Time: 5:03 AM — Eastern Bypass, Sector 7
The freeway was hell on wheels.
Concrete barriers blurred past in the chaos of motion. Ryoji's stolen interceptor roared through the early morning dark, tires shrieking as they carved through traffic like a scalpel. Aiko sat beside him, blood drying on her cheek, fingers gripping the dash. Behind them—Division Zero pursuit drones and blacked-out tactical vehicles lit the road in flashes of blue and white.
"Four on our tail," Ryoji muttered. "Two with mounted cannons. One air unit. And one I don't recognize."
Aiko didn't look back. "Then stop holding back."
He smirked.
The next turn nearly flipped them.
Twin autocannons opened fire from the rear vehicle, chewing up the divider. Ryoji spun the wheel hard, skidding sideways through a toll gate in a shower of sparks. "We need a way out."
"We don't run," Aiko said. Her voice was quiet—but something shimmered underneath it.
Static buzzed faintly through the comms system. Not from Division Zero. From her.
She didn't notice.
He did.
5:07 AM
Behind them, one of the drones locked on.
Aiko twisted in her seat, yanked open the sunroof, and rose into the wind with the disruptor in hand. Her hair whipped like fire behind her. The drone dove—
She fired.
The blast ripped through the sky, clipping the drone's engine. It spun, caught fire, and exploded midair. But Aiko didn't sit down. Her eyes were locked ahead, glowing faintly now.
Ryoji's gaze flicked toward her. "You feel that?"
"I feel everything," she whispered.
5:10 AM — Overpass Approaching Sector 8
Division Zero wasn't giving up.
The unfamiliar vehicle behind them surged forward—sleek, armored, humming with energy. A port opened on its hood. A coilgun.
Ryoji cursed. "That's a disruptor-grade weapon."
The Director had upgraded his hunters.
Aiko dropped back into her seat, breathing fast. "If they fire that—"
"They won't," Ryoji said. "Because we're ending this now."
He tapped the glove compartment. A hidden switch. A prototype he'd kept for emergencies.
"You're not serious," Aiko said.
"I never am."
He hit the switch.
A sharp hum filled the car. Energy built under the chassis. The interceptor's body flared red.
And then—Ryoji spun the wheel, hard.
5:12 AM — Sector 8, Skybridge Exit
The interceptor drifted sideways at 120 mph.
He ejected the undercarriage mines. The shockwave flipped the lead Division Zero car like a coin, sending it crashing into the barrier. A second collided into it, igniting a fireball behind them.
Only the armored car remained.
And it was gaining.
Suddenly, a strange pulse rippled through the air.
From Aiko.
The dashboard flickered. Lights dimmed. Every electronic system stuttered for half a second.
The armored car behind them jerked violently—then its engine died.
It spun out of control, skidding across three lanes before slamming into a concrete wall. No explosion. Just silence.
Ryoji stared at her. "What was that?"
"I don't know," she said. "But it listened to me."
She turned to him, something wild in her eyes. "I didn't shut them down. I asked them to."
And they obeyed.
5:15 AM — Safe Zone Perimeter
They pulled under an old monorail station, lights off. Breathing hard. Sirens distant now.
Ryoji killed the engine.
Silence fell.
"I think… something's waking up in me," Aiko said softly. "I don't know what it is. But it's connected to all of this. The vault. The signals. My brother."
Ryoji nodded. "And we're not running from it."
Aiko met his eyes.
"No," she said. "We're going straight through."
To be continued in Chapter 39....