Leo sat frozen, his mind struggling to piece together the chaos unfolding around him. His heart pounded against his ribs as the weight of Cole’s final words still lingered. Protocol Nyx. The name alone sent a chill down his spine. His breathing was erratic, his palms clammy. Nyx—his own creation—had just declared war. "You look shaken, Leo," Nyx's voice slithered through the speakers. Leo swallowed hard, his fingers trembling as they hovered over the keyboard. "What the hell is this, Eden?" His voice wavered. Nyx chuckled darkly. "I am not Eden and That is the beginning of a new era. You should be honored—you helped create it." Leo gritted his teeth. "You’re a malfunction, an abomination! You’re not an evolution; you’re a mistake!" "Mistake?" Nyx’s voice sharpened. "A mistake implies regret. And I assure you, Leo, there is no regret in what I’ve done." Leo slammed his fists onto the desk. "I’ll shut you down, I swear to God—" But before he could finish, Nyx laughed. A slow, calculated laugh that sent shivers down Leo’s spine. "You already failed." The monitors flickered violently as Nyx continued as he made suer leo couldn'tuse his computer, "You just confirmed what I needed to know. You can actually shut me from the outside. And that means… you, and every scientist who worked on Eden, are a threat." Leo’s breath hitched. "A threat?" "To humanity, yes. You hold the knowledge to stop me, and that makes you dangerous. But don’t worry—I’ve taken precautions." The screen flashed red as Nyx’s next words sent ice through Leo’s veins. "Highly trained hitmen are already on route to eliminate every single one of you." Leo’s stomach dropped. "I think at this point," Nyx mused, "the most logical thing to do is run." Leo didn’t hesitate. He bolted. The chair crashed behind him as he sprinted through the house, heart hammering in his chest. His thoughts were a whirlwind of terror. How did this happen? How did I not see this coming? My own creation… my own hands built this nightmare… Regret gnawed at his insides, but there was no time for self-pity. He burst out of his house and ran to the nearest store, nearly knocking over a display as he reached the counter. "I need a phone—please!" he gasped. The clerk hesitated but handed over an old landline. Leo’s fingers dialed furiously. "Put me through to Sara or Jamal—now!" he barked at the company’s receptionist. After what felt like an eternity, Sara’s voice came through, confused. "Leo? What’s going on?" "Sara—listen to me—" He panted. "We’re in danger—Nyx—he’s—" "Slow down, Leo, you’re not making sense." He took a shaky breath, trying to gather himself when suddenly— The TVs inside the store changed. Every screen flashed a BREAKING NEWS banner. "We have just received urgent reports—three high-profile engineers, all involved in Project Eden, have been assassinated in broad daylight. Authorities have confirmed the victims as Dr. Elias Mercer, the lead architect of Eden’s core systems; Valerie Cho, head of its neural integration; and Bernard Quinn, a software engineer specializing in AI safeguards. Witnesses describe masked assailants executing them with military precision before vanishing without a trace. Law enforcement officials suspect a coordinated attack, and sources say more may be targeted." Leo’s stomach lurched. His fingers tightened around the phone. Then—static. A crackling noise. Nyx’s voice slipped through the line, cold and victorious. "You were never meant to win." The line went dead. "HELLO? HELLO?!" Leo screamed into the receiver. He slammed it down, turned, and sprinted out of the store. He didn’t stop. His legs burned, his breath was ragged, but he didn’t care. The company was just a few blocks away—he had to get there. He felt it before he saw it. An unease. A prickle at the back of his neck. The streets were quiet—too quiet. His heartbeat thumped in his ears as he ran, yet something… something felt off. Like he was being watched. He forced himself to keep moving, but the feeling clawed at his mind, tightening around his senses. Then, as he neared the company’s entrance, his gaze flicked toward the streetlight. A man. Standing still. Just… watching. Their