Chapter 7—Parka

PARKA’S MOUTH GREW dry as Zarakano’s systems flickered and failed, his cybernetic enhancements shutting down one by one. Mizella’s laughter reverberated through the lab, cold and triumphant. In a flash, she reached into her boot, wrapping her fingers around the cool metal of her backup laser pistol.

“Oh, Parka. Always so predictable,” taunted Mizella, her voice dripping with condescension. “Did you really think you could outsmart me?”

She gritted her teeth, aiming the pistol at Mizella’s smug face. She squeezed the trigger, and the laser beam erupted from the barrel, but the other woman was faster, her cybernetic reflexes allowing her to dodge at the last second. She must have fully integrated With cybernetic systems over the last few years instead of settling for enhancements. The shot hit a metal surface behind her, ricocheting wildly around the room.

In the chaos that ensued, Parka seized her chance. She grabbed Zarakano’s limp form, his weight nearly overwhelming her as she dragged him toward an adjacent lab. Her muscles screamed in protest, but adrenaline fueled her desperate escape.

“You can’t hide forever, Parka.” Mizella’s voice rang out, followed by the sound of heavy footsteps. Corporate forces were closing in.

She managed to heave him into the lab’s secure room, slamming the reinforced door shut behind them. She engaged the lock, knowing it would buy them precious little time, before looking around the room, taking in the familiar equipment from their old clinic days.

“Hang on, Kano,” she whispered, laying him out on a workbench so she could assess the damage. The neural interface was failing, its intricate circuitry fried by Mizella’s targeted attack.

Outside, the pounding on the door grew more insistent. She tried to tune it out, focusing on the task at hand. She grabbed a nearby diagnostic tool, connecting it to Zarakano’s neural port.

As data streamed across the screen, her eyes widened. The components she was seeing were so familiar. For a second, she flashed back to late nights spent with Mizella, sketching out theoretical designs for advanced neural interfaces, but these weren’t just concepts anymore. They were fully realized, far beyond anything she and Mizella had ever dreamed possible.

“How did you...” Parka whispered, tracing the intricate pathways of Zarakano’s neural map. It was beautiful, elegant in its complexity, and utterly terrifying in its implications. She knew the answer already though. Zarakano’s enclave had designed the neural interface that Mizella and that Vale woman stole, modifying with her and Mizella’s research. She felt violated even though she was intrigued by how far they’d pushed the tech.

The banging on the door grew louder, accompanied by shouts and the whine of cutting tools. She had to work fast, so she grabbed a soldering iron and a handful of generic spare parts she could modify, moving with practiced precision when she began emergency repairs on his systems.

“Come on.” Moisture beaded on her forehead when she reconnected delicate neural pathways. The room filled with the acrid smell of burning electronics, ozone, and cold sweat.

Zarakano’s cybernetic eye flickered, and a weak groan escaped him. “P-Parka?”

“I’m here,” she said, not looking away from her work. “Just stay still. I’m trying to get you back online.”

She moved the tools across Zarakano’s neural interface, focused on repairing the intricate circuitry. As she connected the final wire, a surge of electricity coursed through her hands and into her own neural implants. The world around her faded away, replaced by a cascade of vivid images and sensations.

She found herself standing in a pristine laboratory, sleek and advanced beyond anything she’d seen in Nexus Prime. A woman with long, dark hair stood beside her, hands moving with practiced precision over a holographic display. She might be Serita Vale.

“Just a few more adjustments, Kano,” said Serita, her voice soft and reassuring. “This upgrade will enhance your sensory processing tenfold.”

Parka watched through Zarakano’s eyes as Serita’s fingers traced delicate patterns across his neural pathways. The intimacy of the moment was obvious, built on years of trust and shared purpose. She experienced Zarakano’s complete faith in Serita, and his willingness to be vulnerable while she reshaped the very core of his being.

The scene shifted abruptly, and she gasped as a wave of betrayal and shock washed over her. Serita stood over Zarakano, her expression cold and detached. Gone was the warmth and care from before, replaced by calculating efficiency. “X978, initiate shutdown sequence alpha-seven-nine,” commanded Serita, her voice devoid of emotion.

