Dawn Architect

Chapter 3: A dark future

In the dark alley, the children ran in desperation, their hearts pounding to the frantic rhythm of the chase. The echo of their footsteps echoed off the brick walls, mingling with the sound of their gasping breaths.

The smell of garbage and dampness permeated the air, increasing the feeling of claustrophobia as they moved deeper into the urban labyrinth, Although their resistance was faltering in the face of the relentless pursuit, they were confident that their nearby hiding place would give them some respite.

The children ran desperately because they knew the fate that awaited them if they were captured. The leader of the group, certain that flight alone would not be enough to escape their pursuers, decided to slow down to devise a plan that would allow the other children to escape. His red eyes glowed with determination as he scanned the surroundings for any advantage they could exploit.

"boss, hurry up, they're gaining on us!"

"..."

One of the children shouted, urging the leader to keep up. However, with determination in his eyes, the leader decided to sacrifice his own safety to give the others a chance.

"Keep going, I'll distract them."

he told them, stopping to create a distraction by throwing debris in the pursuers' path.

the boy, looking at him with admiration and concern, replied.

"Boss, if you stay, so will I."

"...." Another boy joined in, sharing the silent agreement. Despite the risk, the leader couldn't help but be moved by the loyalty of his comrades, but he stood firm.

"It won't make a difference if you stay, go away from....".

In the midst of the discussion, a voice cut through the air. "Damn kids, littering the road," growled one of the men, picking his way through the debris. Aware that it was too late to convince them, the leader confronted the adults, while the other children backed him up and joined the confrontation with improvised weapons.

The children, aware that their main objective was to buy time for their companions to escape, bravely confronted the adults who underestimated them. Despite their inferior size and strength, they threw themselves determinedly at their pursuers, each move calculated to distract and delay the adults long enough.

With branches and pieces of debris in their hands, the children struck with ferocity, taking every opportunity to throw their opponents off balance and breach their defenses. The adults, surprised by the intensity of the children's resistance, were forced to retreat momentarily, giving the children the valuable advantage they needed to accomplish their mission.

Every second gained in the fray represented a small triumph in the race against time, an opportunity for more children to elude their captors and seek refuge. Although outnumbered in size and strength, their ingenuity and courage enabled them to hold out far longer than anyone had expected.

But that was all, the adults were experienced people and, after the initial surprise, they quickly brought the situation under control. Despite the children's bravery, the ensuing fight was brief and unequal. The men easily overpowered them, captured them and rendered them unconscious, but the children's sacrifice did the trick: the rest of the group had disappeared from their sight.

Chasing the rest of the children down the alley, the adults came upon some unexpected crossroads. The narrow network of alleys stretched in multiple directions, creating an impenetrable urban labyrinth. With each dark and narrow path seeming an invitation to the unknown, the adults paused, their confident expression replaced by a hint of doubt.

Despite the momentary confusion, the adults continued to pursue the children, even splitting up in a desperate attempt to find their prey. However, their efforts were in vain. Despite exploring every alley and side street, they only managed to catch the three children left behind.

Enraged and defeated, they returned to their lair and threw the children into the cages in the basement roughly, a sign of their frustration and rage, in the darkness of the basement many other children could be seen with fear in their eyes and their bodies trembling inside the cells they could only watch helplessly as their numbers increased.

"haaa-ahhh..ha haaaa!"

Hours later, screams of agony coming from one of the cells woke the rest of the children nearby, The red-eyed boy the others referred to as the boss was writhing on his grate, holding his head with imaginable pain reflected on his face.

"boss, what's going on, hang in there!"

Said one of the other two children who were awakened by the screams, trying to help him. But the child's pain did not cease; writhing in agony, he seemed to suffer indescribable torment.

The other two children, entering into despair, did not know how to help their leader. The girl who had not spoken so far only clenched her fists in helplessness, imagining how painful it must be for someone who did not even release a sound when adults hit him to scream like that. After a while, the screaming stopped and the boy became unconscious again.

[[INITIATING DATA UPLOAD PROCESS...]]]

[[ANALYZING CURRENT SITUATION...]]]

[[CONFIRMING SITUATION...]]]

[[ANALYZING USER'S STATUS...]]]

[[DETECTED USER STATUS: ENDANGERED...]]]

[[INITIATING SECURITY MEASURES...]]]

[[RE-ANALYZING USER'S STATUS...]]]

[[USER'S STATUS NOW STABLE...]]]

[[STARTING GAIA SYSTEM...]]]

[[SYSTEM STARTUP PROCESS COMPLETED...]]]

[[ADJUSTING SYSTEM FUNCTIONS TO USER'S NEEDS...]]]

[WELCOME TO THE GAIA SYSTEM]]

Ignoring those messages echoing in his head because of his unconsciousness, the child was placidly asleep as if the situation that occurred a few moments ago was a lie. Meanwhile, the children who were worried about their leader were calmed by the knowledge that the chief's life was not in danger, or so they wanted to believe. 

Letting out sighs of relief, they returned to rest by lying down on the cold floor, still exhausted by the events that occurred that day and fearing what the future held for them now that they had been captured.