Chapter 45: Escape Plan

Chapter 45: Escape Plan

Silvia's POV

The sound of approaching footsteps echoed through the metallic corridors as Silvia secured the storage drive inside her belt pouch. They were out of time.

Dragon finished disabling the last security panel before turning to her. "We need a way out. Now."

Tarren's voice came through the comms. "South corridor is compromised. You've got at least six guards heading your way. We'll try to create a diversion. Get to the maintenance tunnels."

Silvia's mind raced. They couldn't afford to be pinned down. "Raleth, status?"

"Distraction set," Raleth responded. "Give me thirty seconds."

Silvia nodded to Dragon. "We hold here, make sure we don't get cut off."

Dragon smirked. "I love a good last stand."

She shot him a look. "We're not dying tonight."

The first wave of guards stormed in, weapons raised. Silvia ducked behind a server bank as bullets ricocheted off the reinforced walls. Dragon moved fluidly, knocking one guard off balance before spinning and slamming him into a console.

A loud explosion rocked the facility, shaking the floors beneath them. Raleth's distraction had gone off. "Exit's clear! Move!"

Silvia and Dragon sprinted down the hallway, dodging debris and bodies. Tarren and Raleth met them at a side panel leading into a maintenance tunnel. Raleth punched in a bypass code, and the hatch slid open.

"In. Now!" Tarren barked.

Silvia jumped in first, landing on a metal platform below. Dragon followed, but not before grabbing her waist to steady her.

She smirked. "Getting protective, are we?"

"Just making sure you don't break before we make it out," Dragon teased.

They ran through the tunnel system, the sounds of distant alarms fading behind them. This wasn't over yet—but for now, they had the proof they needed.

The Underground Chase

The tunnel was longer than Silvia had anticipated, winding and full of debris. Pipes hissed with bursts of steam, and the dim emergency lights flickered ominously. Dragon took the lead, his sharp senses helping them avoid pitfalls and unstable sections of the passage.

"We need to put as much distance between us and them as possible," Tarren said, keeping pace. "They'll lock down the exits soon."

"We have an extraction plan, right?" Raleth asked, her voice tight.

Silvia nodded. "There's an abandoned subway station about a mile ahead. Our contact should be waiting there."

Dragon shot her a look. "Should be? That's not exactly reassuring."

"They'll be there," Silvia insisted. At least, she hoped so.

Suddenly, the walls vibrated with the distant sound of an explosion. Tarren cursed. "They're collapsing sections of the tunnel! They want to trap us down here."

"Then we move faster!" Silvia shouted.

The team broke into a full sprint as rubble started falling around them. Dragon grabbed her hand, pulling her forward when she stumbled over a loose pipe. Even as chaos closed in around them, she felt his grip steady her.

A Fight in the Dark

They finally reached a junction in the tunnel, only to find themselves cornered. A squad of corporate soldiers blocked their path, weapons raised. Their leader, a tall man in sleek black armor, stepped forward. "You really thought you could escape with our data?"

Silvia tightened her grip on her blade. "Looks like we did."

Dragon grinned. "But we can return it if you ask nicely."

The leader's expression remained cold. "You won't be leaving this place alive."

The fight began in a blur of movement. Silvia dodged a soldier's blade, countering with a swift strike to his ribs. Dragon engaged two at once, his movements almost too fast to follow. Raleth's gunfire rang out, taking down another opponent.

Tarren barked into the comms. "We need backup! We're pinned down!"

A sudden roar echoed through the tunnel, shaking the very ground beneath them. The enemy soldiers hesitated just a second too long—long enough for Silvia to strike another down. Something massive was coming.

Dragon narrowed his eyes. "That's not an explosion. That's something alive."

A New Threat

From the darkness, a creature emerged—a massive, armored beast, its claws scraping against the tunnel walls. Its glowing blue eyes locked onto them with a terrifying intelligence.

"What the hell is that?!" Tarren shouted.

The corporate soldiers hesitated, then opened fire—but the bullets bounced off the creature's thick hide. It let out another deafening roar before lunging forward, tearing through the soldiers like they were paper.

"We need to move—NOW!" Silvia yelled.

Dragon grabbed her wrist and yanked her into a side tunnel as the beast rampaged through the enemy forces. The last thing she saw before disappearing into the darkness was the leader of the soldiers screaming as the monster crushed him beneath its claws.

The Escape

They ran through the abandoned subway station, their breath ragged. Raleth checked her device. "Extraction team is en route! Five minutes!"

"We don't have five minutes!" Silvia panted, glancing back at the tunnel. The creature was still coming.

Dragon grabbed her shoulders, forcing her to meet his eyes. "Hey, focus! We're getting out of this."

She took a shaky breath. "Right."

The team scrambled onto the platform as a battered hover transport descended from above, kicking up dust. The doors slid open just as the creature burst into the station, letting out an ear-splitting roar.

Dragon pushed Silvia into the transport. "Go!"

Tarren and Raleth jumped in, and Dragon followed just as the pilot gunned the engines. The craft lifted off, escaping through the shattered station roof. Below, the monstrous creature let out a final, frustrated roar as they vanished into the night.

Silvia collapsed into a seat, heart pounding. They had done it.

Dragon dropped beside her, grinning despite the bruises on his face. "That was fun."

She groaned. "You and I have very different definitions of fun."

He chuckled, nudging her shoulder. "But we make a good team, don't we?"

She glanced at him, a tired smile forming. "Yeah. We do."

With the stolen data secured and their enemies behind them, Silvia knew this was just the beginning. The war was changing. And so was she.