Chapter 122: rest
The alarm blared from the floor below, a shrill, insistent cry that cut through the relative quiet of the trackers’ office. Heavy boots pounded down a distant Guild corridor, the sound rapidly growing closer.
"Party’s over," Fin stated, his voice flat. He glanced at Arachne, who was still at the main console. "Status?"
"Virus deployed," she reported, her fingers a blur across the interface. Lines of code scrolled, then screens flickered and died. "Local data corruption initiated. Their immediate tracking capabilities for this sector are offline. Spreading to networked systems will take time, but their eyes are blind here, for now."
"Good enough." No time for a full system wipe. He turned towards the window they’d entered through. "Out. Same way."
Scarlet grinned, wiping her daggers on a dead tracker’s uniform. "My favorite kind of exit. Quick and messy." She was already moving towards the window, light on her feet.
The shouts were louder now, echoing from the main corridor just outside the office. "Third floor! They’re on the third floor! Seal the exits!"
Fin slid the window open. Rain misted in. The narrow ledge outside looked slick, treacherous in the dim city glow. He slipped out, pressing himself flat against the cold, wet stone, finding easy purchase. The drop to the alley was a familiar darkness below.
Scarlet followed, landing with a soft thud beside him, her earlier nonchalance replaced by a focused alertness. Arachne was last, a silent shadow merging with the wall.
"They know we’re on the ledge," Arachne murmured, her head tilted, listening to the sounds from inside the office they’d just vacated. Figures were already at the window, peering out. A bright flash – an energy blast – sizzled past Fin’s head, striking the brickwork above, showering them with hot fragments.
"Time to go," Fin said curtly. He looked across the twenty-foot gap to the rooftop they’d started from. He pushed off the ledge, a dark shape arcing through the rain-filled air. He landed, rolling to absorb the impact on the tarred surface.
Scarlet launched herself a second later, landing a little harder but still on her feet. Arachne flowed across the gap like she was walking on solid ground, landing without a sound.