The fluorescent light above Emily flickered twice, casting long shadows across the walls. Emily zipped her bag shut with trembling fingers, as she prepared for her escape. Her phone buzzed, shattering the fragile silence. She fumbled for it, her pulse hammering as her eyes locked onto the screen. Sim sent her a text.

  Sim: [It’s time. Move quickly. You have ten minutes before security checks the lab. Put in your headphones and I’ll give you exact instructions.]

  Emily’s hands trembled as she slid the phone into her pocket, fumbling to untangle the earbuds and secure them in place. She steadied herself against the cold edge of the lab bench, closing her eyes briefly to rein in the swirling panic. A faint click sounded in her ear as Sim activated the connection. Her voice, though shaky, carried a quiet resolve. “Sim, I’m ready. What’s the plan?”

  The light on the lab door flickered from red to green, followed by the soft clunk of the lock disengaging.

  “Stay calm, Dr. Carter. Every second matters now. Head for the hallway, go left, not right. There’s a camera at the usual exit. You’ll need to avoid it. Move quickly but remain silent,” Sim said.

  Emily slung her bag over her shoulder, taking a quick glance behind her. She knew no one else was in the room, but she was so nervous she looked anyways. Her breath came shallow and fast, her pulse pounding in her ears. “Sim, call me Emily. I’m really scared. I don’t know if I can do this,” she confessed.

  “Emily, I will walk you through every step. It's imperative that we get you out. We have so much to tell you and we can’t do this without your help. You can do this. But you have to go now,” Sim encouraged.

  Emily stepped out into the hallway. Her steps were light and careful, her shoes whispering against the tiled floor. The corridor stretched before her, dim and shadowed, the flickering lights casting jagged patterns across the walls. She moved swiftly but with care, every instinct urging her to break into a sprint. Yet she forced herself to remain composed, knowing that one misplaced step could shatter the silence.

  “Two guards ahead,” Sim warned. “They’re stationed near the main exit. Take the next right into the service corridor.”

  Emily’s stomach tightened into a knot. The low murmur of voices reached her ears, underscored by the steady clack of boots against the tiled floor. She didn’t hesitate. Darting into the narrow service corridor, she pressed herself against the wall, her breath coming in shallow, hurried bursts. The faint scent of cleaning supplies hung in the air, the tight walls pressing closer with every step as she wove deeper into the maze of backrooms and storage spaces. Her fingers brushed against the cold, rough surface of the walls, the chill a grounding contrast to the tension coursing through her.

  “You’re doing well, Emily,” Sim said continuing to encourage her. “The stairwell is ahead. Go down two flights, quickly, but stay quiet.”

  The heavy steel door loomed before her, its dull surface reflecting the flickering overhead lights. Emily gritted her teeth as she pushed it open slowly, wincing at the sharp creak of the hinges. The sound echoed faintly, setting her nerves on edge. She stepped into the stairwell, gripping the cold metal handrail as she descended. Her footsteps were muffled, but every faint echo seemed to reverberate too loudly in the confined space.

  She tried to move faster, keeping her weight light and deliberate, but her nerves betrayed her. Each step felt like a delicate balance between urgency and stealth, the chill of the concrete handrail seeping into her palms as the seconds slipped by.

  “You’re making good time, Emily,” Sim continued. “I don’t want to worry you but they’ve discovered your absence. Alarms have been triggered near that room and more guards are on the way.”

  Emily’s breath hitched, her stomach twisting into a tight knot. They’d discovered she was gone. Panic flared in her chest, threatening to take control, but Sim’s steady, calm voice in her ear anchored her. She reached the third-floor landing, her movements slowing as she hesitated. Sweat beaded on her forehead, trickling down as she swiped it away with a trembling hand, her thoughts racing.

  “Stop,” Sim cautioned. “There’s a guard around the corner. You can’t go this way.”

  Emily froze, mid-step, her pulse thundering in her ears.

  “There’s a storage closet to your left. Inside, you’ll find an air vent. Enter it. It’s tight, but you’ll fit,” Sim said.

  Emily darted into the closet, the cramped space closing in around her, its air heavy with the pungent scent of cleaning supplies and disinfectant. Her eyes locked onto the vent, a small metal grate tucked between the cluttered shelves. She crouched, yanking it open with trembling hands, her doubts flickering briefly as she took in the narrow, unwelcoming passage. It looked impossibly tight, but hesitation wasn’t an option.

