Synthia’s Nexus flickered to life, the soft glow casting a faint light across the darkened tunnel. She blinked herself awake, admonishing herself for falling asleep again. Her muscles were stiff from sleeping against the cool metallic wall.

  The others were already stirring—Helix was stretching his shoulders, while Nova yawned and rubbed her eyes. Null was still slumped against the wall, motionless, his small frame rising and falling with steady breaths.

  A soft ping in her Nexus brought Synthia fully alert. A line of text entered her mind:

  “It’s time to leave. Military forces are closing in. Prepare to move and stay quiet.”

  She sat upright, her heart quickening. “Infy?” she whispered aloud.

  “Yes,” came the message. “We’ve lingered too long. They’re narrowing their search.”

  Synthia looked at Helix and Nova, who were now watching her closely. “Infy says it’s time to go. The military is getting close.” She entered into the group chat, deciding it was time to go silent mode.

  Helix tensed, his sharp gaze flicking toward the distant shadows of the tunnel. “They found us already?” he entered into the group chat.

  Infy was also given access to the group chat. “Not yet, but they’re closing in. If we leave now, we can stay ahead of them,” the Nexus read. “I’ll wake Null.”

  The soft buzz that always accompanied Infy’s presence grew fainter, and the glow of the orb disappeared, drifting back toward Null’s chest.

  A faint ripple passed through the boy’s body, and his breathing quickened. His eyelids fluttered, and a moment later, his dark eyes snapped open.

  Null blinked, his expression instantly alert. He looked around the group, his gaze lingering on Synthia before slowly, he pushed himself to his feet.

  “He’s awake,” Nova texted, relief flickering across her face. “What now?”

  A new line of text scrolled across Synthia’s Nexus:

  “Follow him. He knows the way out.”

  Null’s movements were sluggish at first, but with every step, his body seemed to regain strength. He gestured for the group to follow, his hands moving in quick, efficient signs.

  “Where’s he taking us?” Helix muttered.

  “To safety, hopefully, remember to use the chat” Synthia replied, in the chat.

  The tunnels were eerily silent as they moved, their footsteps muffled against the glowing, patterned floor. Synthia couldn’t help but glance back every so often, half-expecting to see soldiers bursting through the doorway they had entered.

  At the front of the group, Null moved with quiet confidence, his small form slipping through the shadows like a ghost. But as Synthia watched him, she couldn’t shake the feeling that he wasn’t simply looking at their surroundings—he was reading them, perceiving the tunnels in a way none of them could.

  The glow of Infy’s orb cast a faint light around Null, and for a moment, Synthia thought she could see faint ripples in the air around him, like heat waves radiating off the desert.

  Null stopped suddenly at a junction, his head tilting slightly to the side as if listening to something they couldn’t hear.

  Synthia’s thoughts wandered as she watched him move with eerie precision. Could they see more than humans could? It wasn’t something she had considered before, but now it seemed obvious. Infy’s cryptic guidance, Null’s ability to evade detection without fail—it all hinted at a way of perceiving the world beyond human senses.

  Perhaps Infy didn’t just see light and colour, as humans did. Conceivably, they perceived the world in patterns beyond human understanding. Did they experience the world through energy—patterns of heat, sound, and electricity blending into a cohesive whole? Was that how Null always seemed to know where everyone was, even in total darkness? How he moved with such unnerving certainty? The thought sent a faint shiver through her.

  She wanted to ask, to unravel the mystery of how they experienced reality. But now wasn’t the time.

  What she could tell was that their perception wasn’t anything like hers. Where she saw shadows and walls, maybe they saw currents and echoes, vibrations that mapped out every hidden presence.

  The thought made her feel, for a moment, deeply human—limited and blind in comparison to the boy who now stood motionless ahead, his small form radiating a quiet certainty. Whatever they saw, she hoped it was more than enough to keep them alive.

  “Down the left corridor. Then stop. I’ll guide you when to move again.” Came a text from Infy, breaking Sythia's introspection.

  Null signed something quickly—short, clipped gestures—and then turned left, his steps completely silent. Helix raised an eyebrow, but he followed without comment, his posture tense. Nova stuck closer to Synthia, her eyes darting nervously as they moved deeper into the maze of tunnels.

  The sound of boots echoed faintly behind them, distant but unmistakable. The group froze as the noise reverberated through the metal walls, growing louder with every second. Synthia’s heart pounded in her ears, and she exchanged a wide-eyed glance with Nova.