Horror gripped Parka when she experienced Zarakano’s body shutting down, system by system. His mind raced, desperately trying to understand what was happening. Through his fading vision, he saw Serita turn away, leading a team of armed corporate operatives into the heart of the enclave.

The betrayal cut deeply, leaving a wound Parka knew would never fully heal. She experienced Zarakano’s anguish as if it were her own, along with the crushing realization that everything he believed in had been built on a lie.

Another shift, and she found herself in a sleek Nexus Corp laboratory. Serita stood before a group of eager scientists, her poise and confidence commanding their full attention. Among them, Parka recognized a younger version of Mizella, her eyes bright with ambition.

“The key to controlling the neural interfaces lies in understanding their fundamental architecture,” said Serita, gesturing to a holographic display of intricate circuitry. “By exploiting these pathways, we can implement subtle adjustments to influence behavior and decision-making processes.”

Mizella leaned forward, her voice filled with excitement. “And you developed all of this during your time undercover?”

Serita nodded, a hint of pride in her smile. “Years of intimate work with the enclave’s top minds gave me unprecedented access. Their trust allowed me to map every neural pathway, and every synaptic connection. Now, we can use that knowledge to bring order to Nexus Prime.”

Parka’s stomach churned watching Serita and Mizella pour over schematics, discussing ways to twist the healing technology she and Mizella had once dreamed of into a tool of oppression. The betrayal was personal, a violation of everything they had once stood for.

As the vision began to fade, Parka noticed an odd haziness around the edges. The colors seemed muted, lacking the vivid clarity of the earlier memories. She realized with a start that this last scene wasn’t a true memory, but rather Zarakano’s imagination as his mind created a narrative to fill in the gaps of what had happened after his betrayal. It might not have occurred exactly like that, but she didn’t doubt something similar had happened when Serita and Mizella began working together.

Parka’s head throbbed as the neural connection severed, leaving her disoriented for an instant. She blinked rapidly, her vision clearing to reveal Zarakano’s cybernetic eye focused on her. His metallic fingers twitched as his systems rebooted one by one.

“Kano, we need to move. Now.” Her voice was urgent as she glanced at the door. The pounding had intensified, with metal groaning under the assault.

He sat up slowly, his movements jerky and uncoordinated. “What happened? My systems are scrambled.”

She grabbed his arm, hauling him to his feet. “No time to explain. Mizella’s goons are about to break through that door, and I’d rather not be here when they do.”

The intercom crackled to life then, and Mizella’s voice filled the room with smug satisfaction. “Oh, Parka. Did you really think you could outsmart me? I’ve been analyzing your repair work all along, using our little encounters to perfect the neural interface backdoors. Even after I ditched you, I still watched, hoping to capitalize on your advances.”

Parka froze, reeling from the revelation.

Mizella continued, her tone dripping with condescension. “Zarakano, your precious Serita’s knowledge of the enclave’s AI blends so beautifully with our work. It’s almost poetic, isn’t it? She betrayed you, I betrayed Parka, and everything is coming together just as we imagined.”

His fists clenched at his sides, and it was clear he was rapidly recalibrating his systems to understand what was happening.

“We have to go,” she said again.

“We’re out of time,” said Zarakano simultaneously, moving toward a ventilation grate in the corner of the room. With a swift motion, he wrenched it free from the wall.

She hurried to join him as the sound of tearing metal behind them grew louder by the second. “Can you do this?”

He nodded once. “Nanotech is still making repairs, but I have enough function to understand we need to escape. I’m functional enough to do so.”

She impulsively kissed his cheek. It was a quick brush of her lips against his skin covering, but it made her shiver. “I’m looking forward to when you’re fully functional.” Her face blazed as she realized how suggestive that sounded. “I mean, it will be nice to have you at full capacity...” She trailed off with a groan, not sure how to dig herself out of this when they were so pressed for time.

“I’m looking forward to it too,” he said, his lips quirking slightly. “Let’s get out of here though. You first.”

She didn’t hesitate to crawl into the narrow maintenance shaft. The cool metal pressed against her skin as she shimmied forward, the sound of Zarakano following close behind. They moved as quickly as possible through the cramped space, the echoes of pursuit growing fainter as they put distance between themselves and their pursuers.

