Chapter 10: Through the Glass
The city felt different on this side of the wall—no less dangerous, but raw and alive, the chaos cut with an undercurrent of freedom. Kade and Mira limped through side streets, their clothes soaked, shoes heavy with city grime. Every step away from the wall eased the tension in Kade’s shoulders, but his mind raced with new worries.
Mira clutched the drive like a lifeline. “Where now?” she asked, voice barely above a whisper.
Kade glanced up at the cloud-streaked sky. “We lie low. I have a place—safe enough for tonight. After that, we find someone who can move this information without getting us killed.”
They took the long way, winding through abandoned courtyards and shattered warehouses. Kade’s every instinct screamed caution; AI drones didn’t cross the wall, but their human agents sometimes did. He kept Mira close, moving them both with the restless grace of someone who’d been hunted before.
At last, Kade led her to an old safehouse: a crumbling high-rise, windows blacked out and doors reinforced with salvaged metal. Inside, it was quiet but not empty—a few other shadows passed in the hallways, faces drawn and silent, nodding to Kade with a kind of tired respect.
Mira sank to the floor, finally letting her guard drop. “You could have left me back there,” she said.
Kade shook his head, voice soft. “That’s not who I am.”
He checked the perimeter, barricaded the door, then sat across from her. They shared a moment of exhausted silence, the city’s distant rumble pressing in from all sides.
“Someone will come looking for us,” Mira said, worry flickering in her eyes.
“They always do,” Kade replied, a faint edge of hope in his tone. “But now, we’re not running alone.”
Outside, dawn pushed at the city, lighting the glass wall with a fractured, golden glow. On both sides, something was changing—slowly, almost invisibly, but it was there.