zeke, I think I see her," I whispered, stepping closer.

"Be careful," he warned. "If the corruption's bad, she might not—"

"I know," I cut him off.

The figure came into focus—a woman standing in the middle of a broken plaza. Her back was to me, her form flickering like she was caught between here and somewhere else.

I took another step, and the ground shifted beneath me. She heard it. Slowly, she turned, just enough for me to see her face.

And then she was gone. Just like that—gone.

"Damn it," I muttered, scanning the area. "Zeke, I lost her. She just... disappeared."

"Her signal's still there," he said, his voice tight. "Barely. You need to move fast, Aiden. Whatever's happening, it's pulling her deeper."

"Yeah," I said, already moving. "I'm on it."

The air around me was thick with static, making it harder to breathe. I knew I was getting close. I could feel it in my gut, that pull, that sense that I was on the right track.

The buildings around me were crumbling, their edges blurring like the pixels themselves were dying. A few moments ago, everything had been clear—sharp, almost too sharp. Now, it felt like I was walking through a fog, each step unsure.

I reached another corner, my heart racing.

And then, I saw her again.

Suvi.

This time, she was standing still, her back to me. She didn't look like she was fading, but there was something wrong. The glitching was even worse now.

I took a cautious step forward. "Suvi?"

She didn't move.

I could feel the frustration building in my chest. "Suvi!"

She didn't turn around, didn't acknowledge me at all.

Something wasn't right.

I rushed forward, but before I could get to her, the world around us shifted. The ground shook, and the buildings around us flickered violently.

Then, out of nowhere, the lights went out.

Pitch black.

For a moment, I couldn't even see my own hands. Everything was silent. Then, the sound of her voice broke the silence.

"Don't follow me."

It was barely a whisper, but I heard it really clearly.

I froze, the words sinking in.

"Suvi?" I said, my voice trembling. "Why are you doing this? Why won't you let me help you?"

There was a pause before she answered, her voice softer now, almost sad. "You don't understand. If you find me, you won't be able to handle it."

My heart pounded harder in my chest. "I don't care what happens. I'm not leaving you."

There was silence again, but this time it felt like she was listening.

"Why?" she asked, her voice barely audible.

"Because I'm not going to let you disappear," I said, my words strong now, even though I wasn't sure I believed them myself.

The darkness began to lift. Slowly.

And then, she was gone.

I swore under my breath, looking around, desperate.

"Zeke, I lost her again! Where is she? What's happening?"

Zeke's voice came through, clearer now. "Aiden, you need to get out. The system's collapsing faster than we thought. You're running out of time."

"I'm not leaving her. Not yet."

I took a deep breath, trying to steady myself.

There was no turning back now.