After what seemed like an eternity of crawling through dusty, claustrophobic tunnels, she spotted a faint light ahead. Emerging into a dimly lit storage room, she gratefully called in fresh air as he exited the shaft behind her.

“We should keep moving,” he said, inspecting their surroundings for potential threats with his cybernetic eye.

Parka nodded, and her legs were shaky when she stood. They made their way through a maze of corridors, relying on his enhanced senses to avoid detection. Fortunately, they didn't appear too compromised, and finally, they reached a secluded alcove tucked away in a rarely used section of the facility.

“We can rest here for a moment,” he said, “But we need to keep moving soon.”

She leaned against the wall, her heart still thumping a jagged rhythm from their narrow escape. She really looked at him for the first time since this whole ordeal began. His face was a mask of determination, but she could see the pain and betrayal lurking in his eyes.

“I’m sorry,” she said softly. “About Serita. I can’t imagine how that must feel.” Even as she said it, pain from Mizella’s betrayal hit her. It didn’t seem quite as bad as having someone she’d loved as a prospective life partner betray her, but she could relate to his feelings. “Or maybe I can.”

“Indeed.” A flicker of vulnerability passed across his features. “It’s not your fault she betrayed you. I should have seen it coming with Serita.”

Parka shook her head. “No one could have predicted this. We both trusted them, and they used that against us. The fault is with them, not us.”

A heavy silence fell as awareness of their shared betrayal lingered between them. Awareness flared suddenly as they stared at each other. Without thinking, she reached out, gently touching his arm. He stiffened for a moment, then relaxed into her touch. Their gazes locked, and something shifted between them.

She leaned in, self-conscious and sure he’d reject her, but moved to make the overture anyway. Zarakano hesitated for a split second before closing the distance between them. Their lips met in a tentative kiss, soft and uncertain at first, then growing more insistent as pent-up emotion and shared pain poured out.

When they finally pulled apart, they were both breathing heavily. Her cheeks became warm when she realized what had just happened. “I... I’m sorry,” she stammered. “I don’t know what came over me.”

He shook his head and smiled. “Don’t apologize. I’ve wanted to do that for a long time.”

Parka’s eyes widened in surprise. “You have?”

He nodded, his cybernetic eye whirring softly as it focused on her face. “Since the day we met, but I never thought... With everything that’s happened...”

She took his hand, where part of the covering hadn’t regenerated yet. The contrast between his warm synthetic flesh and cool metal made her tremble. “I know. It’s complicated, but maybe this is what we both need right now.”

He squeezed her hand gently. “Maybe you’re right, but we can’t stay here much longer. We need to find a way out of the facility and figure out our next move.” He paused. “Whatever that is, this thing between us isn’t just something that flared to be put out. I want it to last.”

She nodded, reluctantly letting go of his hand. “I agree.”

“Good,” he said, his tone becoming more businesslike. “I managed to interface with the database in the lab and downloaded most of the data. Once we’re clear of the facility, we can analyze that and formulate a plan to stop Mizella and Serita.”

She took a deep breath, preparing herself for what lay ahead. “All right. Let’s go.”

As they readied to leave their temporary refuge, she caught his gaze once more. The connection between them had shifted and deepened. She nodded to indicate she was ready, not needing to verbalize it.

He nodded in return before he peered around the corner, his cybernetic eye whirring softly as it scoured for threats. “It’s clear,” he whispered, motioning for her to follow.

They crept down the dimly lit corridor. Parka’s heart raced, and her mouth was dry. She pressed her sweating palms to her outer thighs to blot them while continuously looking around, expecting an ambush at any moment.

“Wait,” he said suddenly, holding up a hand. His cybernetic eye glowed faintly as it processed information. “Security drones approaching. Two of them, about thirty meters ahead.”

She looked around, searching for cover. Spotting a recessed doorway, she pulled Zarakano toward it. They pressed themselves into the shallow alcove, barely breathing as the mechanical whir of the drones grew louder.

The sleek, spherical machines glided past their hiding spot, red sensor arrays sweeping back and forth. The scramblers she and Zarakano wore masked their presence, but any slight sound or breath might betray their presence. She held her breath, acutely aware of his body pressed against hers in the tight space. For a moment, she thought they had escaped detection and exhaled heavily.

