Escape

He quickened his pace, slipping into the maze of hallways behind the terminal. The corridor was dimly lit, lined with pipes and exposed wiring. His augmented lenses mapped a path toward the gate, but it was a gamble, he didn't know how many were waiting for him there.

Footsteps echoed behind him, faster now. They'd picked up his trail. Maxon ducked into a storage room, his tattoos pulsing faintly as he engaged the lock. He pressed his back against the wall, listening.

"Split up," a voice barked, muffled through the door. "He's in here somewhere."

Maxon's mind raced. He couldn't stay in one place. Pulling a small device from his pocket, he activated a decoy drone, no larger than a bird. It zipped through the air vent, emitting a low-frequency signal that mimicked his tattoos.

The footsteps followed the drone's sound, receding as the men chased the false trail.

Maxon exhaled, slipping out of the storage room and into another corridor. He was close to the gate now, the chatter in his earpiece growing louder.

"Maxon, three guards at Gate 47," Lilith warned. "They're checking every passenger."

"Of course they are," Maxon said, his voice dry.

The gate was in sight, but so were his enemies. A small cluster of guards and operatives stood near the boarding line, subtly watching every passenger. Maxon adjusted his synthetic mask again, feeling its nanopolymers shift slightly to obscure his features further.

But he needed more than a disguise. He needed a distraction.

His eyes landed on a family of five, the father wrestling with a mountain of luggage while the mother tried to calm a crying toddler. Maxon's lips curved into a faint smirk. Perfect.

As he passed the family, he dropped his pulse jammer; a small, innocuous-looking device, into one of the open bags. Seconds later, alarms blared, and security personnel swarmed the family.

"What the hell?" the father shouted as guards pulled the bag aside.

"Sir, step back!" one of the operatives barked.

Chaos erupted as passengers craned their necks to see the commotion. Maxon slipped through the distracted crowd, weaving toward the boarding line.

He was almost there when a hand clamped down on his shoulder.

Maxon turned... his heart racing, to find a young officer staring at him suspiciously.

"Sir, I need you to come with me," the officer said.

His mind raced. He couldn't fight, not here, not now. Instead, he widened his eyes, feigning surprise.

"Oh, thank God you're here," Maxon said, his voice trembling slightly. "There's a man in the bathroom acting... really strange. He looked like he was hiding something. I didn't know who to tell."

The officer frowned, his grip loosening. "Where?"

Maxon pointed toward the nearest restroom. "By the sinks. I thought he might have a weapon or something."

The officer's grip on Maxon's shoulder tightened as the man's eyes narrowed.

"Sir, I need you to stay here while we investigate."

Maxon's mind raced. Staying was not an option. A group of operatives had already begun shifting toward his position, their coordinated movements barely concealed.

"Of course," Maxon said smoothly, keeping his voice calm. But as the man reached for his comms, Maxon shifted his weight, turning away smoothly.

"I'm not waiting for this," Maxon muttered loudly, pitching his voice just enough for nearby passengers to hear. A few heads turned as Maxon raised his hands in mock frustration. "I didn't do anything! Is this because of my implant?"

The officer hesitated, startled by the sudden escalation. "Sir—"

Maxon didn't wait. He took three steps back into the crowd, weaving through a group of travelers milling near the duty-free shop. The officer's voice rose behind him.

"Hey! Stop right there!"

Maxon ducked low, slipping behind a family of five wrangling a stroller. He turned sharply, using the commotion to block the officer's line of sight.

"Lilith," he murmured, "how many are tracking me?"

"Five, closing fast. Your officer's alerting the others. You need to vanish—now."

Maxon moved quickly, slipping into the flow of passengers heading toward a different gate. The officer was shouting now, calling for backup, but the noise of the terminal worked in Maxon's favor.

Ahead, a vendor stall displayed racks of overpriced travel accessories. Maxon grabbed a baseball cap and a scarf from the rack, he tapped his wrist implant against the self-checkout terminal, authorizing a quick transaction as he grabbed a baseball cap and a scarf.

The digital currency transfer was completed in milliseconds, untraceable thanks to the anonymizing protocols Lilith had embedded in his implant. The vendor bot chirped a polite acknowledgment, indifferent to the urgency of his movements.

"Transaction logged," Lilith noted. "No red flags."

"Keep the change," Maxon said, pulling the cap low over his face and wrapping the scarf around his neck.

Behind him, the officer was pushing through the crowd, scanning for any sign of his target. Maxon turned down a narrow corridor leading toward the restrooms, his pace steady but deliberate.

"Lilith, options?"

"Crowd density is your best friend. But they're flagging checkpoints. You'll need a hard diversion to shake them."

His augmented lenses flicked through his surroundings, tagging potential assets. His gaze landed on a janitorial cart parked just outside the restroom, its contents stacked precariously high.

He darted into the restroom, glancing at his reflection in the mirror. His synthetic mask had already begun shifting his features, softening his jawline and altering his cheekbones to reduce recognizability.

Outside, the officer's voice grew louder, echoing through the corridor.

"Keep searching! He's close!"

Maxon grabbed a small device from his pocket, a magnetic pulse emitter designed for short-range disruption. He activated it, tossing it toward the janitorial cart outside.

The device emitted a low-frequency hum before detonating in a harmless burst of energy. The cart tipped over, sending cleaning supplies crashing across the floor and spilling water everywhere.

The chaos drew immediate attention. Travelers stopped, murmuring in confusion as employees rushed to clean up the mess.

He slipped out of the restroom, keeping his head low as he moved into the now-distracted crowd.

The boarding gate was in sight, but two guards were stationed at the entrance, scanning passengers with handheld devices. Maxon veered toward the self-check-in kiosks, feigning interest in the screen as his mind raced.

He spotted a family with a teenage son arguing over their boarding passes. The boy waved his arms animatedly, and in the chaos, Maxon slipped closer, pretending to be part of their group.

When the guards glanced in their direction, Maxon adjusted his scarf and nodded politely. He wasn't their focus anymore.

He merged into the boarding line, his boarding ready. As he approached the attendant, his tattoos pulsed faintly, warning of a delayed scan.

"Override it," he whispered.

"Working," Lilith replied.

The scanner beeped green just as Maxon's pass was scanned. The attendant nodded, waving him through. Behind him, he heard the officer shouting, but it was too late. Maxon stepped onto the jet bridge, exhaling slowly.

"Lilith," he murmured, "status?"

"You're clear—for now. But they're going to escalate."

Maxon smirked faintly. "Let them try."