CHAPTER 214 — THE HEART OF THE MACHINE
The steel barrier behind them groaned again.
Another violent impact slammed through the narrow maintenance shaft hard enough to shake dust from the ceiling above their heads. The sound echoed endlessly through the darkness surrounding them, metallic and brutal, like the city itself being torn apart somewhere behind the walls.
Elena's breathing came unevenly as she helped Adrian move deeper into the shaft. His weight pressed harder against her shoulder with every step now, and even in the weak emergency glow from Marcus's portable interface she could see the blood running down the side of his face more clearly.
The machine had nearly killed him.
And somehow it was still coming.
