The Countdown Begins

The silence between them was thick with anticipation as Dominic leaned over the old wooden table in the safehouse, his fingers tapping against a worn schematic of the Echo headquarters.

“We have forty-eight hours before Ryan launches the full-scale deployment,” he said, eyes locked on Sienna’s. “That’s our window.”

Sienna swallowed hard, her eyes scanning the map for the hundredth time. The information they’d risked everything to retrieve was clear—once Project Echo went live, it wouldn’t just be surveillance. It would mean control. Real-time manipulation of the city’s infrastructure, predictive enforcement, biometric access to everything from public transit to private homes.

And Ryan would own it all.

“Forty-eight hours,” she repeated, more to herself than him. “We either stop him… or disappear like the rest.”

A tremor passed through her chest, but she pushed it down. Now wasn’t the time for fear.

Dominic stood straight, running a hand through his tousled hair. “We need to hit three key locations. If we overload the external servers, the AI will stall long enough to manually shut down the central core.”

She nodded, already committing the plan to memory. “We’ll need Kira’s help for the access codes. And Julian’s still on the inside.”

Dominic’s expression tightened at the mention of Julian. “Assuming he hasn’t been turned.”

Sienna met his eyes. “He wouldn’t betray us.”

There was a beat of silence between them, thick with more than just doubt. They’d lost so many already. Trust didn’t come easy.

“Let’s assume he’s still with us,” Dominic finally said. “He’s our best chance at disabling the internal firewalls.”

Sienna moved toward the wall where photographs and notes were pinned—each line connecting pieces of their investigation. Every string led back to Ryan.

“Why him?” she murmured, almost to herself.

Dominic followed her gaze. “He’s not just about power. He wants something else… something personal.”

She turned toward him. “Do you think this is about me?”

A pause. “Not just you. Your father was part of the original development team for Echo’s prototype. Ryan hated the limits they built in. You think it’s coincidence he reappeared the moment we dug into those files?”

Sienna’s breath caught. The memory of her father’s sudden death still haunted her. All this time, she thought it was an accident. But if Ryan had known…

Her fists clenched. “Then this is more than just stopping Echo. This is justice.”

Dominic nodded. “And revenge.”

Just then, the door to the safehouse creaked. Kira stepped in, breathless and disheveled, a backpack slung over one shoulder.

“I got the codes,” she announced, holding up a USB drive. “But it wasn’t clean. I think I was followed.”

Sienna rushed to her. “Are you hurt?”

“No. But I couldn’t shake the tail. If they trace me here—”

“They won’t,” Dominic cut in, already moving toward the rear exit. “We change locations. Now.”

Sienna grabbed the map and the drive from Kira. “Where’s Julian?”

Kira hesitated. “He sent me the data remotely. Said he couldn’t leave the building without raising suspicion.”

That wasn’t like Julian. He was careful, but not cowardly. Sienna exchanged a glance with Dominic—he’d heard the same thing in her silence.

“Then we assume he’s compromised,” Dominic said. “And we work without him.”

They moved fast, gathering their supplies in practiced rhythm. Years on the run had taught them how to vanish. Within minutes, the safehouse was dark again.

Outside, the city buzzed unaware. Neon lights blinked above alleys that reeked of damp metal and fried food. Drones hummed low over rooftops, scanning for heat signatures.

As they melted into the shadows, Sienna couldn’t help but feel the weight of the hours ticking down. Every second brought them closer to Ryan’s launch—and closer to a future no one would escape.

They reached a new hideout—an abandoned tech lab deep in the industrial quarter. Rusted equipment and shattered glass littered the floor, but it would do. It had shielding. That was enough.

Kira plugged the USB into a laptop, the screen flickering to life. “Okay. The codes are split into three tiers. We’ll need to trigger them simultaneously or the system reboots.”

Dominic bent over her shoulder. “So we split up.”

Sienna frowned. “That’s risky.”

“We don’t have a choice.”

The air was heavy with tension as the plan locked into place. Three locations. Three triggers. One final shot at shutting Echo down.

Sienna turned to Dominic. “If this goes south—”

“It won’t.”

“Still… if it does—” she hesitated, then reached out, her hand brushing his.

He took it, pulling her gently closer. “We’ve survived worse. We’ll finish this. Together.”

She wanted to believe him. Needed to. But the fear crept in anyway. Fear not just of failure—but of losing him.

Dominic leaned in, his voice low. “I meant what I said, Sienna. You’re not just part of this mission. You’re the reason I’m fighting.”

Her throat tightened. Before she could speak, Kira cleared her throat behind them.

“Not to interrupt the moment, but we’ve got movement. Three vehicles. Unmarked. Closing in.”

Dominic’s eyes snapped back to the screen. “They found us.”

Sienna gritted her teeth. “Then we move now. We split up, hit the targets. No more waiting.”

The plan had begun.

And Ryan… he had no idea what was coming.