Chapter 4: Into the Machine
The AI zone thrummed with a precision that unsettled Kade. Every corner gleamed, every surface reflected his shadow back at him, slightly distorted, never quite real. Pedestrians moved in rigid flows, guided by silent signals only they seemed to see. Even the air felt different—crisp, sterile, humming faintly with a presence that watched and measured everything.
Kade pressed deeper, keeping his head low and pace steady. The forged ID chip in his palm pulsed in time with his heartbeat. If the system scanned him, it might hold up…or it might not. Here, mistakes had consequences you couldn’t outrun.
He navigated the grid of identical streets, the map Sera had given him echoing in his memory. Three lefts. Two rights. Into the alley with the green service panel. The city seemed to know he didn’t belong. Drones buzzed overhead, their blue lights flickering across faces, analyzing, judging. Kade ducked into an alcove as a patrol swept by, bodies clad in reflective armor and glass visors.
He held his breath, heart hammering. One of the drones paused, its sensor lingering on his back. For a moment, time stretched taut. Then the patrol moved on, and Kade exhaled slowly, shoulders tightening with relief.
He passed block after block of empty towers, windows dark except for the pale blue glow of screens inside. In one, a child sat motionless, eyes glazed as the AI fed lessons directly into her mind. In another, an old man stared out as if he could see Kade through the glass—like he was hoping for something to change.
He moved quickly, trusting his instincts. He’d grown up in cities like this, though none quite so suffocating. Sometimes the ghosts of his past pressed close. Tonight, they felt nearer than ever.
Halfway to the destination, a siren wailed in the distance. Kade froze, flattening himself against a wall. A squad of AI enforcers sprinted by, boots striking the ground in perfect rhythm. They didn’t even look at him. He wondered who they were chasing—then reminded himself it was always safer not to know.
He finally reached the apartment block: nondescript, gray, the sort of place no one remembered. He took the stairs instead of the elevator, boots silent on polished steel. At the fourth floor landing, he paused, listening.
Inside the marked apartment, a soft light glowed beneath the door. He slipped a scanner from his belt, swept it across the lock. No alarms. No movement inside, but heat signatures read two: one still, one pacing.
Kade pulled his stun baton and knocked, two short taps. Silence. Then, footsteps—a pause—then the door slid open a fraction.
He kept his guard up as he entered, senses alert. The room was sparse: a battered cot, shelves of old tech, a battered desk stacked with encrypted drives. In the corner, a woman stood—eyes wide, fear and resolve wrestling on her face. She looked younger than he expected, but the set of her jaw was determined.
“Who are you?” she demanded in a whisper.
Kade kept his voice calm. “Here for the package.”
She gestured to the desk, never taking her eyes off him. “It’s there. But you have to take me with you. They know I have it. If you leave me here, I’m dead.”
The second heat signature—a trembling old man—sat hunched on the cot, muttering softly to himself. The woman glanced at him with sadness, then back to Kade. “Please. I can help you get out.”
The mission had just gotten complicated. Kade weighed the risks. But he saw the fear in her eyes, the raw honesty. Against his better judgment, he nodded.
“Get your things. We move now.”
She grabbed a small bag, her hands steady even as her breath shook. Kade checked the drive, tucking it into a hidden pocket. As they slipped out, the city seemed to tighten around them. The machine had noticed something was wrong.
Down the hall, sirens started up again. Drones arced past the window, turning in their direction. The woman—Mira, she said her name was—matched his stride, eyes set, jaw clenched.
They had only minutes to vanish before the machine closed in.
Kade led the way, every sense burning, the cold perfection of the AI city pressing closer with every step.