The Eye of the Storm
The storm had intensified, wind tearing through the abandoned streets, rain lashing against broken windows. Aria, Kieran, and Luna moved carefully, sticking to shadowed corridors and derelict alleyways. Every step echoed in the wet stone, amplified by the silence that hung heavy between bursts of thunder.
Aria's chest ached, the device pulsing faster with every heartbeat. She could feel the echoes pressing in, not just from the future, but from the past she had altered. Each choice she had made was now reaching back, tugging at her like invisible hands.
"We need a vantage point," Kieran muttered, scanning the rooftops. "If we can see them coming, we can anticipate their moves."
Aria's eyes caught on a tall, crumbling building nearby. Its roof was exposed, rickety but accessible. "There," she said, pointing. "We can make it there through the scaffolding."
Luna shot a glance at her. "It's risky. One wrong step and we fall—or worse."
"We don't have a choice," Kieran said grimly. "They'll be swarming the lower streets soon."
The three of them climbed, rain soaking through their clothes, lightning illuminating the jagged skyline. The higher they went, the more the city below seemed like a living thing—stirring, watching, waiting.
At the top, Aria crouched, scanning the streets below. The drones were converging, red sensors sweeping systematically. Shadows moved unnaturally fast—the enforcers adapting, reacting, as if they could anticipate every move before it was made.
"They're learning," Aria whispered. "They're adapting faster than before."
Kieran's jaw tightened. "Which means we have less time. The device can hold the fold for only so long, and every second counts."
Aria pressed a hand to the device. Its light pulsed, almost syncing with the storm. She could feel it now, not just as a tool, but as a part of herself—a conduit between past, present, and future.
Then she saw it—a figure in the distance, moving against the storm with impossible precision. Not a drone, not a human, but something in between. A temporal agent, sent to intercept them across multiple timelines.
"They've sent someone," Aria said, voice tight. "Someone who knows every step we'll take."
Luna's eyes widened. "We won't survive if it reaches us."
Aria clenched her fists, determination rising. "We survive. We've come too far to stop now. Whatever it is… we face it together."
The storm howled around them, lightning flashing across the sky. The temporal agent advanced, unrelenting, its path perfectly calculated.
And in that moment, Aria realized the true scale of what she was facing—the echoes of tomorrow weren't just chasing her.
They were converging.
And the eye of the storm was about to consume them all.