Miles's emotions twisted through a storm hesitation, fear, and finally, relief.
After all, Skye had never agreed to be his girlfriend.
If she had completed her mission, things might have been different. But now that she had failed and gotten into trouble, why should he risk himself for her?
If Skye were truly his girlfriend, he swore he'd never allow anyone to threaten her.
But reality was cruel there was no if.
He drew in a deep breath and said quietly, "I understand. But I believe Skye didn't do this on purpose. Please, don't make things too hard for her."
The two men before him exchanged a knowing glance and nodded.
"Of course," one said calmly. "If she didn't mean it, we promise not to hurt her."
Hearing that, Miles felt his tension ease. He had done what he could.
He dialed Skye's number.
Back in her hotel room, Skye saw the call and answered without much thought.
"Miles? You're still out? I was just about to leave," she said lightly.
"Wait a second," he replied. "The USB you gave me seems to be missing something. We need to go over it together."
Skye frowned but didn't suspect anything. "Fine, but make it quick."
"Don't worry. We'll be there soon."
We.
She didn't notice his choice of words.
Ten minutes later, a knock sounded at her door.
Skye walked over, peering through the peephole. Outside stood Miles and two unfamiliar men in black suits.
Her instincts flared. Miles looked tense. Too tense.
"Hold on," she called out. "I'm getting dressed."
Her tone was calm, but her heart raced. Years in the orphanage had taught her to read danger long before it arrived.
She grabbed her things and moved toward the window. Three floors up. Too high to jump.
Thinking quickly, she tore the bedsheet, tied it into a makeshift rope, and secured it to the radiator.
Outside, the men began pounding on the door.
"Something's wrong," one of them hissed.
"Break it down!"
The crash echoed through the room just as Skye tied the final knot.
She froze mid-motion, caught red-handed.
"I I was just packing," she stammered.
No one bought it.
Two cold eyes stared at her through black masks, guns raised. Miles stood off to the side, his face twisted with guilt.
Skye raised her hands slowly, her pulse hammering. "Okay. Tell me what you want. I'll cooperate."
"Miles," one of the men said sharply, "explain."
Miles stepped forward, his voice trembling. "Skye, the data you gave me it's corrupted. They found out. If we don't fix this, we're both dead."
Skye's expression darkened. She was a genius hacker; she didn't need long to piece it together.
"Miles," she hissed, "this wasn't a mission from any organization, was it? You were using me to make money!"
He hesitated, then sighed. "You're too talented not to profit from it. We all have ideals, sure but ideals don't pay the bills."
Skye glared at him, fury and betrayal burning in her eyes.
One of the men in black cut in impatiently. "Enough. We don't care about your drama. We want the real data. What you gave us was a decoy."
"What?" Skye froze. "That's impossible! I hacked through Locke Industries' firewall myself "
Her words stopped. Her mind spun.
No… what if she hadn't broken through the real firewall at all? What if she had fallen into Nolan Locke's trap an AI defense net designed to look vulnerable?
If that were true, then the files she stole weren't real data. They were bait.
And Nolan Locke had known about her from the start.
"You seem to realize something," one man said coldly, noticing the change in her expression.
Skye steadied herself, forcing a breath. "Fine," she muttered.
Minutes later, under the men's watch, she and Miles were taken to a van parked near Locke Industries' city branch.
"Start working," one ordered.
Miles whispered, "Skye, listen. Whether we live or die depends on you. Just get what they want."
She ignored him.
Her fingers moved over the keyboard, eyes scanning streams of encrypted code. She couldn't break the firewall and she didn't intend to.
Why would she?
If Nolan Locke had already caught her once, maybe… he could catch her signal again.
And maybe he'd save her.
Carefully, she left a hidden message in the data stream three simple letters: SOS.
The moment she sent it, far away in the depths of the Hive Locke Industries' underground base Nolan's AI assistant, Red Queen, detected the anomaly.
"Sir," Red Queen announced, "an intrusion alert. Signature pattern matches Subject Skye."
Nolan looked up from his holographic desk, mildly amused. "Already back so soon? I thought she'd at least take a week."
Then he saw the signal.
SOS.
A faint smile touched his lips. "Looks like it's time to close the net."
"Red Queen, lock onto her location. Initiate emergency response."
Instantly, holograms flared to life around him. The Hive's ceiling split open as hundreds of drones launched into the night sky.
Locke's employees barely glanced up they were used to it. But the outsiders watching through security feeds were stunned.
The swarm of drones moved with terrifying precision, joined moments later by combat robots. A silent army rising from steel.
Outside, Skye felt the tension in the air before she heard it a low, electric hum.
The men beside her raised their guns, scanning the trees.
One frowned. "What's that sound "
Before he could finish, a drone dived straight toward him, slamming into his chest with explosive force.
Gunfire erupted. Robots stormed from the shadows, moving with mechanical grace. Within seconds, the ambushers were neutralized.
Skye stared in disbelief as Nolan Locke emerged from behind the advancing machines, his calm smile lit by the glow of red sensors.
"Seems fate enjoys playing tricks on us, Miss Skye," he said softly.
"Mr. Locke…" Her voice trembled relief, guilt, and awe tangled together.
Nolan stepped up to the last surviving man and asked, "Who sent you?"
The man spat blood and snarled, "You can't stop us. Hail Hydra!"
Nolan blinked. Then his expression darkened. "Hydra again?"
He straightened, eyes cold. "Red Queen, keep him alive. We'll need information."
Turning to Skye, he asked mildly, "And this one? A friend of yours?"
Miles stammered, "Yes yes, we're friends! Just a misunderstanding!"
Skye's gaze was like ice. "No. He's a liar and a coward."
Nolan's smile widened. "Understood. Then I'll make sure he spends the rest of his life behind bars."
"Wait, Mr. Locke Miles didn't "
He silenced her with a glance so sharp it cut through her protest.
"Miss Skye," he said quietly, "I haven't decided what to do with you yet. Don't forget you're still under investigation."
She bit her lip and nodded. "Then do what you must. He deserves it."
Nolan's expression softened. "Good answer."
He folded his hands behind his back, looking almost amused. "Our little game ends here. But since you're too talented to waste, I'll give you two choices."
Her eyes lifted.
"One," Nolan said, "join Locke Industries' Cybersecurity Division. Two…"
He didn't finish. He didn't have to.
"I'll take the first," Skye said instantly.
Nolan chuckled. "Congratulations, Miss Skye. You've made the right choice."
And somewhere deep inside, Skye wondered had she really?
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