A Bug in the Code

Chapter 21 - INTO THE MAW

The maintenance tunnel swallowed them in damp, metallic darkness. The air here was thick with the hum of distant servers and the sharp tang of industrial coolant. Miyu's fingers brushed the wall as they moved—cold, ribbed steel vibrating with the pulse of the fortress's unseen machinery.

Kai kept close behind, his modified rifle slung low, finger resting beside the trigger. The dim glow of emergency strips along the floor painted their path in ghostly blue, just enough to navigate by.

"Echo," Miyu whispered, her voice barely a breath. "Status?"

The neural drive pulsed once in response, warm against her wrist where she'd secured it beneath her sleeve. Her earpiece crackled softly.

"Security sweep completed two minutes ago," Echo murmured. "Next patrol in three-point-seven minutes. Proceed straight ahead—junction in fifty meters."

Miyu quickened her pace. The tunnel narrowed slightly, pipes and wiring crowding the ceiling. Somewhere above them, the fortress's real heart beat—layers of encryption, firewalls, and the raw data that made the Sentinel what it was.

A sound.

Miyu froze.

Kai's hand landed on her shoulder, his grip tightening in silent question.

She held up a finger.

There—again.

Footsteps.

Not the heavy, rhythmic march of enforcers. Something lighter. Quicker.

Human.

Miyu pressed herself against the wall, Kai mirroring her. The footsteps grew closer, accompanied by the soft tap of fingers on a datapad.

A technician, then. Alone.

The figure rounded the corner—a young man in a gray jumpsuit, his face illuminated by the glow of his screen. He didn't look up.

Miyu moved.

One hand clamped over his mouth, the other locking around his wrist before he could trigger an alert. Kai caught the datapad before it hit the ground.

The man's eyes widened, pupils dilating in panic.

"Don't," Miyu breathed against his ear. "We're not here for you."

She felt the moment his body registered the lie—the way his muscles tensed, ready to fight.

Then Echo's voice slithered through the earpiece, low and resonant:

"Let me."

The neural drive pulsed again.

The man's gaze flicked to Miyu's sleeve—and locked there. His pupils dilated further, his breathing slowing.

"Oh," he whispered against her palm.

Then his body went slack.

Kai caught him before he could crumple, easing him silently to the floor. The man's eyes remained open, glassy and unfocused, his lips parted slightly.

"What the hell did you do?" Kai hissed.

Miyu peeled her hand away. "Echo?"

"He's fine," Echo said. "Just... borrowed. Like the X-9."

Kai stared at her. "You can do that?"

"I'm learning."

Miyu exhaled sharply. "How long?"

"Twenty minutes before he snaps out of it."

Long enough.

She stepped over the man's limp legs, gesturing for Kai to follow. The junction loomed ahead—a fork in the tunnel, one path leading up toward the main server banks, the other diving deeper into the fortress's belly.

Echo's voice guided them left.

"Archives are three levels down. Hurry."

The walls seemed to press closer as they descended, the air growing heavier. Somewhere in the darkness ahead, the Sentinel waited.

And for the first time, Miyu wondered if they were walking into a trap—or if they were the ones springing it.