The Sacrifice

The roar of engines grew louder.

Kael grabbed a backpack. He shoved the hard drive, a bottle of water, and a satellite phone into it. He shoved it into Elara’s chest.

"Listen to me," Kael said, gripping her shoulders. "There is a drainage tunnel behind the server rack. It comes out in the arroyo, half a mile south. You run. You keep running until you hit the highway."

"No," Elara cried. "I'm not leaving you!"

"You have to," Kael said. "If they find the drive on me, they’ll destroy it. You have to be the carrier."

"They'll kill you!"

"I'll buy time," Kael said. He turned to the server bank. "I have to wipe the local drives so they can't trace the hack back to my network. I have to hold them off."

The sound of boots hitting the roof echoed above them.

"Kael!"

He grabbed her face and kissed her hard, fierce and final.

"Go be the rebel, Elara," he ordered. "Burn it down."

He shoved her toward the tunnel.

Elara stumbled back. She looked at him one last time. He was already typing, initiating the data wipe, standing between her and the door with a crowbar in his hand.

She turned and ran.

She crawled through the dark, damp tunnel. She heard the front door of the bunker explode. She heard shouting. She heard the distinct sound of servers being smashed.

She emerged into the moonlight, gasping for air. She didn't look back. She clutched the backpack to her chest and ran into the desert night.

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