Page 45 of Jump or Fall

Mara

M ara took in the grisly scene one last time before pressing the button beneath the desk. The main door groaned open, letting in the sounds of the dwindling battle outside.

She grabbed one of Dawson’s lifeless hands, her gauntlets slick with blood, and tucked her helmet under her arm. Putting it back on would just trap the stench of him against her face. Gordon took the other, and together they dragged the body into the entryway.

One of Millon’s guards hesitated in the open space where the front door had been, then turned and retreated into the night.

Mara let go of Dawson’s hand and sank onto the floor, leaning against the wall. The gunfire had died down to sporadic bursts, swallowed by the sound of pouring rain. Thunder rolled, deep and heavy, vibrating through the ground beneath her.

She exhaled, her voice barely more than a breath. “I’m sorry for almost getting killed. And for using a knife.”

Gordon sat down beside her, legs stretched out in front of him. “Don’t apologize. If I could get my hands on my old boss…” His jaw tightened. “I don’t know what I would do, but it probably wouldn’t be quick.”

A sad smile crossed her lips. She reached for his hand, threading her fingers through his. “Do you think he was here?”

“I don’t know.” He sighed. “Probably best to leave it in the past. ”

Footsteps pounded against the floor. Millon and Silva rushed in through the open doorway, only to stop short when they saw the limp form of Dawson. Kimmie pushed through them and gasped.

Silva’s gaze swept over Mara’s face, his expression tightening. Before he could speak, she lifted a hand. “It’s all his.”

He crouched beside Dawson’s body, studying the deep gashes beneath his chin and neck. “I’m surprised you managed to use his own claws against him. He always had very good control over them.”

“My chip synced to them.”

Silva shot to his feet and started pacing.

Then he froze, his focus snapping back to the blood smeared across her mouth. “Did you ingest any of that?”

Her stomach lurched. “Not intentionally.”

“The nanobots.”

She frowned. “What?”

“The nanobots in his blood,” Silva said quickly. “They maintain the link between the body and the chip, sending signals between biological tissue and cybernetics.” He leaned forward, intent. “Can you still control the claws?”

“No. My eye went dark, but after he died, everything went back to normal.”

Silva nodded, his eyes darting as if running rapid calculations in his head. “This has… interesting implications.”

Millon gave him a sharp look. “Let’s focus on restoring order to the city before chasing new experiments.”

Without waiting for a response, Millon pulled out his tablet and snapped a picture of Dawson. He turned back to Mara. “You sure you don’t want to stay? There’ll be plenty of work after this. Lots of ruined suits to fix.”

She pushed herself up and walked to the open doorway. The rain was somehow coming down even harder, calling to her. The scent of wet pavement and smoke wafted through the air .

“Hyperion will always be a part of me,” she said, “but I can’t go back. I need to do something new.” She couldn’t base her identity around her work anymore. The best way to learn who she really was would be to separate herself from it.

Gordon joined her, his fingers brushing against hers before taking her hand in his. “Plus, I promised someone I’d run away into the night with them.”

Whoever she was, she knew Gordon would always be part of the picture. The one who gave her the courage to fight back and reclaim herself. To not remain a passive object to be manipulated and used.

“If things go as planned,” Millon said, “you’ll be leaving through the gate instead of some hole in the ground.”

Mara arched a brow. “And how do you plan to put the city back together?”

He chuckled. “Hacker-man isn’t the only one with friends in Naxos and the rest of the Domain.”

Kimmie stepped forward and placed a firm hand on Mara’s shoulder. “Don’t take off without saying goodbye, please.”

Mara covered Kimmie’s hand with her own. “We won’t. And we’ll keep in touch.”

Kimmie offered a sharp nod before looking away, her eyes reddening.

Mara stepped out into the storm.

The thunder rumbled so deeply she felt it crawl up her legs, settling in her bones. The cool rain poured, washing away the blood on her skin, streaking down the armor’s worn plates before dripping to the ground.

Mara lifted her face to the sky and let it cleanse her.

She was finally free.