The city park glowed with a spooky purple light, its swings and slides twisted by a new fracture splitting the air. Tylor ran through the dark, his heart racing, Elena's journal heavy in his jacket. Amaira held his hand, her pigtails bouncing, her family drawing safe in her pocket, her flashlight shaking but bright. Kayla carried the scavenged drive, her arm hurt but her green eyes fierce, her dreams buzzing with purple flashes from the fracture. Elias pushed Clara Vey ahead, her hands tied, her gray eyes angry but silent. The Collective's plan to break time was close, and the park's fracture was their next fight to save 2025.
"Move fast," Kayla whispered, checking the drive on her cracked phone. "The fracture's tied to a relay in the rail yard. We close this, then hit the yard." Her dreams showed a purple rift eating the city, a shadow figure—the Architect—watching.
Amaira's small voice was brave. "Like the plaza?" she asked, remembering the big fight. Tylor squeezed her hand, his old guilt from losing her to a red balloon fading. "Yeah, Mai," he said. "We'll win."
The fracture hummed loud, purple light showing bits of 2045—broken streets, the Hub's ruins. Tylor's stomach twisted, thinking of the Chronarch, his old future self, gone but not forgotten. Clara smirked. "You can't stop the Architect," she said. "This is just one piece."
Kayla glared, her mom's fight against Clara's plans burning in her. "We'll find them," she said, spotting a glowing box under a slide—a Collective relay, like the one in the basement. Amaira shined her flashlight. "There!" she said, her quick brain solving the puzzle.
Tylor grabbed a stick, smashing the relay, sparks flying. The fracture flickered, shrinking, but drones buzzed from the trees, their red eyes flashing. Elias swung his pipe, smashing one, his arm bleeding. Kayla's stun gun zapped another, but a beam hit her leg, making her stumble. Amaira threw a rock, hitting a drone, her aim sharp.
"Keep going!" Tylor yelled, shielding Amaira. Kayla crawled to the relay's wires, pulling them with her good hand. "It's overloading!" she shouted, the drive beeping with rail yard clues—more relays, more danger. The fracture pulsed, showing Clara's boss, the Architect, in a dark room, starting another rift.
The relay exploded in blue sparks, the fracture snapping shut, the park dark again. Amaira hugged Tylor, her flashlight steady. "We did it," she said, her voice small but strong. Kayla stood, limping, the drive safe. "Rail yard's next," she said, her eyes on Clara.
Clara laughed, her voice cold. "You're chasing ghosts." Elias tied her tighter, his face hard. Tylor held Amaira close, Kayla's hand in his, their family strong. The park was safe, but the rail yard called, the Architect's shadow big. With Elena's book, Lila's memory, and Daniel's warnings, they'd hunt the Collective, ready to save their world, no matter what.