Beyond the gates

Bella and I pushed through the cafeteria doors, leaving the noise and chaos behind us. The air outside the building felt cooler, sharper somehow — maybe it was the weight of what had just happened, or maybe it was just the knowledge that this was only the beginning.

"Wait," I said, glancing around to make sure no one was watching. I lifted the hem of my sweatshirt just enough to reveal the sleek, dark spandex suit clinging to my skin underneath my regular clothes. "Told you," I said with a crooked smile. "Always prepared."

Bella arched a brow, the corner of her mouth twitching in amusement. "Cute," she said dryly, her voice tinged with something that might have been approval. "Give me a second." Without another word, she slipped into an empty classroom nearby, shutting the door behind her with a soft click.

Left alone, I fiddled with the edge of my sleeve. That's when I noticed it — a faint outline on my left forearm. I pulled the fabric up and blinked. Embedded neatly into the suit was a small, sleek panel, no bigger than a deck of cards. Curiosity got the better of me, and I tapped it. With a satisfying click, the panel popped open, revealing a compact screen and a miniaturized keyboard.

What the hell...?

I barely had time to register it before my hand brushed against something at my back — a small, dense weight I hadn't felt earlier. I reached around and found a folded piece of tech strapped across my upper back, tucked neatly against the suit. It took me a second to realize it was a drone — collapsible, lightweight, and no doubt dangerous in the right hands.

What kind of upgrade is this? I thought, my pulse quickening. I didn't remember signing up for bonus features.

Before I could dig into it more, Bella reappeared. She was fully suited up now, her form sleek and sharp in her own spandex, her chestnut-brown hair pulled into a high, efficient ponytail. She looked every bit the deadly force I'd seen back in the warehouse — except now, the mask of a casual student was completely gone.

"Come on," she said, tossing a look over her shoulder. I followed her outside, my mind still spinning.

Parked at the curb was a machine so clean and vicious-looking it made my mouth dry. A black motorcycle, polished to a mirror shine, waited for us. It was the kind of bike you didn't just ride — you commanded.

I grinned. "Nice. Where's mine?"

Bella slanted a glance at me, a smirk playing at her lips. "You don't have one."

I blinked. "You're kidding."

"Nope." She swung a leg over the bike with the same smooth, athletic grace she fought with. "You're riding with me."

I stared at her. "Seriously?"

"You're welcome," she said sweetly, revving the engine to life. The bike growled under her, sleek and dangerous, just like her.

I hesitated a beat longer than I should have, then sighed and climbed on behind her, gripping the side rails tight. Bella tossed me a wicked grin over her shoulder. "Hold on tight, rookie."

Before I could snap back, she twisted the throttle and the bike shot forward like a bullet. My stomach lurched and I leaned into her automatically, the wind slamming into us as the campus blurred into streaks of color.

The city blurred past us, the rush of wind roaring in my ears. I clung to the bike, the heat of the engine thrumming through my legs, the sharp scent of gasoline and steel filling my nose. Bella weaved through traffic like it was a casual game, leaning into the curves with reckless ease while I tried not to look like I was about to lose my lunch.

Eventually, the streets thinned out, the buildings growing older, rougher. She pulled the bike into the shadow of a crumbling overpass and killed the engine. Silence dropped heavy around us.

Bella swung her leg off the bike and turned to me, all business now. "Listen up, Marx. Change of plans."

I straightened, already feeling my gut knot. "Change? What kind of change?"

"You're not breaching with me," she said, tossing a small flash drive into my hands. It was no bigger than my thumb, black with a faint red light pulsing at its core. "Your new job is to hide. Support me remotely. You're the hacker now."

I stared at her, dumbfounded. "Hide? Seriously?"

She gave a sharp nod. "Seriously. The secure house is fortified. Too many guards, too much surveillance. If you go loud, you'll blow the entire operation before it even starts. I need you covering me from a distance — eyes in the sky." She tapped the folded drone still attached to my back. "That thing? It's your new best friend."

I exhaled slowly, rolling the flash drive between my fingers. "So I'm the tech guy now. Not the action hero."

"For tonight, yeah," she said. "Get in position, launch the drone, and when I signal, you hack the main terminal. Just plug that drive into the target system — it'll do the rest. If, and only if, things go sideways, then you go in."

She stepped closer, her voice lowering. "This mission's delicate. Stealth first. You're my insurance policy."

I nodded, the weight of it all settling in my chest. Support from the shadows. It wasn't glamorous. It wasn't glorious. But it was necessary. And maybe — just maybe — it was exactly where I needed to be.

Bella gave a final smirk, pulling her helmet back on. "Ready to play nerd, Marx?"

I chuckled under my breath, slipping the flash drive into a secure pocket. "Born ready."