Then one of the drones stopped, its sensors focusing on their alcove. “Carbon dioxide spike indicates a biologic life-form just respirated,” it said in a mechanical voice to its counterpart.

“Run,” said Zarakano with urgency, shoving her out of the hiding spot as the drone’s alarm began to wail.

They sprinted down the corridor with the sound of pursuit close behind. His enhanced reflexes allowed him to navigate the twisting hallways with ease, but she struggled to keep up. Her lungs burned when she pushed herself to match his pace.

“Left here,” said Zarakano, grabbing her arm and yanking her down a side passage. They emerged into a large storage bay, with rows of crates and machinery providing a maze-like environment.

“We need to lose them.” She gasped between words, her sides aching from the exertion.

He probed the room. “This way,” he said after a miniscule pause, leading her toward a stack of shipping containers. They ducked behind the metal boxes just as the security drones entered the bay.

Parka tried to quiet her ragged breathing, and her racing heart was so loud she was sure the drones would hear it. He placed a reassuring hand on her shoulder, his touch steadying her nerves.

“When I give the signal,” he whispered, “Make a run for that door.” He pointed to an emergency exit on the far side of the room. “I’ll draw their attention.”

She shook her head. “No, it’s too dangerous. We stick together.”

His expression softened for a moment. “We don’t have a choice.”

Before she could protest further, he darted out from their hiding spot. “Hey, over here,” he shouted, waving his arms to attract the drones’ attention.

The machines immediately locked their sensors onto him, alarms blaring as they gave chase. Zarakano led them on a wild pursuit through the storage bay, leaping over crates and sliding under conveyor belts with inhuman agility.

She watched in awe for a moment before remembering her task and sprinting toward the emergency exit, fumbling for the release mechanism. The door swung open with a hiss of hydraulics, revealing a maintenance tunnel beyond.

She turned back, searching for him. He was still evading the drones, but they were closing in fast. “Kano, come on.”

He looked up, seeing her by the open door. With a burst of speed, he raced toward her with the drones right behind him. She clapped a hand over her mouth when one of the machines fired a stun blast, narrowly missing his head.

At the last moment, he dove through the doorway, tumbling into Parka and knocking them both to the ground. She scrambled to her feet, slamming her fist on the emergency lockdown panel. The door slid shut just as the drones reached it, their metallic bodies crashing noisily against the reinforced barrier.

She sagged against the wall, her chest heaving as she caught her breath. “That was way too close.”

He nodded, his own breathing labored despite his enhancements. “We’re not out of danger yet. They’ll be sending reinforcements soon.”

As if on cue, an alarm blared throughout the old clinic. Mizella’s voice came over the intercom, her tone icy with rage. “Attention, Nexus Corp enforcers, the fugitives have been located in quadrant three in the maintenance tunnels. Apprehend them at all costs.”

Parka pushed herself off the wall, forcing her tired muscles into action. “We need to keep moving. Any idea where this tunnel leads?”

Zarakano’s cybernetic eye whirred as he paused almost all functions for a second, probably accessing his internal schematics of the facility. Then he blinked and spoke. “If we follow it for about half a kilometer, we should reach an auxiliary exit. From there, we can make our way to the surface.”

They set off down the dimly lit tunnel. Parka’s thoughts whirled as they walked, trying to process everything that had happened. The betrayal of Mizella and Serita, the kiss she had shared with him, and the stolen data he had in his databanks that could potentially bring down Project Hive—it was almost too much to bear.

“Kano,” she said softly, breaking the tense silence between them. “What do we do once we get out of here? Where do we go?”

He was quiet for a moment, his expression unreadable in the low light. “The enclave has several safe houses. The one I’m thinking of is off the grid and unknown to Serita. We set up the safe houses after she and Nexus Corp invaded our main facility and refuge. We should be able to lay low there while we analyze the data and formulate a plan.”

Parka nodded. “And then what? How do we stop Mizella and Serita? They have the full might of Nexus Corp behind them.”

His jaw tightened. “We'll figure that out.”

“It won’t be easy,” she said with doubt.

Zarakano took her hand. The gesture was unexpected, but not unwelcome. “No, it won’t be, but we have something they don’t.”

Parka looked up at him, raising an eyebrow. “What’s that?”

He gave her a bolstering smile. “Each other.”