"We're almost there," Kaelar said. "Lyra, start the prep."
Lyra's fingers flew over her interface. "Southern perimeter drones neutralized. Sector Three cameras overridden. Window's open."
At the back of the ship, Kirana, Zephyr, and Draven finished gearing up. Kirana drew a slow breath, glancing at Zephyr. "Ready?"
Zephyr gave a short nod. "You never have to ask."
Draven checked his weapon one last time. "Once we're inside, time is tight. No fights unless we can't avoid them."
Kaelar turned from the cockpit. "Brace. Insertion point ahead."
The ship drifted down with barely a whisper, settling beside an outer structure of Erevos. Its lights shut off entirely, folding into the darkness.
"We're here," Kaelar said, powering down. "You know your roles. Fast and quiet."
Kirana, Zephyr, and Draven slipped down the ramp like shadows, moving straight toward the air duct Velaria had mapped.
Inside the ship, Lyra worked through glowing holo-panels with clean, practiced precision.
"Sector Five drones disabled," she reported. "You're clear."
"Keep at it," Kaelar muttered. "We don't know how long this cloak will hold."
"I know," Lyra said softly. "I won't let them see a thing."
Ahead, the team reached the ventilation shaft. Vega's voice crackled through their comms. "Your armor cloak lasts sixty seconds per cycle. Use it wisely."
"More than enough," Zephyr said, tapping his suit's control. His figure rippled, then vanished.
Kirana activated her cloak as well. Both slipped into the shaft like mist.
Lyra smirked under her breath. "Desert Ninja and the Sand Goddess ride again."
Draven's voice followed. "Watch for thermal sensors. Some sectors run hot. Don't stay still."
"We copy," Kirana whispered. "Hold perimeter."
They crawled through the narrow shaft, lit only by the red pulse of emergency indicators. Machinery hummed beneath them, a constant low rumble echoing through the underground network.
Velaria's calm voice guided them. "Proceed to the east corridor. Emergency stairwell at the end. Drop one level, then head north."
Zephyr met Kirana's eyes and nodded. "You heard her."
Kirana gripped her plasma bow. "This place feels like a trap. Stay sharp."
They reached the stairwell and descended with careful, controlled steps. Their cloaks flickered, energy nearly spent.
Velaria chimed in again. "Cloak almost drained. Find cover."
Zephyr pointed to a narrow storage door. "In there. We recharge."
They slipped inside. Kirana sealed the door.
"How long?" she asked.
"A minute. Maybe less," Zephyr said.
"Once you're powered," Velaria added, "continue north. Another stairwell takes you deeper."
When their cloaks fully recharged, they moved out. The halls twisted sharply, the air growing colder with each turn. A tight unease settled over them.
Footsteps echoed ahead — heavy, deliberate.
Kirana signaled. "Two guards."
Zephyr uncoiled his chain-spear. "Right side."
"Left's mine," Kirana whispered.
Two silent strikes. Plasma burned through armor. A chain looped and snapped tight. Both guards fell without a sound.
"Hide them," Zephyr murmured.
They dragged the bodies into shadow and moved on.
Five levels down, after multiple silent takedowns, the core of Erevos finally appeared: a cold, metallic heart glowing with deep blue pulses.
Velaria's voice sharpened. "You're close to Aelina's chamber. Expect heavier guard presence."
Before they could advance, every alarm in the sector shrieked. Red lights flared. The base roared awake.
"Great," Kirana muttered, drawing her bow. "We're blown."
Velaria's voice grew urgent. "They detected the breach. All gates are locking down. You need to get out. Now!"
Outside, Kaelar stood beside the ship with Lyra. In the distance, enemy drones swarmed across the sky like metal locusts.
Lyra's eyes darted across her console. "They're closing in. I'm jamming as many as I can."
Kaelar stepped off the ramp, rifle humming in his hands. "Keep the ship running. I'll greet our guests."
