Chapter 13: Echoes in the Dark

The shockwave from the explosion hit Kael like a sledgehammer, knocking him to the ground. His ears rang, and for a few disorienting seconds, he couldn't hear anything beyond the roaring in his head. The vault filled with dust and smoke, obscuring everything. The enforcers swarmed in like black phantoms through the haze.

"Get up!" Seraphine's voice pierced through the ringing, her hand reaching for Kael.

Kael scrambled to his feet, his body protesting with every movement. His vision cleared just enough to see the cold gleam of armor-clad enforcers closing in. They moved with terrifying precision, weapons raised, eyes hidden behind dark visors.

Niko had already engaged one, his usual grin replaced with a fierce snarl as he blocked a strike and swung back with his knife. Kane, still clutching the data drive, was desperately trying to shield himself, his back against the wall.

Kael's instincts kicked in. He pulled his weapon and fired off two quick shots, taking down one of the enforcers before they could react. But more were coming. They were relentless.

"We can't win this!" Kane yelled, panic edging into his voice. "We need an exit!"

Kael's mind raced. There was no way out through the vault door—more enforcers were already pouring in, blocking their escape. They were trapped, and Voss knew it.

Seraphine, her face streaked with sweat and dust, grabbed Kael's arm. "There!" she shouted, pointing to a ventilation shaft near the back of the vault, half-hidden by data cores.

Kael's eyes locked onto it, and for a moment, hope flickered in his chest. It wasn't a big exit, but it was their only option. "Kane, Niko—cover us!" he barked.

Niko, already in the thick of the fight, nodded grimly, delivering a powerful blow to one of the enforcers before ducking behind a storage unit for cover. "On it!"

Kael and Seraphine sprinted toward the vent, Seraphine yanking it open with trembling fingers. "Hurry!" she urged as she started to crawl in, her body disappearing into the dark passage.

Kane was right behind her, still clutching the precious data drive as if it were his lifeline. "Don't leave without me!" he gasped, squeezing himself into the vent.

Kael fired one last round toward the advancing enforcers before diving in after them. Niko, the last to follow, unleashed a final barrage of shots before vanishing into the vent just as the enforcers reached the spot where he had stood.

Inside the vent, it was suffocatingly tight and pitch black. Kael could hear Seraphine's labored breathing ahead of him, and Kane's muttered curses as they crawled through the cramped tunnel. His own breath came in ragged gasps, the weight of the chase closing in around him.

Behind them, the pounding of the enforcers' boots echoed through the metal shaft. They were relentless, their pursuit unyielding. Voss wasn't going to let them escape—not with Echo Protocol in their possession.

"We can't stay in here!" Seraphine gasped, her voice shaking as she struggled to keep moving. "They'll catch us!"

"There's an access point up ahead!" Kane called back. "If we can get to it, we'll have a chance."

Kael gritted his teeth and pushed forward, his mind racing. Everything they had fought for, everything they had risked—it all came down to this. But with the enforcers right behind them and Voss pulling the strings, it felt like the walls were closing in.

As they reached the access point, Kane kicked it open and dropped down into a dimly lit maintenance corridor below. Kael followed, pulling Seraphine down with him just as Niko slid through behind them, slamming the hatch shut.

"We bought ourselves a few minutes," Kane said, panting heavily, "but they'll find us again soon."

Kael scanned the corridor, the flickering lights casting long shadows. "We need to keep moving. We can't let them pin us down again."

Seraphine's face was pale, her eyes wide and haunted. "This was all a trap, wasn't it?" she whispered, her voice barely audible. "Voss wanted us to find Echo Protocol. He was never going to let us leave with it."

Kael's jaw tightened. She was right. Voss had played them from the start. The only question now was why.

Kane, still clutching the data drive like a lifeline, suddenly looked up, his eyes filled with a mix of fear and realization. "Echo Protocol… it's not just a memory vault. It's more than that. Voss isn't just erasing memories—he's rewriting reality. He's using memories to control people, to change them into something they weren't."

"What are you saying?" Niko asked, his tone sharp.

Kane's face paled further. "I'm saying that Echo Protocol could rewrite entire lives. Erase who you are, implant someone else. If Voss perfects it… he could reshape the world. Bend it to his will."

Kael felt a chill run down his spine. They weren't just fighting for their own survival anymore. This was bigger than them—bigger than Seraphine's stolen memories or Kael's guilt. Voss's ambitions reached farther than they had ever imagined.

"We can't let him finish this," Kael said, his voice firm. "We need to expose him. The truth has to come out."

Seraphine's gaze softened, a flicker of hope igniting in her eyes. "But how? Voss controls everything."

"Not everything," Kael replied. "We have Echo Protocol. If we can get it to the right people, we can show the world what Voss has done. We can take him down."

Kane nodded slowly, his expression determined. "I know someone—an old contact in the underground networks. They can get this out to the public. But we'll have to move fast. Voss won't give up."

Kael looked at Seraphine. "Are you ready for this?"

Seraphine took a deep breath, her eyes locking with his. "I've been running from my past for too long. I'm ready to fight."

Niko cracked a grin, though it didn't quite reach his eyes. "Let's tear this bastard down."

The pounding footsteps of the enforcers grew louder in the distance. They didn't have much time.

"Let's move," Kael said, leading the group down the corridor, their path uncertain but their resolve stronger than ever. Echo Protocol was in their hands—and with it, the power to bring Voss's empire crashing down.