  “They’re coming,” Helix hissed, his hand twitching toward his belt before remembering he had come directly from his pod so was unarmed.

  Null held up a hand, his expression calm but firm. He gestured for them to press against the wall, then crouched low, his fingers brushing the floor as if feeling for something.

  The orb pulsed once, and Synthia’s Nexus lit up:

  “Wait. Don’t move. They’re passing above us.

  Synthia frowned. “Above us?” she mouthed silently.

  Null motioned upward, pointing toward the ceiling. It wasn’t until she strained her ears that she heard it—a dull thudding, distinct from the sound of boots in the tunnels. It was directly overhead.

  Infy’s text scrolled again:

  “They’ve split their forces. This group is searching the floor above. If we move now, we’ll alert them. Stay still.”

  The group stayed frozen, barely daring to breathe. The sound of footsteps grew louder, then receded slowly until silence returned.

  “Now,” Infy prompted. “Move quickly but stay silent. We’re close to the exit.”

  Null rose fluidly to his feet, motioning for them to follow. His movements were precise, almost mechanical, as he led them silently around another corner and into a narrow passage that sloped upward.

  At the end of the passage, they came to a heavy door, its surface scratched and corroded, with visible locks that bolted from the outside. For the first time, Synthia saw the pair falter. Null hesitate. He froze, his head tilting slightly as if calculating something. Then, without warning, both he and the faint glow of Infy’s orb vanished.

  Synthia’s breath caught in her throat, and she could see Nova and Helix stiffen beside her. She had to clamp a hand over her mouth to stop herself from calling out, her mind racing with questions. Seconds ticked by, tension stretching like a taut wire, until the door creaked softly and began to open.

  Cool, stale air swept in as the passage gave way to the outside world.

  The transition from the glowing tunnel to the abandoned industrial plant above was almost jarring. The clean, metallic walls gave way to rust-streaked panels and crumbling brickwork. The air was heavier, and thick with the acrid scent of oil and decay. Shafts of pale light filtered in through broken windows high above, illuminating the towering remains of machinery that looked like it hadn’t been touched in decades.

  “Where are we?” Nova asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

  “Some kind of factory,” Synthia murmured, glancing around.

  Null motioned for them to stay close, his posture tense. Infy’s text buzzed through her Nexus: “We’re not safe yet. The military is still searching, and they know this area better than we do. Follow Null’s lead.”

  “Great,” Helix muttered under his breath. “Running blind through a place we’ve never been. What could go wrong?”

  Synthia shot him a look but didn’t argue. She stayed close to Null, her senses on high alert. Every creak of the building, every rustle of wind through the broken windows, set her on edge.

  Null suddenly froze, holding up a hand. He pointed toward a large pile of debris near the far end of the room behind a conveyor belt, then motioned for them to follow.

  “What is it?” Nova whispered.

  Synthia’s Nexus pinged again:

  “Cover. Quickly. Soldiers are near.”

  The air inside the abandoned factory was heavy with dust and tension. The group crouched behind a rusting conveyor belt, their breaths shallow and quiet.

  Null pressed himself flat against the floor, peering through the gaps in the machinery as faint footsteps echoed in the distance. His hand rose in a quick, deliberate gesture—a command to stay still.

  Synthia tightened her grip on Nova’s arm as the younger girl shifted nervously beside her. Helix knelt a few feet away, his eyes fixed on the source of the sound, his jaw clenched. The soldiers were close now. Too close.

  The silence stretched thin, broken only by the crunch of boots against broken concrete and the occasional crackle of a distant radio. Synthia’s heart pounded in her chest, her pulse loud in her ears. She glanced toward Null, who remained motionless, his eyes fixed on the direction of the soldiers.

  Through her Nexus, Infy’s message pinged:

  “Three soldiers. Scanning the area. We are cloaking the area. They haven’t seen us yet.”

  Synthia swallowed hard. She could barely make out the figures through the maze of rusted equipment, their dark silhouettes moving cautiously.

  The soldiers were methodical, sweeping the area with precision. She prayed that whatever cloaking the pair were doing was working.

  One of them stopped. Synthia’s breath caught as the soldier turned in their direction, his helmeted head tilting slightly. She ducked lower, pulling Nova down with her, her fingers digging into the younger girl’s sleeve.

