Sam stepped off the maglev platform, his boots splashing in puddles reflecting the city's electric palette. His gaze lingered on a billboard flickering with a corporate logo, its light fractured by drizzle. In the distance, a cluster of drones zipped overhead, scanning the crowd for troublemakers. Gecko lingered by a vending machine, his cybernetic eyes scanning data feeds invisible to others.
Sam[/@ch_1] and Gecko exchanged tense glances. Holo-mist curled around their feet, obscuring the passageways leading deeper into the labyrinth.]
"The board wants us to take out the relay node before midnight. If we get caught, it’s game over. You sure you're ready for this?"
"I don’t have a choice, do I? After what happened to Jakko, someone has to finish the job."
Gecko nodded, his fingers twitching nervously at his side.
As footsteps echoed behind them, Sam pressed his back to the wall, heart pounding. Gecko pulled a data spike from his sleeve, sliding it into a nearby console. "We’re almost through the firewall. Tell me you brought the blackout code," he whispered. "It’s right here—just hope it’s enough," Sam replied, voice tight with anticipation.
The enforcer’s visor scanned them, voice modulated to a chilling monotone. Jakko, presumed lost, stepped out from behind, his face shadowed but unmistakable. "You shouldn’t have come back, Sam. The city’s changed, and so have I."
"Jakko? But… we thought you were dead."
"Dead to you, maybe. But the corporations own everything, even second chances. I’m not here to stop you—I’m here to warn you: the real danger’s deeper in. There are doors even I wouldn’t open."
"We have to finish what we started. Or none of us will make it out alive," Gecko insisted, his resolve hardening.
Sam glanced at the others, determination etched across his face. For a moment, he caught a glimpse of beauty amid the chaos—a rooftop sakura tree in full bloom, bathed in violet neon from a neighboring sign. "Whatever's behind these doors, we face it together," he said, as the trio reached another unmarked portal, its surface shimmering with encrypted runes.
