Chapter 5: Shadows of Echelon
1266 Words
The Underground Nexus pulsed with the quiet hum of servers and the rapid tapping of Nova’s fingers on the keyboard. Aria watched as lines of code flickered across the massive screen, decrypting the heavily guarded files of Echelon Corp. Every second they spent here felt like a countdown to something inevitable.
Kai paced behind Nova, his movements restless. “Tell me you’re getting somewhere.”
Nova didn’t look up. “Almost there. This encryption is next-level, but not unbreakable.”
Zane leaned against the wall, arms crossed. “I don’t get it. Why us? Why would some corporation pick a bunch of random gamers to experiment on?”
Luna, sitting quietly in the corner, spoke softly. “Maybe we weren’t random.”
The room fell silent.
Aria’s mind raced. Could that be true? Had they been chosen for a reason?
Before she could voice her thoughts, Nova cursed under her breath. “Damn it. I hit a firewall.”
Kieran, watching from the side, adjusted his tinted glasses. “That’s not just any firewall. That’s military-grade security.”
Kai exhaled sharply. “Meaning?”
Kieran turned to them. “Meaning whatever Echelon is hiding—it’s big. Government-big.”
A chill ran down Aria’s spine.
Nova narrowed her eyes, refocusing on the screen. “I can still break it. Just give me—”
The room plunged into darkness.
The monitors blinked off. The hum of the servers died.
Then, a voice echoed through the underground hideout.
“You shouldn’t have done that.”
Intrusion Detected
A red light flickered to life on the main screen, casting eerie shadows across the room. The voice—cold, mechanical—spoke again.
“Project Awakening is classified. Your access has been logged. Leave now, or face consequences.”
Nova’s fingers hovered over the keyboard. “They found us.”
Zane scoffed. “They can’t do anything, right? We’re underground.”
As if in response, a loud bang sounded from above.
Luna flinched. “What was that?”
Kieran checked the security feed on his tablet. His expression darkened. “We’ve got company.”
The screen displayed grainy footage of men in black tactical gear moving through the alley. Their uniforms bore no insignia, but the advanced weaponry they carried made their intent clear.
Aria’s pulse spiked. “Echelon sent a kill squad?”
Kai clenched his fists. “Looks like they’re not big on giving second chances.”
Nova grabbed a portable drive, yanking it from the console. “I got partial data before the lockout. We need to move. Now.”
Kieran pressed a switch beneath the desk. A section of the floor slid open, revealing a hidden passage. “This tunnel leads to an abandoned subway line. Go.”
“You’re not coming?” Aria asked.
Kieran shook his head. “I’ll buy you time. They’ll expect a full crew. If they think I’m the only one here, they might not chase you.”
Nova hesitated. “Kieran—”
“No time for goodbyes,” he said with a smirk. “Run.”
With no other choice, they bolted.
The Escape
The tunnel was narrow, the air thick with dust and rusted metal. Their footsteps echoed as they ran, the distant sound of gunfire making it clear that Kieran had engaged their pursuers.
Luna was panting. “How… are they moving so fast?”
Zane cursed. “They probably have enhancements, too.”
Kai gritted his teeth. “Then we even the playing field.”
Without breaking stride, he shot forward, his body blurring as he moved faster than humanly possible. In seconds, he was ahead of the group.
The tunnel split into two paths. Kai skidded to a stop, scanning their options. “Left or right?”
Nova glanced at the digital map on her wrist device. “Right leads to a maintenance exit.”
Aria nodded. “Then we—”
A gunshot rang out.
The bullet missed by inches, embedding itself in the wall beside them.
Their pursuers had found them.
A voice shouted, “Target acquired. Engage.”
More gunfire erupted.
Luna screamed as a bullet whizzed past her shoulder. Without thinking, Aria spun, raising her hand.
A shimmering force field snapped into existence, absorbing the bullets before vanishing just as quickly.
The silence that followed was deafening.
Nova’s eyes widened. “You just—”
Aria’s chest heaved. “I don’t know how. It just… happened.”
Zane grinned. “Well, that’s convenient.”
Kai’s voice snapped them back to reality. “No time for shock. Move!”
They darted down the right tunnel, hearing their attackers regroup behind them.
As they neared the exit, Aria felt something shift in the air—a presence, just behind them.
Instinct took over.
She ducked just as a shadowy figure lunged from the darkness.
The attacker’s blade sliced through empty air.
Kai reacted instantly, slamming a fist into the enemy’s gut. The force sent the man flying into the tunnel wall.
Zane grabbed him by the collar, recognizing the emblem on his gear—Echelon’s insignia. “Who the hell are you people?”
The man smirked despite his bleeding lip. “You think you’re special? You’re just prototypes. You don’t even know what you are.”
Aria’s stomach twisted. “And what are we?”
The man chuckled darkly. “Not human.”
A wave of cold washed over her.
Luna whispered, “That’s a lie.”
But the doubt had already settled in.
Nova cursed. “No time for this.” She zapped the man with an electric pulse from her palm, knocking him unconscious. “We’re leaving.”
They pushed forward.
At the end of the tunnel, a rusted door led to the abandoned subway. Kai kicked it open, revealing the darkened train tracks stretching into the unknown.
No turning back.
They ran.
Regrouping
An hour later, they found themselves in an old warehouse near the outskirts of Neo-Eden. It was damp, barely lit, but safe—for now.
Zane was pacing. “Not human? What the hell did that guy mean?”
Luna was shaking. “We’re still us. Right?”
Kai sighed. “I don’t know.”
Nova plugged the portable drive into her wrist device. “Let’s find out.”
Aria sat beside her, heart pounding. If Echelon had answers, they were on that drive.
Lines of decrypted text filled the screen.
Nova’s eyes flicked across the data, her breath catching.
Aria leaned closer. “What does it say?”
Nova swallowed. “Project Awakening wasn’t about the game.”
Kai tensed. “Then what was it?”
Nova looked up, her face pale.
“It was an experiment—to trigger latent abilities in certain individuals.”
Silence.
Luna’s voice was barely a whisper. “We were their test subjects.”
Zane slammed his fist against the wall. “Those bastards!”
Nova scrolled down, then froze. “Wait. There’s more.”
Her voice dropped. “It says… we weren’t the first.”
Aria’s breath hitched. “What happened to the others?”
Nova hesitated, then read the final line aloud.
“Status: Terminated.”
A heavy silence settled over them.
For the first time since this nightmare began, Aria felt something deeper than fear.
Rage.
They weren’t just players in a game anymore.
They were survivors.
And they weren’t going to let Echelon decide their fate.
Kai cracked his knuckles. “So… what’s our next move?”
Aria clenched her fists, the energy within her sparking to life.
“We fight back.”
- Writer
