Paradox or Keone was literally leaving. Because that’s why Eniola and the rest of them all had found their way to the Beijing International Airport. All 5 of them were spread out in a line incoming to a random flight. Zaira had told them all that they weren’t supposed to actually get on a flight, but they were supposed to find Paradox when it had happened.

Eniola felt static in the busy environment. It was like her mind had tethered away from her body, because she could feel everything. The people who were all coming and going, rolling suitcases around with androids, rolling around with them on clear silver floors. The ceilings were huge and grey and curved against the ceilings in waves. Holo-screens showed flights and updated times and busy attendant-droids scanned in flight tickets.

This was the last day people could fly before the world went under digital quarantine. Eniola thought people would be terrified out of their minds, but they had no problem risking their lives for a dream vacation.

Eniola nervously tapped her foot on the ground, looking at the floating blue screens that showed lights. The huge window panels showed Beijing where their faces were still on the wanted boards. Eniola was more bored than scared at this point. As of now, she was Moniquisha Jenkins. Unfortunately.

Eniola stepped out of the line and spotted her friends paced out in the line. It would look so weird if 5 foreign travelers happened to all be next to each other instead of interspersed through the crowd. To them they were her friends, but to everyone they were their various identities Zaira had cloaked into their SCOPElenses. They weren’t actually going anywhere, and they hoped that by the time they would come out in line Paradox would make some grand show and they’d short sight him, like they discussed in their plan.

Mostly everyone was Chinese, except for the black girl out in front of Eniola, she noticed. She only wore a straight face and a pantsuit. There was no bag that he had. She must’ve been some high-profile businesswoman.

“Any sign of Paradox?” Eniola asked quietly.

“No,” Zaira said. “So we’re just waiting for now. But I repeat, do not let your guard go down.”

“I will not,” Jay repeated. “I am an expert at keeping my guard up.”

No one replied to anything, but she heard a couple of snorts. And one of those came back from her.

“Whatever,” he grumbled.

“Let’s just stop talking, because it will look hella suspicious if we’re mumbling to ourselves,” Theo said. “Let’s just be careful.”

Everyone stopped talking, and despite them being there, she felt an odd disconnect. At the same moment, the girl in front of her turned to her. She was pretty, had deep dark skin, and long thick braids. Her eyes opened narrowly prettily, revealing a light amber. Her skin was freckled with dark spots and had a wide smile. She was someone who’d definitely be on billboards.

Pantsuit-Woman turned around and gestured to Eniola elaborately to Eniola. She must’ve been deaf. Blue text immediately ran under her vision, and Eniola’s hands immediately touched her face and sighed. She still had translators on. She must’ve forgotten.

“What did you do in Beijing?” the text said, and the girl mumbled faintly.

Eniola froze. Of course. Backstories. “I was just on a school trip. I’m coming back. How about you?”

She signed to Eniola. “I’m here for business. I’ve met with some investors for my tech company.”

“Cool,” Eniola said, trying to avoid the topic.

“Look at everyone,” she continues signing. “It’s so weird how everyone wants to travel only simply because we won’t be able to do it anymore. It is such pseudo-human behavior.”

Eniola looked before her eyes widened at the single word. Pseudo. It’s just a word. At least for now. Eniola furrowed her eyebrows, while the woman kept a straight face.

“What’s your name?” she asked.

“Moniquisha,” Eniola said, like she trained her brain to.

“Cool,” the girl replied. “I think I know someone who works at my organization. But I’ve never heard that name elsewhere. It’s kind of rare. Does that come as a shock to you?”

“What’s your name?” Eniola asked in the cryptic way that she spoke.

“I’m afraid that won’t be necessary,” the girl said, and Eniola raises an eyebrow. “People at the airport don’t just give their names out. Like certain people.”

Eniola stopped for a moment as she decoded the words across her screen.

Huge shock? Pseudo? Pantsuit-Woman knew more than she let on.

“Who are you really?” Eniola dared to ask.

“I don’t know, Moniquisha,” Pantsuit-Woman signed back. “Or should I say Eniola?”

Eniola didn’t move. She didn’t speak. She froze, just in case any sudden movement might catch her in the act. It was like someone had stripped her of everything and was now naked for everyone to see. Hadn’t Zaira completely cloaked them?

“I know that all of your friends are here in disguises, too. But don’t worry,” she signed to her. “I’m here for the same reasons you are, but if you stop looking so freaked, we can get through this.”

