The slit of white opened wider behind them—not fast,not slow,but with the certainty of something that had already decided.
Kayden's breath shuddered.
"No—no—she's coming—Alex—"
Alex didn't hesitate.
He grabbed Kayden under the arms, forced him upright.
"Then we move. Now."
Phineas pointed wildly down the dark corridor ahead.
"AWAY FROM THE COSMIC BLENDER, PLEASE!"
The slit continued to widen—a silent blade slicing through the dark sub-floor.
The Hunter Unit twitched at its base,half-crushed from Kayden's blast,legs sparking as it dragged itself toward the light.
APEX pulsed a warning:
"Operator—Agent manifestation trajectory is accelerating."
Kayden stumbled as Alex pulled him forward.
"I'm trying—I'm—"
SCREECH—!
The Hunter lunged again, fueled by something new—as if the Agent's presence was pouring raw power into its dying circuits.
Alex yanked Kayden aside.
"MOVE!"
The machine hit the floor where Kayden had been—metal claws carving sparks from concrete.
Phineas grabbed the fallen stun baton and smacked the creature.
The baton bent in half.
Phineas stared at the destroyed weapon.
"I AM SO NOT EQUIPPED FOR THIS!"
Alex dragged Kayden deeper into the tunnel.
"Phin—RUN."
Phineas obeyed without further encouragement.
They sprinted—or Alex and Phineas sprinted.Kayden stumbled more than he ran.
Each footfall sent a bolt of pain through his chest.His legs barely listened.
APEX whispered urgently:
"Operator mobility inadequate.Risk level rising."
Kayden forced out a breath:
"Shut… up… I'm trying…"
The floor vibrated.
Then—
A cold wind rushed along the tunnel behind them.
Alex felt it first.
"Kayden—she's almost through!"
The slit of white behind them dimmed—then flared violently.
Light surged like a silent explosion.
The Agent was stepping in.
Kayden gasped.
"I can feel her—Alex—she's—she's angry."
APEX corrected:
"Not anger.Urgency."
Which was somehow worse.
The sub-floor bent.Air curled inward.Shadows distorted.
She was coming.
Phineas spotted something ahead in the darkness.
"A DOOR— A DOOR— A DOOOOR—"
It was small.Rusty.Barely attached to a forgotten hallway.
Alex didn't care.
"That's our way out—GO!"
They reached it as the floor behind them cracked from the Hunter's claws.
Alex shoved the door.
It didn't move.
Phineas screamed:
"OH COME ON—NOT A DOOR BOSS FIGHT—"
Alex put his whole shoulder into it.
Still nothing.
Kayden felt the sting of panic climbing up his chest like a burning vine.
He pushed Alex aside—hands shaking—and placed his palm on the door.
APEX reacted instantly.
"Operator—NO—resonance discharge unstable—"
Kayden ignored it.
He concentrated—pulled,pushed,willed the trembling inside him to move into the lock.
His hand glowed faint blue.
Alex's breath caught.
"Kayden—"
KSHHH—!!
The lock detonated outward.
Sparks showered the floor.
The door swung open with a metallic scream.
Phineas whooped.
"YES! MAGIC HAND GO BRRRRR—"
Alex grabbed Kayden again.
"Inside—NOW!"
They stumbled into the dark hallway—
And Kayden felt it.
Felt her.
The Agent's presence bloomed like an eclipse behind them.
Cold.Precision.Expectation.
The slit of white behind them widened—
Kayden turned instinctively.
A mistake.
He saw her silhouette forming—tall,silent,stepping through the rip in reality with the grace of someone stepping across a thin puddle.
Her voice cut the air:
"Variable."
Kayden's entire body froze.
APEX slammed a warning through his mind:
"DO NOT ENGAGE.DO NOT TURN."
Alex grabbed Kayden's face, forcing him forward.
"LOOK AT ME.NOT HER."
Kayden trembled violently.
"I—I can't—she's—she's pulling—"
Phineas, panicked beyond sanity, shouted:
"WELL DON'T LET HER DOWNLOAD YOU, KAYDEN! KEEP YOUR EYES ON ALEX!"
Alex shook Kayden hard enough to scramble the fear.
"Kayden—listen to me—you said no.You said no once.Say it again."
Kayden's breath fractured.
"I—I refuse—"
The slit of light pulsed behind them.
Reality bent inward.
But the Agent didn't step through fully.
She paused at the threshold,studying the door Kayden had blown open.
"Interesting."
Her tone was unreadable.
Phineas whispered:
"Alex we're going to diewe're going to dieOH MY GOD WE'RE GONNA DIE—"
Alex dragged Kayden deeper into the dark hallway.
"DON'T look back!"
Kayden clenched his teeth, forcing his gaze to stay forward.
The Agent's voice carried one last time—closer now,as if she stood just outside the doorway.
"The more you run,the more you align."
A cold shiver ran down Kayden's spine.
Alex shouted:
"RUN!"
And they did.
Phineas sprinted into the darkness like a terrified cat.Alex dragged Kayden, who stumbled and nearly collapsed twice.
Behind them—
BOOM.
The Hunter Unit hit the wall at full speed, metal legs snapping.
CRRRRRAAAACK—
The sub-floor groaned under the pressure of two anomalies and one cosmic agent occupying the same space.
Kayden practically collapsed into Alex's arms.
"I can't—Alex—my legs—"
Alex didn't slow.
"Then I'll carry you."
He hooked an arm under Kayden's knees.
"Phin—FIND US ANYWHERE TO HIDE!"
"SEARCHING VERY PANICKEDLY—"
The tunnel curved sharply.
Alex pushed himself harder.
Behind them—
The white slit flickered,struggling to stabilizeas SRD's sub-floor architecture resisted the intruding geometry.
APEX pulsed in Kayden's mind, final and sharp:
"Agent manifestation unstable.Opportunity window: short."
Kayden clung to Alex, tears stinging his eyes.
"Please don't let go—"
Alex held him tighter than he ever had.
"I won't."
Phineas shouted:
"GUYS—THERE'S SOMETHING AHEAD—A ROOM OR—A VAULT OR—SOMETHING—"
Kayden whispered:
"Anywhere…just get us anywhere she isn't…"
Behind them—
the Agent stepped fully into the sub-floor.
Reality warped.
The chase wasn't over.
It was just beginning.