The Jump

The roof of The Node was a flat expanse of concrete lashed by wind and rain. Far below, the Blackwood River roared, swollen by the storm.

Kian dragged Lyra to the edge.

"There's no net," Kian shouted over the wind. "Just the water."

Behind them, the stairwell door banged open. The Enforcers spilled out, shifting back into wolves, howling their rage.

Lyra looked down at the black water churning fifty feet below. Then she looked at Kian.

She smiled. It was a wild, reckless smile—the smile of someone who had just burned down her own prison.

"Do you trust me?" she asked.

"I hacked a blood-magic server for you," Kian laughed breathlessly. "I think we passed 'trust' a long time ago."

They held hands.

"On three," Lyra said. "One. Two. Three!"

They jumped.

For a second, they were weightless, suspended in the dark, rainy void between the old world and the new.

Then, the water hit them.

It was freezing, knocking the air from Kian’s lungs. The current grabbed them, tumbling them over rocks and debris. But Kian didn't let go of Lyra’s hand. And she didn't let go of his.

They fought the river together, kicking toward the bank.

Minutes later, they washed up on a muddy shoal a mile downstream. Kian dragged himself onto the silt, gasping, and pulled Lyra up beside him.

They lay there in the mud, staring up at the stormy sky.

Kian reached into his waterproof pocket and pulled out his datapad. The screen was cracked, but it flickered to life.

He tapped a few keys and started laughing. It started as a chuckle and grew into a hysterical, joyous sound.

"What?" Lyra coughed, pushing wet hair out of her eyes. "What is it?"

"The virus," Kian wheezed. "It didn't just delete your contract. It self-replicated."

He turned the screen toward her.

*FATAL ERROR. REGISTRY CORRUPTED. ALL ARRANGED CONTRACTS NULLIFIED.*

Lyra stared at the screen. Her jaw dropped.

"We didn't just free me," she whispered. "We freed everyone. The hierarchy... it's gone."

"We crashed the Pack," Kian grinned. "We are going to be the most wanted fugitives in the hemisphere."

Lyra looked at him. She touched the binary tattoo on her neck. Then she leaned in and kissed him—a kiss that tasted of river water, blood, and absolute, terrifying freedom.

"Let them come," Lyra said against his lips. "I've got a hacker."

"And I've got a wolf," Kian replied.

They stood up, hand in hand, and walked into the dark forest, leaving the shattered system behind them.