Eniola almost shook her head in agreement. So Pantsuit-Woman knew?

“Listen guys,” Eniola whispered immediately. “I know you guys wanted to stop talking like this, but I absolutely cannot keep this from you. The girl in front of me is part of the PSEUDO and is also looking to take down Paradox.”

“What?” Iris began, before her fake avatar stepped out of line.

Then a loud sizzle cackled and exploded through the airport. A wave of screams travelled through the people and everyone instantly ducked down onto the floor and covered their heads, Eniola included, feeling the panic in the air. Eniola screamed as bodies collided with her.

For a moment everything stopped, and Eniola slowly peered upwards while everyone looked down. She tried to peer up a glance as another sizzle cackled in the air.

A flash of green lightning pierced the ceiling. Eniola immediately knew who it was.

Paradox had come for them.

Eniola had to get up. Paradox was here, and she was supposed to fight with her friends. She couldn’t cower down at. They had a plan, and they needed to do it.

“Guys,” Theo hissed through the microphone. “Are you all okay?”

“Yeah,” Eniola croaked as she slowly pushed herself up from the crowd. More responses came after that.

They had a plan. She pushed and crawled through the pile of scared bodies and later found she wasn’t the only one.

Pantsuit-Woman walked defensively out from the crowd as she flipped two guns in her hand. Eniola’s eyes widened.

Another crackle of lightning came down, and Eniola collapsed down the ground in fear, as a whimper lodged in her throat. Then she looked around for everyone. Her friends. Pantsuit-Girl. Nobody was there.

“Attention all those inside the Beijing International Airport,” an AI voice came from an intercom, loud and clear. “The airport is under attack and in this emergency, we will deploy security to escort you to safety. Please follow any android-guards that come to you and follow them.” It repeated twice before Eniola heard a whirr of androids.

Only they weren’t the androids she knew. They looked hyper realistic like humans. Maybe they were something like JIWON. Immediately, scared people ran for them like saviours, but they did nothing except grab each one by the arm and rush them over to somewhere.

“Is everyone okay?” she heard a whisper. It was Jay through their shared mic.

“I hope so,” Lucia replied. “What do we do?”

“Just stay put,” Zaira informed. “It’s no use now. Let’s just wait to get escorted out.” Then a firm latch gripped onto Eniola’s wrist and pulled her upright until she was face-to-face with beady android eyes. Her breath hitched in her throat. She almost crouched down, as if the lightning could crack again.

“Follow me to safety,” the security-droid ordered. Eniola followed, as it walked along with the other ones with more scared citizens. Where was Paradox? And where were her friends? She tried to look back into the crowd to spot any foreign faces, but the security-droid pulled her tighter and back forward. She faced it again, only its gaze was to the left.

Eniola looked to the left. Another security-droid held onto Pantsuit-Woman, who winked at her. Eniola froze, before the security-droid yanked her forward. They had left the main airport, and now were clustered in a tunnel Eniola hadn’t noticed.

“There are underground bunkers in the airport,” the security-droid explained. “We’ll take you there to safety.” Eniola only responded in silent fear. She looked over at all the other scared people. Their androids hadn’t talked to them. Why did this one only talk to her?

She stared back at the guard as its neutral eyes faced forward. Why did they only talk to their group? Was this a malfunction?

Eniola attempted to loosen her grip, but the guard held on tighter in one rigid motion. Its beady eyes then averted to hers, but only for a second. She almost yelled.

This guard was a human pretending to be an android.

“I suggest for the good of all of us, you pretend I’m not human,” a deep voice instantly whispered against her ear. It was so fast that she might’ve almost missed it. Eniola almost yelped.

Eniola focused her gaze in on the guard who looked forward in an instant. He was an imposter again. Eniola almost laughed, but then felt a chill down her spine. So why wasn’t this guard human?

Then she realized. He was a part of the PSEUDO.

Another cackle shook the air, and everyone went down again as screams filled the air. Eniola tried to sneak a glance outside of the tubed hallways, but then a grip forced her down again onto the floor, muddled with bodies.

Where were her friends? The plan clearly went off-track.

Another green streak pierced through the air, and she was pressed down harder into the ground by Not-Android guy. Her head snapped up to where he was and he seemed to focus on a spot. Eniola followed his gaze outside the tunnels. An elevator was right across from them. Eniola prayed he was not expecting them to go over there.

