We escape, I decided. There's no point finding answers if we're dead.

Maude nodded in agreement, quickly disconnecting from the terminal. We turned and ran back the way we came, the alarms blaring louder, and the red lights burning brighter. The sound of the mechanical creature's legs clanging against the door grew louder, urging us to move faster. 

As we sprinted down the corridor, we encountered a door that wasn't there before—locked and unyielding. Panic started to rise, but Maude's determination was unshaken.

This is bad, Maude said, her voice urgent as she redoubled her efforts to bypass the system's defenses.

But as she worked, a sudden crash followed by clanging noises echoed through the chamber.

That thing is gonna kill us if we don't do something, I said, scanning the area for any signs of a solution.

Cover me, I'll find a way to hack it, Maude suggested, her mind clearly running ahead of mine.

As the room was dark after the lockdown, the creature didn't manage to see us yet. We crouched low, moving stealthily through the shadows. The patrolling machine was a marvel of engineering, its movements precise and unyielding. Maude spotted a console tucked away in a corner of the chamber, hidden from view. She sprinted towards it, her movements quick and silent.

Found it, she whispered, plugging a wire from her wrist into the terminal. This is gonna take a minute.

I kept watch, with my senses on high alert. The machine's red eyes scanned the area, but we remained hidden, holding our breaths. Suddenly, Maude's body went limp, her eyes rolling back as she entered the digital space. She was connected to the network, but she was now vulnerable, her physical form only an empty shell.

Time seemed to stretch on endlessly as I waited, my heart pounding in my chest. The machine continued its patrol. Until, in an instant, it identified Maude, covering her in red light. Lifting its sharp legs, it was ready to lunge, designed to kill in order to protect whatever it was guarding. But right as my reflexes kicked in and I rushed towards it—the machine froze, its eyes turned dark, dead. Maude’s eyes snapped open, her body jerking back to life. She was visibly drained, her usual sharpness dulled by exhaustion.

It's done, she sighed, her voice weaker than before.

As her actions grew more impressive, I couldn't help but wonder at what point was she even suprising herself.

Can you keep going? I asked, worried that this was one of those times.

Like I have a choice, she replied, as stoic as ever. Let's move.