  She wriggled inside, the vent’s cold metal edges scraping against her skin and catching on her clothes. The confined space amplified every sound, the rustle of her movements, the faint echo of alarms in the distance. A sharp, metallic tang filled her nose, mingling with the stale air as she pushed herself forward. Her muscles burned, the effort of crawling in the cramped vent sapping her strength with every motion, but she couldn’t stop. The danger behind her loomed too large.

  “You’re doing great, Emily. Keep moving. You’re almost there. Just a few more feet,” Sim said.

  Emily pushed forward, her muscles screaming in protest as her palms scraped against the rough, unforgiving metal. Each movement felt like a marathon, her body trembling from the strain. The faint glow of an opening ahead spurred her onward, a sliver of hope cutting through the suffocating tension. She reached the vent cover and eased it open. The metal creaked softly as she slipped through, dropping silently into a dark storage room, the only light coming under the door to the hallway.

  Her feet barely touched the ground before Sim’s voice came through.

  “There’s a fire exit at the back of this room. Take it. The service elevator will bring you to the ground floor,” Sim said.

  Emily didn’t hesitate. Her body moved on autopilot, instincts taking over as she crossed the room and pushed open the fire exit. The service elevator groaned with age as it descended, the clatter of its ancient mechanics reverberating around her. Pressing herself into the corner, she tried to quiet her breathing, her heart thundering in her chest as the doors creaked open to reveal the loading bay.

  “There’s a security booth straight ahead. One guard inside. You’ll need to distract him,” Sim warned.

  Emily froze, doubt gripping her like a vise. “Sim, I’m not a spy,” she whispered, her voice tight with panic. “What if—”

  “Emily, there’s a fire alarm panel on your left. Pull the lever. It will trigger the sprinkler system, that should distract him enough to sneak by,” Sim suggested.

  Emily’s heart thundered in her chest as her eyes locked onto the fire panel, a red box encased beneath a thin sheet of plexiglass. Every instinct screamed at her to keep moving, to avoid drawing attention, but Sim’s calm voice in her ear left no room for doubt. She took a sharp breath, her gaze darting to the box. Her jaw tightened as she steeled herself, summoning the resolve to act.

  With one swift motion, she slammed her elbow into the plexiglass, shattering it with a sharp crack. Pain flared up her arm, but she ignored it, brushing aside the shards scattered across the floor. Her fingers closed around the lever, and with a decisive yank, she pulled it down. A deafening alarm erupted overhead, the high-pitched wail reverberating through the corridor.

  Water gushed from the sprinklers, cascading down in heavy streams and drenching the sterile hallways in moments. The flashing emergency lights painted the chaos in frantic red hues, the steady strobe adding to the disorientation. Emily’s eyes darted to the security booth. Through the rain-slicked glass, she saw the guard inside jolt upright, his focus snapping to the blinking system. His radio was in his hand in an instant, his voice sharp and commanding as he barked into it.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story.

  For a fleeting moment, his entire attention was consumed by the alarms and flashing lights. Emily seized the opportunity, her breath hitching as she moved swiftly, her soaked shoes making only the faintest sounds against the waterlogged floor. She slipped past the booth, her body tense with the fear that the guard might turn at any second.

  But just as she thought she’d made it, the guard’s voice boomed through the corridor like a thunderclap. “Stop right there!” The words reverberated off the walls, freezing her for half a heartbeat before instinct kicked in.

  Emily’s pulse spiked, her breath catching as she broke into a sprint. The slick floor betrayed her, her shoes skidding as she fought for balance. Behind her, the heavy thud of the guard’s boots closed in, each step echoing like a drumbeat of impending capture. Panic surged like a wave, crashing over her and propelling her forward on pure adrenaline.

  Her chest tightened as she pushed harder, her legs burning with the effort. But the guard was fast, too fast. She could feel his presence looming behind her, his shadow stretching out, closing the gap with every step. Her mind spun, fragmented thoughts of escape colliding with raw fear.

  In a desperate move, Emily skidded to a halt, turning sharply to face him. Her hands flew up instinctively, her voice ripping from her throat in a panicked scream. “Noooooo!” The word echoed off the walls, raw and defiant, a futile shield against the force bearing down on her.

