Fallen Sun.

"Jax, if this lock doesn’t cycle in ten seconds, I’m leaving your cut on the floor," Cameron hissed, his voice rasping against the filter of his respirator. He pressed his shoulder against the freezing poly-crete wall of the Solaris Supply Vault, his eyes darting toward the end of the corridor where the shadows seemed to move. ​"Keep your hair on, Cam. The mag-seal is cycling through a triple-layer encryption. Give it… three, two, one—" ​Clack. ​The heavy steel hissed open, venting a wall of sub-zero mist that hit Cameron’s face like a physical blow. He stepped into the blue-lit vault, his boots crunching on frosted metal. He wasn't looking for gold or credits. He was looking for the "Payload" that was supposed to buy him a ticket out of this hellhole. ​"I’m in," Cameron whispered. He stopped dead. In front of him wasn't a rack of batteries. It was a vertical glass tube, pulsing with a rhythmic, golden light. Inside, a girl with hair like spun silk floated in a thick, glowing fluid. ​"Cam? You got the cell? Talk to me, the drones just hit the perimeter!" ​"It’s not a cell, Jax. It’s a person." ​"A person? What kind of person is worth five million credits on the black market? Grab the Core and move!" ​Cameron wiped the frost from the glass with a gloved hand. The girl’s eyes snapped open. They weren't human—they were liquid gold, burning with a heat that shouldn't exist in a freezer. ​"Who are you?" Her voice didn't come from her mouth; it echoed in his head, vibrating against his skull. ​"The guy stealing you," Cameron snapped, pulling a heavy-duty thermal cutter from his belt. "Don't get used to the view, Princess. We’re leaving." ​"You shouldn't be here," she whispered, her hands pressing against the glass. The fluid around her began to bubble. "The Architect… he’s coming." ​"Let him come. I’ve got a debt to pay and you’re the receipt." Cameron jammed the cutter into the base of the pod. The machine screamed as it bit into the reinforced alloy. ​"Cameron!" Jax’s voice exploded in his ear, panicked. "The Sentinels just hit the lobby! They aren't arresting anyone today—they’re authorised for total liquidation! Get out now!" ​Cameron looked at the girl, then at the door. The red alarm lights began to strobe, painting the room in the colour of blood. He could hear the heavy, rhythmic thud-thud-thud of hydraulic legs sprinting down the hallway. ​"Hold your breath," Cameron growled, slamming the override. ​The glass didn't just break; it detonated. The pressure sent Cameron flying backwards, his back hitting a crate of spare parts with a sickening c***k. Through the white mist, he saw the girl tumble out, her skin glowing so bright it blinded his goggles. ​He scrambled to his feet, gasping for air, and grabbed her arm. His glove hissed, the synthetic leather melting instantly against her skin. ​"Dammit! You're burning up!" ​"I can't stop it!" she screamed, clutching her chest. "The seal is broken! I'm leaking!" ​The vault door buckled inward, a massive metal claw ripping through the centre of the steel. A three-meter-tall Sentinel stepped through the jagged hole, its red eye-sensor scanning the room with terrifying precision. ​"Target identified," the machine droned, its voice a hollow, metallic rasp. "Initiating lethal force." ​Cameron looked at the Sentinel, then at the girl shivering on the floor. He had one flash-bang left and a knife that wouldn't do a dent against armour. He grabbed her waist, pulling her up. ​"Jax, tell me there’s a back way out of this hellhole!" ​"The ventilation duct, ceiling-left! But it’s a thirty-story drop if you miss the ledge!" ​"I hate heights," Cameron muttered. He looked at the girl, whose golden eyes were wide with terror. "You ready to fly?" ​"I don't have a choice, do I?" ​"None at all." ​The Sentinel raised its arm, the six barrels of its Gatling gun beginning to spin with a high-pitched, lethal whine. Cameron squeezed his eyes shut and leapt for the ceiling grate just as the first round tore the floor where they had been standing into molten scrap.