Round 136

Silra's grip tightened around Jeane as she jammed the cables into the ancient junction port, the metal hissing with barely contained electrical energy. The water lapped at her chin now, cold and insistent, but she forced her hands to remain steady despite the hypothermia starting to affect her coordination. Across the narrow gap between them, Jeane's shield flickered at 5%—barely visible now—and her lips were turning blue from exposure.

"You've got sixty seconds," Jeane managed through chattering teeth, her crimson eyes fixed on Silra with desperate intensity. The water swirled around them both, reflecting the pulsing blue light of the data chip clutched in Silra's hands. More electrical arcs snapped across the corridor behind them, closer now as the system overload continued.

"Twenty-eight seconds," Silra called out, her voice tight but controlled while she monitored upload progress through the flickering chip interface. The metal around them groaned under pressure, and another chunk of concrete fell nearby with a splash. Jeane's shield sputtered again—4% integrity—and she collapsed into the water, barely staying afloat.

Silra yanked the cables free and grabbed Jeane under the arms, hauling her toward the narrow maintenance tunnel ahead while the water surged around them both. The corridor behind erupted in a cascade of electrical discharges that lit up the space like daylight for a split second before plunging back into darkness. They scrambled through the gap just as another surge hit, the force of it nearly tearing Jeane from Silra's grip.

They fell into the tunnel in a tangle of limbs and wet clothing, gasping for breath while water poured in behind them like a waterfall. The maintenance space was cramped—barely room for both of them—and freezing cold, but at least the electrical current hadn't followed them through. Jeane's shield flickered one last time before collapsing completely, leaving her exposed to the elements once again.

"Shit," Silra hissed, already tearing open her backpack to retrieve emergency heating stones. "You're fucking freezing."