Chapter 4 - Trapped in the Grid
The safehouse was a secluded cabin deep in the pine woods, but peace was short-lived. By morning, Donovan discovered that Victor Vance had used his immense corporate influence to frame him. The news channels labeled Donovan a rogue officer who had kidnapped a young corporate heiress.
"We can't stay here," Donovan said, watching the perimeter scanners. "Vance owns the city's facial recognition grid. The moment we step onto a public road, they will track us."
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Suddenly, Barnaby chirped loudly. The little AI creature ran to the cabin's old desktop computer, plugging a sleek fiber-optic cable from his tail directly into the hard drive. Within seconds, the monitor flashed wildly. Barnaby wasn't just hiding; he was fighting back. He systematically began rewriting the city's surveillance algorithms, blinding Vance's tracking systems and creating a "ghost corridor" for them to move through undetected.
But as Barnaby worked, his metallic shell began to overheat. The strain of hacking a multi-billion-dollar network was draining his core energy. Emily held him close, crying, "Stop, Barnaby! It's hurting you!"
