Chapter 3 Into the Unknown

The stairwell was filled with Jill's footsteps as he took the stairs two steps at a time. His heart was beating, his ears pounding, but his movements were in control, his stride sure. His senses seemed to be more finely tuned with the network of SEA-Z integrated into his nervous system; his body quicker than before. Every sound came through to him so clearly: ventilation hum from the building itself, wail of a far-off siren outside, and the heavy thuds of opening doors above.

"They're not far behind," SEA-Z warned. "Backup for the intruders has entered the building, closing in on your last known location.".

She charged harder, leaping down the last flight of stairs and crashing through the exit door into the alleyway behind his apartment building. The dim light of dawn was just beginning to creep over the rooftops, casting long shadows across the narrow passage.

He was going to have to think fast, here. No time to go back to his apartment for supplies or arms. And if those mercenaries were indeed with The Nexus, they could catch him easily enough again if they knew his identity.

"SEA-Z, are there any safe houses or any place I can lay low nearby?" he asked, scanning the alley for an avenue of escape.

Scanning local databases and cross-referencing known locations...\" The voice of SEA-Z hummed for a moment before responding. "There is an abandoned industrial site about two miles from here. It should give us temporary cover until we sort out what we're doing next.".

"Sounds better than nothing," Jill muttered. He sprinted down the alley, cutting left onto a quiet street lined with parked cars. His muscles burned with the effort, but he could feel that extra burst of endurance SEA-Z had mentioned-it pushed him to keep going, to move faster than he thought possible.

As he ran, questions buzzed through Jill's mind. If this Nexus group was connected with the future disaster, why had they targeted him so quickly? How did they know about SEA-Z's activation? The thought of being hunted before he'd even started the mission made his skin crawl.

"SEA-Z, how much do you know about The Nexus?" he asked, his breathing coming in measured bursts as he kept up the pace.

They are an elusive organization with deep ties into the black market for technological and biological enhancements," SEA-Z replied. "There is evidence to suggest they fund illegal experimentation and work covertly across multiple countries. Their primary goal seems to be the acquisition and control of advanced technologies, which would fall in line with them having an interest in trying to stop our mission.

So, they're not just mercenaries. They're players in the bigger game, Jill said, his thoughts racing. "They could have a hand in whatever's going to bring about that future you showed me."

"It is a distinct possibility," SEA-Z confirmed. "We must proceed with caution.".

Jill made another corner, looking over his shoulder to make sure no one was following him. In the distance, he could see a black SUV pull up next to his building, reinforcing the two men he had taken down. He did not wait to see if they had found their comrades. He turned his attention back to his path, scanning everything for something unusual as he drew near the industrial site SEA-Z had directed him to.

The building loomed before him, a hulking mass of steel and broken windows. Once a bustling factory, it was now an empty shell left to decay. Jill approached cautiously, ducking through a gap in the chain-link fence and slipping inside through a side entrance. The interior was dark and cluttered with debris, but at least he could catch his breath and formulate some kind of plan.

"Host, I've accessed schematics on this facility," SEA-Z said, laying an outline map over Jill's vision. "You are now in the maintenance wing. There's a secure room two levels subgrade that should provide suitable cover if we need to hole up for any duration.".

Jill nodded, somewhat placated. "Excellent. Lead the way," he said, striding at a quick pace down the dark halls. At a stairwell going down, one thing rose to the surface of his mind-the nagging, gnawing feeling of impending doom.

"SEA-Z, why did The Nexus come for me so shortly after your online date? How would they even know where I was?" he asked.

"They probably have advanced tracking technology or access to confidential information about our mission," SEA-Z explained. "It is equally possible that an insider in the system and responsible for my deployment leaked some information to The Nexus."

Jill's jaw clenched. "You mean there might be a traitor in the system?"

"Exactly, Host. The situation is already happening too fast to ignore the possibility of internal sabotage," SEA-Z concluded.

Jill reached the bottom of the stairwell and stopped, listening. He could hear faint footsteps above-more of The Nexus operatives closing in. The secure room SEA-Z had mentioned was just down the hall, but his instincts screamed that he was walking into a trap. If they knew about SEA-Z, they could already have guessed his next move.

"No time to stand on ceremony here, Host," SEA-Z insisted. "The secure room is our best bet in regrouping and receiving further data."

Jill balled his fists as every muscle tensed. "Fine. But if this goes south, we're fighting our way out."

He ran down the hall, hit the door, and entered a quick code given to him by SEA-Z. The door slid open, and he stepped inside to take immediate cover behind a stack of old crates. He peered into the room, finding nothing but dust-covered equipment and darkness.

Then, there was a faint sound-a low mechanical hum. It grew louder, and Jill recognized it as the buzz of a drone. His eyes darted to the far corner of the room, where a small surveillance drone hovered, its camera lens trained on him.

"Damn it, SEA-Z! They see us!" Jill hissed, rising already to pound the drone out. He swung his baton as hard as he could and cracked free the rotor from the device; the thing hit the floor with a thud.

Host, I am reading multiple lifeforms heading this direction. The hostiles are onto your presence, said SEA-Z.

Jill's mind was racing a million miles an hour. He could hear the pounding of footsteps down the stairs, the unmistakable thud of boots on concrete. They were closing in and this room was about to become a death trap.

"SEA-Z, find me another way out!" Jill barked, glancing around the room for any possible escape.

Accessing floor plans," SEA-Z said in an instant. "There is an old ventilation shaft to your right. It's going to be a squeeze, but it can take you to the surface.

Jill ran to the ventilation shaft and pulled off the rusted metal grate. He crawled inside as the narrow space barely allowed him and then started dragging himself forward. He heard the door of the secure room burst open behind him, followed by the screaming operatives.

She crawled faster, ignoring the searing pain in his elbows and knees as he wriggled through the twisting shaft. Every muscle was screaming to stop, yet he forced himself to continue on, inches at a time, toward the faint light ahead.

He kicked the grate out at the end of the shaft and tumbled onto hard concrete outside the industrial site. For the time being, he was free. But as he scrambled to his feet, he knew this was only the beginning.

Panting, Jill's mind was already racing with questions and plans as he stood. There was no time to stop; The Nexus was after him and he had to stay ahead. Only now was his mission truly starting.