Deviants Fallen: A DBH Story

Chapter 61: Kill Code

She heard a low murmur of shouting voices drawing close, and through the gaps between the houses, she could see the blurred forms of people approaching. Even at this distance, she recognized the stark black and white armor of Cyberlife agents, the sight sending a low swell of panic through her. Amanda had called in reinforcements. Sooner it was.

As she passed another house, she noticed that its door was already hanging half off the hinges, and there was a big enough gap for her to fit through without needing to move the door. The few remaining boards of the porch were battered and rotting, but they should be able to hold her weight long enough to get inside. She hoped the dilapidated appearance of the house would dissuade them from looking there. Most people wouldn't want to risk injury by trying to cross the rotted boards, so hopefully they'd assume that of her too. After all, there were plenty of other structurally sound houses that she could have chosen. It was also likely that what was left of the porch would not support the Cyberlife agents or Connor, all of whom were much larger and heavier than she was, so if she heard the porch crumble, it would give her warning.

Clara mounted the steps, careful to avoid the patches that looked too rotted, then stepped across the porch. The wood groaned in protest under her feet, barely holding, but it was enough. She ducked through the door, careful not to touch it or the frame.

Once inside, she looked around. The light coming in through the boarded-up windows illuminated the room. The furniture was in splinters and covered in a thick layer of dust. The floor was likewise covered. She felt a surge of dismay. She wasn't going to be able cross it without leaving tracks. She turned back to the doorway to see she'd already left several scuffs behind. She stifled her growing panic, as she worked to find solutions. She had no way of covering them without drawing more attention to them, but she didn't doubt that Connor, no, Amanda would see them eventually. She kicked herself mentally for the oversight, but hoped that the angle and shadow of the door would keep the tracks from being noticed, and hopefully the instability of the porch would keep them from looking too close.

The voices of her pursuers drew closer, and she could hear Connor's among them, shouting orders for them to spread out and find her. She was out of time. Quickly, she ducked behind the collapsed remains of a couch, keeping an eye on the window. She could barely see the street through the gaps in the boards that covered the windows. She wouldn't be able to see them approach. Then, remembering the phone Connor had returned to her, she reached into her pocket and pulled it out. The screen was a wreck, fine cracks covering the surface, but to her relief, it turned on. She put her pin in, unlocking the device, then considered.

She could call Eli, but there was little he could do immediately. By her estimate, she was approximately 30 minutes from him, and by the time he got there, she'd either be safe or taken. Jinx was closer by about half the distance, but getting her involved would risk blowing her cover. But if Cyberlife knew everything that Connor knew, then her cover was blown already. Even so, her coming would put her in danger. Jinx was a spy, not a fighter, so if it came down to it, Connor could easily take her out. But without her help, Cyberlife was more likely to catch Clara, and if Cyberlife caught her and succeeded with their control plan, everyone in Zion would be in danger. She went back and forth, paralyzed as she was caught in the double bind.

Her hand began to tremble, nearly causing her to drop the phone. She took a shaking breath, then called Eli. The phone had barely even rung before he picked up.