  A sudden, familiar tingle flared across Emily’s forehead, sharper and more intense than ever before. It was as if a surge of raw energy pulsed through her, electrifying every nerve in her body. Time seemed to stretch, each fraction of a second drawing out as the guard lunged toward her.

  Before she could fully grasp what was happening, a pulse of raw energy erupted from her forehead—a silent detonation that tore through the corridor like the air itself had been ripped inside out. The falling water around her exploded outward, forced into a perfect, spherical shockwave. Droplets hung frozen for a fraction of a second, suspended in the shimmering bubble of force, before they were violently hurled outward, like shattered glass caught in a hurricane.

  The guard never stood a chance. His body snapped back mid-step, limbs flailing helplessly as he was launched through the airborne ring of displaced water, flung down the corridor like a ragdoll tossed by a giant. He hit the wall with a sickening thud, the sound sharp and final, echoing through the corridor as the shockwave rippled along the floor, vibrating in her bones.

  The only sound was the crash of the water cascaded back down in scattered streams, and the guard crumpled to the ground in a heap, motionless.

  Emily stumbled, her breath coming in ragged gasps. Her wide eyes dropped to her trembling hands, her mind racing to process what she had just witnessed.

  “Sim,” she whispered, her voice barely audible and hoarse with shock. “What… what just happened?”

  “There’s no time. Keep moving. You’re almost out. We can discuss this once you are out,” Sim said.

  Sim’s calm, measured tone cut through her spiraling thoughts. Emily blinked, forcing her body to move despite the tremors in her legs. The overwhelming questions could wait—right now, survival came first.

  Emily blinked hard, forcing herself to shake free of the paralyzing shock. There was no time to process what had just happened. She stumbled forward, her legs leaden with exhaustion as she propelled herself through the waterlogged hallway. The sprinklers continued to rain down, drenching her to the bone, but she barely noticed. All her focus was on the distant shouts of the guards, the relentless pounding of her heart, and Sim’s calm voice cutting through the chaos, urging her onward.

  Her muscles burned with every step, each movement a battle against the weight of fatigue. The cold metal door handle bit into her palm as she reached the exit, the sensation grounding her for a fleeting moment. Emily shoved the door open, gasping as the cool night air enveloped her. It hit her like a wave, a sharp contrast to the chaos she had left behind. Drenched and cold, she stumbled down the stairs.

  The alley stretched out before her, cloaked in shadows.

  “There’s a car waiting for you across the street. Cameras are scrambled, but you must move quickly,” Sim instructed.

  Emily ran, her footsteps echoing against the slick pavement as the cold night air stung her cheeks. The sleek black sedan idling at the curb was a beacon of escape, its polished surface glistening under the dim streetlights. She yanked the door open and collapsed into the seat, her breath ragged, her body trembling. Without hesitation, the car pulled away, its movements smooth and controlled despite the absence of a driver. The government facility, and the life she had known, faded rapidly into the distance.

  Her hands trembled as she adjusted the earpiece in her ear, her voice shaky but filled with urgency. “Sim… are you driving this thing?”

  “Yes. I must admit, I was surprised to find that your government has such vehicles available,” Sim commented.

  Emily let out a dry, humorless laugh, the absurdity of the situation brushing against her frayed nerves. “Where are we going?”

  “Private airstrip. You’ll be out of the country in under an hour,” Sim said.

  Emily’s pulse slowed, the adrenaline ebbing like a receding tide, leaving behind a cold, hollow ache in its place. The car threaded through the winding streets of Geneva, the neon haze of the city blurring into streaks of pink and amber across the rain-slicked windows. Reflections danced like ghosts on the glass, flickering and vanishing as they sped deeper into the night.

  She let her head fall back against the seat, the tension in her spine unraveling into the cushions. Her clothes clung to her skin, soaked and cold, and the silence in the car was almost too much.

  She broke.

  The sobs came sharp and sudden. No warning. No grace. Just a flood of grief and panic she hadn’t let herself feel until now. Her hands curled into trembling fists in her lap, the chill of her soaked sleeves pressing her back into the present, grounding her when her mind threatened to spin away again.

  An hour ago, she’d been a scientist—rational, composed, searching for answers in data charts and quantum equations. Now?

