MEMORY PROTOCOL

GETTING AWAY

The sound of metal feet echoed down the tunnel. The drones were close. Jake felt the air shift — heavy with danger.

“Move!” Rin hissed, pulling open a side door.

Jake tightened his arm around Sammy’s waist. Sammy was weak, every step a struggle, but he refused to stop. The three of them hurried through a narrow passage that smelled of oil. Water dripped from the ceiling. The floor was slick. Jake’s shoulder burned where he’d been hurt, but he pushed on.

Behind them, the buzz of scanners grew louder — a sharp, electric hum that made the hair on Jake’s neck stand up.

“Left!” Rin shouted. She ducked under a broken pipe and kicked open a shaft gate . “Down here — old maintenance shaft!”

Jake followed, helping Sammy down the short drop. They landed hard, knees splashing in cold water.

The shaft was dark except for a weak blue light coming from Rin’s wrist device. The air smelled of rust and mold, but it was better than getting caught.

“Can they track us here?” Jake asked, breathing hard.

Rin shook her head. “Not easily. Too much interference.”

They kept moving, water sloshing around in their boots. Sammy leaned heavier against Jake, but his eyes were clear.

“Keep going,” Sammy said quietly. “Don’t stop for me.”

Jake almost smiled. “Not a chance.”

A few turns later, they reached a ladder leading up. Rin climbed first, pushed open a metal hatch, and a blast of night air rushed in. One by one, they climbed out into the rain. The city stretched around them.

Jake looked at Sammy, then at Rin. Both of them were soaked and shaking, but alive.

“What now?” he asked.

Rin wiped rain from her face. “Now we run until there’s nowhere left to chase us.”

Jake nodded, gripping Sammy’s hand tight. “Then we keep running.” And together, they vanished into the storm.

The rain came down harder as they ran. It hit the broken streets in sharp bursts. Rin led the way, keeping low between old buildings. Most were half-collapsed, their windows shattered, their signs long gone.

“There,” Rin said, pointing to a dark shape ahead — an old subway entrance, its gate hanging loose.

They slipped inside. The air was stale, but dry. Jake helped Sammy down the steps, one slow step at a time, until they reached the platform below. It was quiet. Only the soft drip of water and the hum of their own breathing. Rin found an old storage room off the side. She forced the door open and checked inside with her small light. “Clear,” she said.

Jake guided Sammy in and lowered him to the floor. Jake tore a strip from his own sleeve and wrapped it around Sammy’s arm where the skin was torn.

“Hey,” Jake said softly, “stay with me, alright?”

Sammy nodded, his eyes half-closed but still focused on Jake. “I’m here,” he whispered.

Rin crouched nearby, pulling out a small pack. She found a thin blanket and handed it over. “It’s not much, but it’ll help.”

Jake covered Sammy with it and sat beside him, back against the cold wall. His whole body ached, but he didn’t care. For the first time in years, Sammy was right there beside him .

Rin stood watch by the doorway, listening. The storm outside muffled everything, but she kept her hand on her weapon just in case.

For a long time, no one spoke. The only sound was rain echoing through the tunnels.

Finally, Jake broke the silence. “We can’t stay long.”

Rin nodded. “I know. But he needs rest.”

Jake looked at Sammy — his face soft in the dim light, scars catching faint shadows. “He’ll get it,” Jake said quietly. “Even if I have to hold off the whole damn Order myself.”

Rin glanced at him, something almost like respect in her eyes. “You just might have to.”

Jake gave a tired smile. “Wouldn’t be the first time.”

The rain outside began to fade. Inside the small, broken room, warmth started to build. Morning came slow and gray.

Light slipped through cracks in the tunnel ceiling. The storm had passed, leaving only the soft sound of dripping water and the faint hum of the city above.

Jake woke first. His back ached, but he didn’t care. Sammy was still beside him, breathing deep and steady under the thin blanket. For the first time in years, Jake felt something close to peace.

Rin stood by the doorway, “You hear that?” she asked quietly.

Jake listened.

At first, nothing. Then — the low rumble of an engine. He was on his feet in a second, weapon ready.

“Relax,” Rin said. “That’s your rescue, isn’t it?”

Jake frowned. “Could be. Could also be a trap.”

Rin tilted her head. “Guess we’ll find out.”

Moments later, the sound stopped above them. A soft metal clang followed — someone opening the grate at the top of the stairs.

Then a voice echoed down.

“Echo One, you alive down there?”

Jake’s heart kicked. “Dax?”

“Who else?” The voice came with a tired laugh. “You look like hell, boss. Get moving before we both end up fried.”

Jake turned to Rin. “Help me with him.”

Together they lifted Sammy. He was weak but awake, eyes half open. “We’re leaving?” he whispered.

Jake nodded. “Yeah. Home’s waiting.”

They climbed back up the subway stairs and stepped into the gray morning light. A small armored truck waited on the cracked street, engine humming. Dax, a broad man with grease-stained hands, stood by the open door, scanning the sky.

“Let’s go,” he said. “Order patrols are sweeping the south blocks.”

Jake and Rin got Sammy inside. The seats were rough, but warm. Dax slammed the door shut and jumped into the driver’s seat.

The truck roared to life.

As they sped through the ruined streets, Jake kept one arm around Sammy, who leaned against him, half asleep.

“Where are we going?” Rin asked from the back.

Dax grinned. “Far as the sea will take us. Got a boat stashed near the coast. From there — island safe zone, no scanners, no Order. Quiet life, if that’s what you want.”

Jake looked out the cracked window. The city was fading behind them — towers sinking into mist, smoke rising where the Order still hunted.

He tightened his hold on Sammy’s hand. “Quiet sounds good.”

Hours later, the road gave way to sand and wind. The sea stretched out before them — wide, silver, endless.

Dax parked near a hidden dock where a small transport boat waited. Rin helped Jake lift Sammy aboard. The ocean air was cool and clean.

As the engine started and the boat pulled away from the shore, Jake looked back one last time. The city was nothing more than a shadow now.

He turned to Sammy, whose eyes fluttered open, catching the sunlight for the first time in years.

“We made it,” Jake said softly.

Sammy smiled, weak but real. “Told you… you’d find me.”

Jake brushed a hand through his hair and laughed — quiet, breathless, full of relief. “Yeah. I always do.”

Rin stood at the bow, watching the horizon. For once, there was no running, no fighting. Just open sea and the promise of peace ahead.

And as the island rose in the distance, green against the gray waves, Jake knew this wasn’t an ending.

It was a beginning — a fragile, beautiful one.