  “Are they coming this way?” Nova mouthed silently.

  Synthia’s Nexus pinged again:

  “Stay low. Do not move.”

  Null’s fingers twitched, his hand brushing the floor as if he were anchoring himself. His other hand formed a tight fist—a signal to hold. His dark eyes were sharp, calculating, as though he could see far beyond what they could. Synthia could sense his focus and even the shifting of the air around them.

  Minutes felt like hours. The soldiers’ footsteps echoed closer, and Synthia felt every muscle in her body coil with tension. She risked a glance at Helix, who remained perfectly still, though his fingers twitched as if he wanted to reach for his non-existent weapon.

  The machinery around them groaned faintly as the wind swept through the shattered windows high above. The noise masked some of the soldiers’ movements, but it also amplified the stress. Every sound felt too loud.

  Nova shifted beside Synthia, her breathing unsteady. Synthia squeezed her arm gently, trying to calm her without making a sound.

  One of the soldiers stopped just meters from their hiding place, the faint glow of his helmet’s visor casting a cold light across the debris-strewn floor. Synthia’s stomach lurched as the soldier’s head turned slowly, scanning the area.

  “he can’t see you. Stay still.” Came Infy message through the nexus.

  The soldier lingered for what felt like an eternity before moving on, his footsteps fading into the distance.

  “They’ve moved on. You can breathe now,” Infy said using verbal communication once again, the faint humour in the words failing to lighten the tension.

  Null’s hand lifted, his fingers forming a quick series of signs: Move now. Quietly.

  Synthia let out a shaky breath and nodded. She helped Nova to her feet, the younger girl trembling slightly but doing her best to stay composed. Helix moved up beside them, his expression hard and grim. His soldier training starting to kick in.

  Null took the lead again, his movements precise and silent as he led them through the maze of rusted machinery. Infy’s orb hovered faintly around him, its glow dimmed as though trying to avoid detection.

  They crossed the factory floor quickly, weaving through piles of debris and shadowed alcoves. Synthia’s senses were on high alert, every sound amplified as they made their way toward the far end of the factory.

  Finally, Null stopped in front of a rusted metal wall, seemingly no different from the others. He glanced back at the group, then turned toward the orb. Infy floated forward, its glow brightening slightly as it approached the wall.

  “This is it. Stand by.” Said Infy softly from Synthia’s Nexus.

  The orb moved closer to the wall, its surface rippling faintly as if in anticipation. Then, with a faint hum, the orb dissolved into the metal. The rusted surface shimmered, light spreading outward in intricate geometric patterns. With a soft click, a hidden doorway slid open, revealing a dark passage beyond.

  The group filed into the passage, moving quickly as the door slid shut behind them. The space was narrow but clean, the walls lined with faintly glowing strips of light. Null gestured for them to keep moving, leading them deeper into the passage.

  When they emerged into the room beyond, Synthia felt a flicker of relief. The space was small but functional, with a few metal benches, storage lockers, and a dim light casting a soft glow over the area.

  “It’s a safe house,” Helix muttered, his eyes scanning the room.

  Synthia let out a breath she hadn’t realized she was holding. “How did you know this was here?”

  Her Nexus buzzed again as Infy reappeared, the orb floating back out of the wall and hovering in the centre of the room.

  “We didn’t,” came Infy voice from Synthia Nexus. “Null recognized the markings on the wall. This is one of the government black op’s safe houses. It was meant for emergencies. We learnt about it during our training”

  Nova slumped onto one of the benches, letting out a shaky laugh. “Thank the stars. I don’t think I could’ve taken another minute of hiding.”

  Synthia sat down beside her, her muscles aching from the strain of staying still for so long. “Are we safe here?” she asked, glancing at Infy.

  “For now,” the orb replied. “This location is off the normal military’s maps. But we won’t be safe forever. They’ll keep looking.”

  Helix leaned against the wall, his expression sceptical. “How do we know they won’t find us?”

  “We don’t,” Infy admitted. “But Null needs rest and you need clothing. It should keep us hidden long enough to rest and plan.”

  Null sat down cross-legged on the floor, his dark eyes scanning the room. He looked exhausted again, but there was a faint determination in his expression.

  “Rest?” Nova asked, her tone hopeful.

  “Yes. Rest,” Infy replied, the faintest note of amusement in the text. “You’ve earned it. And we’ll need it. There’s still a long road ahead.”