CRONUS

Part 7: Two Minutes

The hum of a drone buzzes overhead as Nick and I momentarily hide in an alley. Even in the cool, crisp air, sweat soaks into the fabric of my long-sleeve shirt under my thick jacket. No amount of fighting could've prepared me for this.

"You good?" I ask, my chest puffing up and down.

Nick chuckles.

"You?"

The drone lingers for a moment, flying close, too close, as half the Sectors rips itself a part looking for me. And the Elite is even worse. The other side of the mountain is now in total lockdown as every home, office and street is searched and torn to pieces.

I pull my hood down lower.

A breath, then the drone flies over and disappears in the smog.

"Just keep up old man." I nudge him. "How's it look?"

A ring of sweat stains the back of Nick's thermal shirt as he peeks his head around the corner. I watch him scanning the street, diligently helping me make my escape out this hell.

What will happen to him when I'm gone?

My world isn't the only one that will never be the same. If he gets found out, he'll be tortured and imprisoned. At the very least.

"Clear." He waves.

We slip out of the alley and into a large crowd, keeping our pace slow and unhurried. Everything inside me screams to run, to bolt to the Mountain Train Station before another squad of soldiers searches the street. Blood pumps through my veins a million kilometers an hour. Slow, I scream at my feet.

I stare at the ground, keeping Nick in my peripherals.

Slow.

All around me, the anthem of the Sectors plays on. Pots clanging, buyers haggling, meat sizzling. I keep my pace steady as I soak it in.

My stomach growls. 

"This way," Nick leans in and whispers. I follow a pace behind as he leads down another alley and stops at the very end, just short of the train station.

We crouch behind the wall and scan the front. The entrance at the top of the wide steps remains open and all that separates me from just walking right in, is what's in front of it. A dozen soldiers stand guard, checking the few people who walk inside. Three drones hover not far above them, circling slowly and surveilling the half empty street. No crowds, no slipping in undetected.

A soldier suddenly perks up when he sees a girl my age. Between her long black hair and blue eyes, she matches my description almost perfectly. He reaches out, viscously grabs her neck and scans her face. Her body tenses, but she doesn't fight back. No resistance.

After a moment, he lets go and waves her on.

I release a breath I didn't know I was holding.

This is going to be impossible.

"How are we supposed to get through?"

It would take a dozen guns to push through their guard. And once the drones caught sight of me...game over. 

"Listen," Nick sighs and turns around. A small smile forms on his face as he grabs my hands and squeezes. "You get out of here. You get that chip removed. We don't know what kind of tracking it has or what it might do."

I nod silently.

"I'll give you an opening. You take it before it's too late."

"What does that mean?" I frown as a million possibilities roll through my brain. "Don't do anything stupid." I shove him in the chest, too hard. He stumbles into the wall, his eyes widening.