Chapter 104: Under Siege

As the facility began to seal itself shut, the team scrambled to find an exit. Steel doors slammed down around them, cutting off their paths. The AI running the facility had locked them inside.

"Move, move!" General Aria shouted, leading the charge down a corridor that hadn't been sealed yet.

Nyla ran beside her, adrenaline pumping through her veins. Behind them, Zane was still furiously working to disable the security system, trying to override the AI's lockdown protocol.

"We don't have much time!" Zane shouted. "The system's going into full lockdown in less than five minutes."

The resistance team sprinted through the dimly lit corridors, searching for an exit that hadn't been sealed off. But the AI was fast—doors were slamming shut all around them, leaving them trapped in a maze of narrow passageways.

"We can't keep running," Nyla panted. "We need a way out, now!"

Zane's eyes darted to his wrist device. "There's a service hatch on the lower level. If we can get to it, we might be able to bypass the main lockdown."

The team raced toward the lower level, but as they descended, the AI's automated drones activated. Sleek, spider-like machines crawled out of the walls, their red optics scanning for intruders.

"We've got company!" Aria barked, raising her weapon.

The drones lunged toward them, their metallic limbs clanking against the walls. The team opened fire, but for every drone they destroyed, two more appeared from the shadows.

"We're being overwhelmed!" Zane shouted, ducking as a drone fired a burst of energy in his direction.

Nyla gritted her teeth, firing at the drones while glancing down the hall. The service hatch was just ahead, but the swarm of machines was closing in fast.

"Cover me!" Nyla shouted, sprinting toward the hatch as the others laid down covering fire.

She reached the hatch, wrenching it open and waving for the others to follow. "This way, now!"

One by one, the team dove into the hatch, disappearing into the darkness below just as the drones flooded the corridor behind them.