Chapter 48: Keep trying

One step. Two steps. Another. Ava's boots pounded against the cold metal floor, her breaths coming in short, ragged bursts. So many steps! Huff… I don't even know where to start! Her mind raced as her body strained to keep up with the relentless pace. The hallways stretched endlessly in every direction, each corner blending into the next. Every turn felt like a maze, every path indistinguishable from the last. The walls around her were the same dull steel, pipes running along the ceiling, and vents hissing with hot air. It was disorienting.

Maybe I should've exercised more... But I can't rewind time.

Ava clenched her jaw, forcing herself to focus on the mission. Find the rig's controls and shut it down. Simple enough in theory, but in the chaotic reality of the situation, everything felt so far out of her control. She was an engineer, used to working behind the scenes, not running through dangerous hallways with bandits around every corner. Her thoughts were jumbled, fragmented between fear and a nagging sense of inadequacy.

The sound of shouting snapped her back to the present, echoing from the hallway to her right. Her pulse quickened, and a sharp pang of fear cut through her fatigue.

Fuck. No time for thinking. Looks like we're going straight.

She pushed her legs to move faster, her muscles burning with each stride. The others who were with her—ten guards assigned to keep her safe—followed close behind, their footsteps heavy against the rig's metallic floor. She could hear their labored breathing too. The weight of the situation pressed down on them all, but Ava knew she couldn't afford to falter. Not now.

The straight path didn't last long. Ahead, the hallway forked into two directions, and just as they approached, Ava spotted movement in the distance. Bandits. Several of them, armed and already noticing her group. Panic flared in her chest as they began to shout, their weapons raised.

"Go left!" one of the guards barked. Without thinking, Ava veered left, her feet nearly slipping as she took the sharp turn. They barreled up a narrow flight of stairs, the sound of boots clanging loudly as they scrambled up. But it wasn't fast enough. Behind them, she could hear the pounding footsteps of bandits giving chase.

She glanced over her shoulder just in time to see several of her guards slowing down, their hands going to their weapons. Her heart dropped.

"Go! We'll take care of these!" one of them shouted, pushing her further up the stairs.

"But—" Ava barely got the words out before another guard physically nudged her forward. She stumbled but quickly caught her balance, her heart racing with guilt and fear. She wasn't a fighter like them. She couldn't just stay and help. All she could do was keep moving, keep running, and hope they would be alright.

She looked down briefly, watching as three of the guards turned to face the bandits, their weapons drawn and ready. The echo of gunfire erupted behind her, the sharp bursts cutting through the otherwise oppressive silence of the rig. Ava winced at the sound, her stomach knotting with unease. She wanted to look back, to make sure they were holding their ground, but there was no time. She had a job to do, and they had given her the chance to do it.

Don't waste this, Ava. Don't let them down.

She pushed harder, forcing herself up the seemingly endless flight of stairs, her lungs burning with the effort. The others followed close behind her, but she could feel the weight of their expectations bearing down on her shoulders. They were counting on her to get them to the controls. She was counting on herself to make sure this wasn't all for nothing.

The stairs led to another long corridor, dimly lit and eerily quiet compared to the chaos below. The sudden shift in atmosphere was jarring. Ava slowed her pace just enough to regain her bearings. Every hallway looked the same, but something about this one felt different. It was narrower, more enclosed, and the air felt heavier, like they were getting closer to the heart of the rig.

"Where are we?" she whispered, mostly to herself, though the others could hear the uncertainty in her voice.

One of the engineers beside her, a younger man named Lyle, glanced around, his brow furrowed. "If we're where I think we are... the control room should be close. This section looks like the operations wing."

Ava nodded, trying to steady her breath. Operations wing. Good. That means we're getting closer. But the rig was massive, and they had no map. Everything was guesswork. If they didn't find the control room soon, it could be too late to stop whatever the bandits were planning.

The corridor stretched out ahead, eerily silent except for the faint hum of machinery beneath their feet. Ava's senses were on high alert now, her ears straining for any sound of movement, her eyes scanning every shadow for signs of danger. Each step felt heavier than the last, her legs trembling from both exertion and the weight of responsibility.

Suddenly, a door up ahead caught her attention. It was larger than the others they had passed, reinforced with thick steel and marked with faded lettering. Ava squinted, trying to make out the words.

"Surveillance Room," Lyle whispered, his eyes wide with realization.

Ava's heart leaped. Finally.

"We should check it out," another engineer said, his voice barely above a whisper. "If it's the surveillance room, we might be able to get eyes on the rest of the rig. Maybe even locate the controls."

Ava nodded, the idea sparking a new wave of determination in her. "Right. Let's go."

They approached the door cautiously, Lyle taking the lead as he checked for any signs of traps or alarms. The others stood behind him, weapons at the ready. For a moment, Ava held her breath, her fingers nervously tapping the small device in her pocket—a makeshift hacking tool she had put together earlier. If the door was locked, she was ready to crack it.

But luck was on their side. With a soft click, the door creaked open, revealing a dimly lit room filled with monitors, control panels, and communication equipment. The walls were lined with screens showing various parts of the rig—hallways, cargo areas, exterior platforms—each one flickering with grainy images.

Ava stepped inside, her eyes wide as she took in the scene. It was a treasure trove of information. The surveillance room was clearly old and barely functioning, but it was still operational enough to be useful.

"Alright," she breathed, moving toward the nearest console. "Let's see what we've got."

She quickly set to work, her fingers flying across the controls as she accessed the surveillance feeds. The screens flickered to life, showing different angles of the rig. Ava scanned each one, her heart pounding as she searched for any signs of the control room. There were multiple shots of bandits patrolling various corridors, and in one feed, she saw the fight between her guards and the chasing bandits still raging.

"They're still holding them off," she muttered, her chest tightening with worry. But there was no time to dwell on that now. She had to stay focused.

Finally, her eyes locked onto a feed showing a large, secured room filled with machinery and control panels. Her heart skipped a beat. That's it. That has to be the control room.

"I've found it," she said, her voice steady despite the adrenaline surging through her veins. "The control room is on the other side of the rig. We'll have to move fast."

The others gathered around her, their faces tense but determined. They were close now. Just one more push, and they could shut this rig down for good.

"Let's go," Ava said, her voice filled with renewed confidence. "We're almost there."