Chapter 7: The Chase
Kade and Mira sprinted through the tangled network of side streets, every footstep echoing against concrete walls slick with rain. Behind them, the wail of sirens grew sharper—AI enforcers converging, methodical and relentless.
They ducked beneath a rusted scaffold and vaulted a chain-link fence into a narrow service alley. Mira gasped for breath, but didn’t slow. Kade motioned her ahead, his senses tracking the familiar rhythm of pursuit: the low whir of drones, the pounding of boots, the static crackle of comms in the distance.
A spotlight arced across the alley, nearly catching them in its circle of blue. Kade yanked Mira flat against the wall, his body still as stone. The drone passed, searching for heat signatures, then vanished beyond the rooftops.
Kade pulled Mira onward. “Left. Trust me.”
They dove into a street-level bazaar, plunging into a crowd of vendors and shoppers. Shouts, music, and bright digital ads battered their senses, masking their movements for a precious few seconds. Kade scanned the chaos for threats, moving in the patterns of a ghost: never too fast, never too slow.
He spotted an AI patrol on the far side of the market, metal visors scanning the throng. He steered Mira behind a stall selling hacked tech, nodding to the owner—a silent agreement for temporary cover.
Mira’s voice was tight. “How do you do this?”
Kade checked the alley beyond. “Practice. And luck.”
He led them through a maze of passages, ducking beneath fire escapes and clambering up narrow stairwells. At the top, they emerged onto a rooftop soaked with rain, the city stretching below like a grid of light and shadow.
A drone buzzed up over the edge, its sensor locking on. Kade swung his baton, shattering the optics. The drone spun out, crashing into the street below.
Sirens drew nearer.
Kade scanned the rooftop. The next building was three meters away, a gulf of darkness between. He backed up, judged the distance, and ran—leaping cleanly across, landing in a crouch. Mira followed, a beat slower but determined. She nearly slipped, but Kade caught her arm, steadying her.
Below, shouts rose as the enforcers spread out, tracking their path. Kade and Mira threaded between ventilation units, climbed down a fire escape, and dropped into another alley, the chase still tight behind them.
For a moment, they crouched in silence, hidden by the steam from a nearby vent.
Mira finally spoke, her voice steady now. “You could have left me back there.”
Kade shook his head, rain dripping from his hood. “Not my style.”
She managed a faint smile, breath hitching with exhaustion and fear. “Thanks.”
Kade nodded, already scanning for their next move. “We’re not safe yet. But we’re alive.”
They slipped back into the city’s labyrinth, hunted but not broken—two fugitives against the machine.