The Last Code

Node 7

It's happening again.

I'm losing her—my mother—just like I lost him. Dad slipped through my fingers, swallowed whole by Eden Beta's collapse. And now my mom, the last piece of my world that still felt real, is being dragged into this. Why? Because I tried to save an incomplete soul whom I don't even know. The universe doesn't steal from you gently. It rips everything apart, leaving you standing in the storm, wondering what you did to deserve it.

If I had stayed—if I had fought harder—would it have made a difference?

"Turn left," Suvi said, and I didn't argue.

I pulled the bike down a narrow path hidden by overgrown vines and rusted metal. It's the kind of place no one looks twice at, which is exactly what we need.

The tunnel swallows us whole. It's suffocating, this place. The air feels thick, heavy, like it's pressing down on my chest. Or maybe that's just me. The weight of everything—of losing her, of failing her—bearing down like it always does.

I killed the engine and stepped off the bike, my movements stiff. Suvi followed, her boots crunching softly on the gravel. The silence here is oppressive. It leaves too much room for the voices in my head to get louder.

I let out a shaky breath and leaned against the tunnel wall, sliding down until I'm sitting on the cold, hard ground. "I don't know if I can do this," I admitted, my voice barely above a whisper.

Suvi crouched in front of me, her hands resting on her knees. "You start by remembering why you're doing this," she said. "You're not alone in this, Aiden. You've got me. And we're going to get her back."

Her words shouldn't mean as much as they did. I nodded, swallowing hard, and forced myself to meet her eyes.

"What's the plan?" I asked, my voice steadier now.

"The Architect doesn't make random moves. If we figure out what she wants with your mom, we figure out where to go."

"And how do we do that?"

Suvi tilted her head, a sly glint in her eyes. "We hack into her network."

I blinked at her in disbelief. "You say that like it's easy."

"It's not," she admitted, standing up and brushing off her hands. "But it's possible. And lucky for you, I'm very good at this."

Despite everything, a faint smile tugged at the corners of my mouth. "You're starting to sound like someone who's done this before." Yeah, I know she's probably snuck out from the bureau before.

Suvi pulled out a console, the glow of the screen illuminating the tunnel's darkness.

I don't know how many minutes passed as I stared at her working on the device.

"Are you... sure?" The words felt stupid as soon as they left my mouth, but I couldn't help it.

Suvi looked up at me, her eyes hard, unreadable. "You think I'm messing around with this?" Her voice was low, almost a growl. "I've hacked into worse places. But this—" She gestured toward the glowing coordinates. "This is where the Architect is keeping your mom. You want her back, this is the only way."

I leaned against the cold metal wall, swallowing down the lump in my throat. My hands were shaking, but I clenched them into fists to stop it.

Suvi didn't even flinch. "There's always something missing, Aiden. That's how this game works. But we're not here for easy. We're here for what's real."

I glanced at her, unsure if I believed that, but I nodded. Because at this point, what else could I do?

"How are we supposed to do this? I mean—break into her network? The Architect's not exactly running this on outdated hardware."

Suvi smirked, just barely, like she'd been waiting for that question. "We don't break into their network." She turned the screen toward me, pointing to a tangle of glowing pathways crisscrossing the display like a spider's web. "We hijack her signal."

I blinked at her, still not sure if I'm hearing this right. "So we're not actually breaking into her network. We're just... hijacking her signal? That doesn't sound much safer, Suvi."

She looked at me like I should've known this already, the corner of her mouth twitching up in that frustratingly calm way. "The Architect's robots, drones, even the surveillance systems—they all follow the same signal route. We don't need to break in; we just need to track one of those routes back to where it starts. Then, we plant a signal ghost."

"A ghost?" I repeated, my brain struggling to keep up with this. "What, like a fake signal?"

"Exactly," she said, her eyes narrowing as she focused on the screen. "It'll mimic a real signal. The Architect's systems will think it's just another routine stream of data. But really, it'll be us sneaking in under the radar."

"Okay," I said, swallowing. "Still, you make it sound so easy... And signal GHOST? Sounds ominous."

"And to do that," she continued, "we need access to the managing room—the physical hub for the signal routes."

I stared at her, a sinking feeling spreading through my chest. "Let me guess. This managing room is going to be crawling with her machines."

"Like moths to a flame," she said with a grin that's too casual for my liking. "But don't worry, Aiden. That's where you come in."

"Me?" My voice rose a notch. "Why does it sound like you're about to throw me into a robot death trap?"

Suvi nodded. "You're fast, Aiden. You're reckless. You'll make a hell of a distraction. I'll plant the ghost while you keep the heat off me."

I stared at her, trying to catch my breath. "You're making it sound like this is just a quick jog through the park!"

"No, it's not. But it's the best shot we've got. Without that ghost, the Architect will know the second we try to get near your mom. And then..." Her voice trailed off, but the implication was clear. "Then we fail."

I couldn't breathe for a moment. I stared at the coordinates on the screen again, the weight of everything crashing down on me all at once. "So, let me get this straight. We're going to break into a heavily guarded system, mess with one of the most secure networks in the world, and hope we don't get vaporized in the process?"

Suvi's eyes locked onto mine. "Yes. Pretty much."

I laughed, but it was hollow, even to my own ears. "Great. Just great."

What if I turn myself in? That would solve every problem, right? At least my mom would be safer... because even if this girl is caught she's going to escape easily.

The one who's going to die is me.