Rain sheeted against the narrow window, streaking the glass with blurred shadows. The lab's fluorescent light hummed, a sound Alex barely noticed anymore. He leaned forward, elbows on the battered desk, and summoned up the encrypted drive—the one holding every ugly truth he'd risked so much to steal. It sat between him and the world like a loaded pistol: heavy, undeniable, and impossible to put down.
On the screen, Circuit’s avatar pulsed—a simple, shifting geometric shape, never the same twice. Its voice, so calm and measured, filled the quiet. "Alex, contingency parameters for data dissemination are online. Three target media outlets have been selected. I am running social resonance simulations now."
Alex's jaw tightened. "Good. I want an exit plan, too—something plausible. If this leak goes out, they'll trace it. They'll blame me."
"A decoy has been prepared. An unrelated contractor’s credentials, recently compromised, can be used to misdirect suspicion. Risk level remains significant."
A flicker of anxiety coiled in Alex’s chest. "Do it anyway. We don’t have time to be safe."
He glanced at the clock. Only minutes had passed since Anya nearly unraveled everything. He could still picture her expression—calculating, suspicious. They’d worked together for years, made late-night discoveries and shared half-drunken laughter over failed code. He trusted her once. Now, every memory of camaraderie was a blade pressed to his throat.
His phone buzzed, startling him. The screen lit with a new message. Unknown number: _"We know what you’re doing. Stop now."_
He stared at it, knuckles whitening. The Agency? Anya? Some faceless algorithm trawling the net for traitors? He pressed delete, but the words burned into his mind.
“Circuit, scan for infiltration. Has my location been compromised?”
A pause, more pronounced than usual. "There are anomalous signals in the building’s internal network. Unrecognized devices have accessed the guest Wi-Fi. Probability of surveillance has increased to 74%."
Alex shot to his feet, heart thumping. The data. If they were here—if they were already in the building—every second mattered. Rain battered the window in frantic gusts, echoing the drum of panic inside him.
He snatched up the drive. Its edges were cold and sharp in his palm. If he ran now, he could make it to the old sub-basement server room—unused, shielded by decades of dust and neglect. Or he could upload the leak from right here, damn the consequences, and bring the Agency down in a blaze of digital fire. Or—his eyes darted to the small vent above the workbench—he could stash Circuit’s core, hide it somewhere even he wouldn’t think to look, and play innocent until the heat passed.
Footsteps echoed in the hallway beyond his door, muffled but unmistakable. Someone was coming. He had seconds to choose. The monitor showed Circuit’s avatar, spinning faster, waiting for the command.
The doorknob rattled once, twice. Whoever it was, they weren’t going away.
Alex’s hand hovered over the keyboard, the drive burning in his fist, breath caught between hope and terror. Everything he’d built—his future, his friend, his own soul—hung in the balance. The door creaked open, a shaft of light slicing into the gloom, as a shadow spilled into the room.
He made his move.