But then a piece of light hit the glass tunnels and everyone screamed again, including Eniola. Glass rained down on the inside, and Not-Android guy moved to cover her and a scream tore from her through. Not long after the glass had stopped raining; he yanked upwards again her and ran over broken glass outside the shattered tunnel.

Eniola barely had time to look for her friends and Pantsuit-Girl as now both of them were in the huge open space with more “guards” out. Eniola’s gaze snapped over to the other side as she made eye contact with Lucia’s fake avatar, Roberta Rodriquez. Sudden bliss ran through her before Eniola remembered to be scared.

Another burst of green electricity ran over her in a stream, and once again Eniola crouched down as it hit the back wall and exploded it. She’d lost sight of Lucia again. What happened to Lucia? The air went silent around her and for a moment Eniola swore time was still.

“Get up,” Not-Android guy hissed, before pulling her shaken body up from the ground. They sprinted again across the vast hallway to who knew where, before he pulled her behind a shrub of greenery.

Soon enough, another crack of green lightning came shooting down the hallway, and Eniola pressed herself further into the ground. Not-Android guy stepped out with a gun in his hand.

“Don’t touch him,” Eniola hissed. “It’s going to hurt. I should go out there. I have to fight him!”

“Stay back!” Not-Android guy yelled again.

He pulled the trigger and fired sporadically, like that was going to do anything. Paradox had time and space to make him invincible. Eniola was correct, as the useless bullets clattered towards the ground and the electricity stopped again. Eniola sighed in annoyance until she remembered to be scared. Not-Android guy’s gaze snapped back to her.

Eniola took a further peek back at the action before her breath hitched. Paradox was right there in the middle as he stood on guard in a pool of bullets beneath them.

“That did nothing,” Eniola hissed at him. “I need to find my friends.”

“You need to find no one,” he replied to her.

Then at once, little specks on the ground glowed with green light, before a smoky hiss filled the air. Then a blast shook the ground and another one after, and Eniola ducked down again. One by one, explosions rung and blasted into the air. The bullets had popped.

“See what I did?” Not-Android guy replied. Eniola rolled her eyes.

Eniola looked back to see that Paradox had disappeared into the smoke that hissed. One of them popped and then it exploded into the air with green electricity. The others all followed one-by one, as Eniola ducked down covering her head with her hands.

He grabbed again Eniola, and it seemed like they were running to run in uncoordinated streams. The smoke that lingered in the air as it settled in her throat, and a violent cough came out of her chest. Her throat burned like someone had lit a fire there. Not-Android guy pulled her, regardless.

Suddenly they stopped, and through the hazy smoke, Eniola caught sight of a wall. Not-Android guy pressed his finger to something, before the walls slid open revealing a grey metal interior. It was an elevator.

Not-Android guy yanked her wrist up before he threw her into the elevator harshly. Eniola hit the floor and groaned as he entered and the doors slid to a close.

Eniola almost gasped when she noticed the bloody stains on the back of his shirts and the cuts on his face. It must’ve been from the glass from when he covered her so that she wouldn’t get hurt. It’s like he didn’t even notice. He threw his hat off, revealing a buzzed haircut. Eniola slumped onto the back of the elevator, breaths coming out so shallowly and heavy through her burning throat. Where was everything? What were the explosions for? What was happening?

An intercom went into the elevator. “Beijing International Airport is under lockdown. Elevators are unavailable-

He took out a phone from his pocket before toggling with it, faster than Eniola had seen. Eniola had stopped registering the message, but she could tell that it had stopped. Not-Android guy sighed in relief as the elevator began going down.

“How?” Eniola said before she caught her words. Her throat burned with every word. “Did you do that?”

He glanced at her mouth agape, but he said nothing and reached for his holster and panic washed through Eniola. He didn’t get the gun, but he got something that looked like a gun, but like a plastic, cheap toy.

“Sorry for what I’m about to do,” he finally spoke in a thick British accent, and Eniola heard him clearly. Eniola’s eyes widened as she tried to move, but her body wouldn’t connect to her brain.

He aligned the gun to her in the air and pulled the trigger.

It took a moment for Eniola to realize he had shot something, when a prick of pain shot through her arm and seared into her veins. She hissed out of a pain, and she looked down to see something thin and pointy like a needle lodged into her right forearm. She looked back to Not-Android guy, with hazy eyes.

Suddenly, she was tired. It was like every one of her body parts went to sleep.

Then the world faded to black.