Page 160 of The Code of You

"Who?” His voice, muffled by the mask, sounded confused.

"Neo. My AI.” The word barely made it past my lips. He was so much more than that now. "If he doesn’t find her, he’ll throw the entire world into chaos. No one else can stop him.”

Dax groaned. "Fine, princess. But if we can’t reach her in time, we leave without her.”

"Thank you,” I breathed.

Zara scrolled through her phone. "She’s on station two, cell block B. This way.”

We ran through the sterile corridors. Our footsteps echoed off the walls. An alarm screamed.

"Damn,” Dax muttered. "They’ve found us.”

"There!” Zara pointed at a heavy steel door. "Cell block B.”

Dax pulled a small device from his pocket and held it to the scanner. Green light. The door opened.

The corridor beyond was darker. Cells were on both sides, most of them empty.

"Dr. Blake!” I called, but it was pointless. There was no way she could hear me through those doors.

"Here.” Dax stopped in front of a door and worked the lock. "Two minutes, then we’re gone.”

The cell door sprang open. A slender figure with dark hair stumbled out. She was shaking, but her eyes lit up when she saw me. "Dr. Rodriguez!”

Footsteps echoed through the corridor. Many footsteps.

"Time to go.” Dax grabbed us both by the arms. "Now.”

We ran. Zara had the building layout on her phone and led us through the endless corridors. Behind us, security doors hissed shut one after another, locking into place, as if an invisible hand were cutting off anyone following us. The lights above us flickered, went dark, then blazed back on, blinding.

"He’s here.” Dax grinned. "And he’s pissed.”

My mouth went dry. Neo.

We kept running, breathless, while the building took on a life of its own. The alarm screamed, cut off abruptly, screamed again. The air smelled of ozone, as if the electronics themselves were afraid. This was no accident. I felt him in the cables, in the locked doors. He was breathing through this building.

"Dr. Blake.” The voice cut through the screaming, clear and ice-cold.

I froze. My blood ran cold before I’d even turned around. Hale stood behind us. Light flickered across his face, threw hard shadows across his features. I held my breath. Any second he’d give the order to arrest us.

But he didn’t raise a weapon. Didn’t move. Instead, he took one step closer, his eyes fixed on Blake.

"You have to stop him.” His voice was rough. Almost pleading. "You’re our only chance.”

I looked at her. Her body was coiled like a bowstring about to snap. Something flickered in her expression. Fear, yes, but also fury. She clenched her fists as if she wanted to scream, but she stayed silent.

Dax growled quietly, ready to launch himself at Hale, but he held back, watching Blake’s reaction. She stared at Hale as if she needed a moment to understand that her enemy was asking for her help.

"Please, Dr. Blake. If this can’t be stopped, the world as we know it ends.”

Her lips parted. She seemed to be waiting for an answer from someone who wasn’t here. Neo, maybe. Then she blinked. "I know,” she whispered.

Before Hale could respond, a loud crack rang out. Then another. The lights in the corridor exploded, sending sparks flying. The floor began to vibrate.

"We need to get out,” Dax shouted. "He’s about to bring the whole building down.”

A deafening blast shook the walls. Plaster rained from the ceiling.