We managed to trigger the charges just as the Guardian Unit went into a frantic repair cycle. The explosion was a roar of white light that chased us down the ventilation shafts. We tumbled out of an exhaust port, sliding down a mountain of rusted scrap metal and landing squarely in the mud of the Sector 5 slums.
The air was quieter here, heavy with the scent of damp earth and woodsmoke. As the smoke from the reactor billowed high above the iron plate, I looked around. The "game" world was vast, dirty, and terrifyingly real.
"We need to go to ground," Cora said, checking her brass arm for damage. "Alex, take the Specialist to the safehouse. I'll distract the patrols."
Alex nodded, turning to me. "Stay close. And try not to trip over your own feet this time."
As we moved through the shadows of the rusted buildings, I saw her. A girl in a denim jacket, standing in a small patch of glowing lilies near a crumbling church. She looked up as we passed, her eyes catching the light of the burning reactor above.
The adventure hadn't just begun; it was rewriting itself with every step I took.