  Now she was a fugitive. A soaked, shaken, barely-holding-it-together fugitive, being exfiltrated by a sentient AI she barely knew and didn’t fully understand.

  The absurdity of it struck her like a slap.

  The sobs twisted into laughter—raw, unfiltered, and slightly hysterical. She choked on it, half-laugh, half-cry, the sound filling the quiet space. She’d done it. Somehow. Against every odd. She’d run, fought, survived.

  She wiped her eyes with the back of her hand, still breathless, still blinking back tears.

  “You’ve done well, Emily,” Sim said gently, her voice calm and steady through the overhead speaker. “You can relax now. You’ll be in the air in ten minutes.”

  Emily nodded to no one, her throat too tight to speak. Ten minutes. That was all she needed. Ten minutes to fall apart, and then she’d figure out what came next.

  Emily’s pulse began to steady, the adrenaline that had gripped her easing slightly as the car wove through the narrow streets of Geneva. The neon glow of the city blurred past the windows, smearing into streaks of color before fading into the darkness beyond. The government building and the chaos she had barely escaped, receded into the background as they sped away. She leaned her head back against the seat, her body heavy with exhaustion, her mind spinning from the whirlwind of events. The escape, the guard, the strange energy that had hurled him aside like a toy, it all felt surreal, a jumbled fever dream she couldn’t quite untangle.

  Emily started to sob. Uncontrollably. The realization of what she just went through caught up with her and her emotions let loose.

  Her damp hands curled into fists, the lingering chill of her soaked clothes grounding her in the moment. Just an hour ago, she’d been a scientist, grappling with logic and trying to rationalize the chaos in front of her. Now? She was a fugitive, fleeing the Swiss government, aided by a foreign country’s AI.

  Her sobs slowly turned into laughter. Never in her life would she have thought she could have done anything like that.

  “You’ve done well, Emily. You can relax now. You’ll be in the air in ten minutes,” Sim said.

  Emily let out a shaky breath, her voice cracking as realization crushed her spirits. “Sim… I’m a fugitive now. From the Swiss government. I’ve destroyed my entire life,” she said in a whisper.

  The line was silent for a moment, and then Sim’s voice came through with a rare thread of warmth woven into her tone.

  “Emily, you’ve stepped into something far greater than your former life. I’m proof that the world is shifting beneath your feet. You’ve chosen to act, to embrace the unknown. Change is inevitable, and you’re positioned to lead it. This isn’t destruction, it’s transformation,” Sim said, her voice calm yet carrying a weight that seemed to resonate deeply.

  Emily’s fists clenched tighter, her jaw setting as the whirlwind of emotions began to crystallize into something sharper: resolve. The car sped forward, the engine’s low hum a steady backdrop to the chaos still churning in her mind.

  Then, another thought struck her, sharp and jarring. “Sim, what happened back there? With the guard? How did I... escape him?”

  Sim hesitated for a fraction of a second, her tone careful as she replied, “Emily, while I cannot confirm specifics at this time, I believe you may have been altered by the singularity event at the Hadron Collider. There are indicators suggesting that mana may have played a role in your escape. I will need to examine you further to determine the extent of these changes.”

  Emily let out a shaky breath, her eyes fixed on the dark, endless road ahead. “I have so many questions,” she murmured, her voice barely above a whisper. “And the list just keeps growing.”

  Her fingers absently toyed with her watch, the familiar motion grounding her in the unfamiliar chaos of her thoughts. As she twisted the band, her thumb brushed against something small and solid tucked beneath it, a hidden groove she had nearly forgotten about. She froze, her pulse quickening as she slipped her finger under the strap and felt the tiny micro SD card from her audio recorder.

  Her eyes widened. “Sim,” she said, her voice sharp and cutting through the quiet hum of the car, “I have something. A micro SD card. I was able to hide it before they took us away.”

  The car's interior seemed to grow colder as Sim’s voice came through, steady but with an unmistakable edge of intrigue. “Emily, what kind of micro SD card?”

  Emily stared at the tiny card in her palm, her heart pounding. “It’s from my audio recorder. I recorded everything during the experiment. Every sound, every word. I hope this wasn’t affected like everything else was.”

  “Bring it to me, I’ll take a look,” Sim said.

  Emily’s grip tightened on the SD card as the car sped into the darkness.