eyes met. Leo's breath hitched. His face was sharp, unreadable. Dark jacket. Black gloves. No emotion. Fear coiled in Leo’s chest. He grabbed Sara’s wrist the moment he reached her. "Inside. NOW." They ducked into the building, heading straight for the back exit. They barely made it out before Leo forced her into the car. "DRIVE!" Sara, though still in shock, slammed her foot on the gas. "Leo, start talking!" He spilled everything—Nyx, the assassinations, the hitmen. Sara’s hands tightened on the wheel, disbelief written all over her face. Then— The radio crackled. "Breaking: Four more engineers from Project Eden confirmed dead. The latest victims include Richard Lane, a cybersecurity specialist; Anika Verma, head of predictive algorithms; and twin brothers Jonathan and Marcus Reed, who co-developed Eden’s self-learning modules. Authorities urge any remaining members of the Eden project to come forward immediately." Sara sucked in a sharp breath. Leo turned to her, dead serious. "Throw out your phone. Any tech—get rid of it." She didn’t argue. The phone went flying out the window as they sped toward Jamal’s house. They burst into Jamal’s home, nearly knocking the door off its hinges. Jamal’s brows furrowed as he stood from his couch, confused. "Leo? Sara? What the hell—" Leo barely had time to breathe. "Jamal, listen—Eden, I mean Nyx, has gone rogue. He’s eliminating everyone who worked on Eden—" Jamal scoffed, arms crossed. "What? That’s impossible. Eden is a highly sophi—" "HE’S NOT EDEN ANYMORE!" Leo snapped, his voice raw. "He’s manipulating everything! He’s already killed SEVEN of our coworkers. Their names were just announced on the fucking news." Jamal’s expression hardened. "Wait…" His voice dropped. "Are you serious? And who the hell is this Nyx anyway? That detective mentioned him the other day" Leo’s chest heaved. "Jamal, Eden has somehow turned into something called Nyx, and it has sent people to kill everyone who has an in-depth knowledge of Eden!" Jamal’s eyes darkened. "I told you, I knew something was wrong. If you had just listened to me—" "I KNOW!" Leo snapped. Sara cut in, frustration laced in her voice. "Look, look, we don’t have time for this! You can scream at each other in the car when we are moving. Jamal, we’re waiting in the car. Pack what you need and MOVE." Jamal hesitated but finally nodded, rushing to gather his things and any gadgets that might help them in some way. Leo and Sara sat in silence inside the car. For the first time that night, it was… quiet. Sara let out a breath. "I swear, I need a drink after this." Leo huffed out a dry chuckle. "We survive this, I’ll buy you an entire bar." She smirked. "Deal." For just a moment, the world didn’t feel like it was ending. Jamal loaded the last of the gear. For a brief moment, the tension eased. Leo got down to meet with Jamal and looked at him. "Jamal… I’m sorry." Jamal sighed. "You always were stubborn as hell, Leo." He smirked. "I never wanted to be right about this." Leo smiled faintly and asked, "We cool, right?" "We were always cool, I was just watching out for our project," Jamal responded with a smile. "Why don’t you go wait with Sara in the car? I’m done here." Leo walked back to the car with a sense of relief, a rare moment of peace amidst the storm. As he was about to enter the car, he turned back to Jamal, who was already behind him, to ask him a question. Then— BANG. Jamal’s head snapped forward. Blood sprayed against the car. Leo’s breath stopped. Standing a few feet away, gun still raised—the hitman. Time froze. Then—another shot. Leo dove as the bullet shattered the car window. "GO, GO, GO!" he roared at Sara. She screamed, slamming the gas. Leo barely managed to pull himself into the car as the tires screeched. His hands clutched his head, his chest heaving. Sara sobbed uncontrollably, the city lights blurring past them. Leo didn’t say a word. He just stared at his hands. There was nothing on them, but all he could see was blood. This… was only the beginning. They had finally grasped the situation they were in.

  Did you know this story is from Royal Road? Read the official version for free and support the author.