He moved fast. Blue plasma streaked through the air as he fired, drones bursting one after another. But more kept coming, multiplying like an endless tide.
"Kirana, Zephyr, get out now!" Kaelar barked through the comms.
Inside the facility, Zephyr faced a wave of guards converging from every direction. He spun his chain spear in a tight arc, knocking enemies back with brutal precision.
"Go, Kirana!" he shouted. "Get Aelina out!"
Kirana rushed into the chamber. Aelina lay inside a transparent capsule, cables pulsing dimly around her frail body.
"Aelina…" Kirana's voice trembled.
Draven appeared in the doorway, grim and tense. "We have to move. This place will be crawling with troops any second."
Kirana unplugged the cables one by one, then lifted Aelina with trembling hands. "Draven, take her."
"I've got her." He swept Aelina into his arms. "Cover us."
Kirana drew her plasma bow and took point. "Zephyr, we found her. Headed your way!"
Still fighting, Zephyr answered between breaths. "Clearing the path. Move!"
They ran through the underground corridors, Draven carrying Aelina close. Zephyr soon caught up with them, sweat dripping, spear still ready.
"Kaelar, we're heading to the exit!" Draven said through the comm.
Outside, plasma fire lit the sky. Kaelar didn't stop shooting. "Move faster! We can't hold this line much longer!"
Inside the ship, Lyra fought to keep her hands steady. "Kirana, the drones are multiplying. You need to hurry!"
At a junction, Kirana turned to Draven. "Get her to the ship. Zephyr and I will draw them away."
Draven hesitated only a moment before running with Aelina in his arms. Kirana and Zephyr broke off in the opposite direction.
They ducked behind cargo containers marked with the Erevos emblem. The air vibrated with engines, gunfire, and heavy footsteps. Their armor flickered weakly, shields nearly burned out.
Zephyr leaned against a crate, breathing hard. "Kirana… we can't keep this up. There's too many."
Kirana gripped her bow tighter. Her voice steadied. "We don't have to win. We just need to buy Aelina time."
Zephyr met her eyes. "You know this might be it."
She allowed herself a faint, tired smile. "If it is, then it's worth it. For our daughter."
"Always," he whispered.
Far ahead, Draven sprinted toward the ship. Kaelar, now back in the cockpit, watched him through the external cameras.
"Lyra! Drop the ramp!"
The ramp hissed open. Draven rushed aboard and placed Aelina into the med-pod. Lyra immediately activated diagnostics.
"How is she?" Draven asked, breathless.
Lyra swallowed. "Stable for now. But we need distance."
Kaelar's voice cut in. "Ramp secured. We're taking off."
The ship blasted upward, engines roaring. Within seconds, it vanished under stealth mode and disappeared from the battlefield.
Back in the cargo yard, Kirana and Zephyr remained behind. They struck from the shadows, swift and silent. Zephyr's chain snapped through the air, dragging a guard into the dark. Kirana's plasma arrows punched through armor with cold precision.
"They just keep coming," Zephyr said, staring at the approaching horde. "We can't hold them back forever."
Kirana wiped blood from her cheek, panting. "We don't need forever. Just long enough."
Then it happened.
A new sound rolled through the yard—heavy, deliberate, mechanical. Not boots.
Something worse.
***
Inside the Erevos control chamber, President Caius Dalthar stood before a towering hologram of their newest creation. Eudora—second-generation hybrid weapon—floated inside her capsule, suspended in a swirl of dark energy. Her form was familiar, painfully so.
Aelina's face.
Aelina's features.
Twisted into something built to kill.
Her eyes snapped open, burning a deep, unnatural red. Armor fused to her skin pulsed with power, each segment humming in perfect sync as weapon systems booted online.
One of the scientists straightened stiffly. "All systems operational. Full energy capacity. Cognitive sync confirmed."
Caius's smile sharpened. "Excellent. Upload the targets. Kirana and Zephyr."
On the holographic screen, two faces flashed into view.
TARGETS: LOCKED.
"Release her," Caius commanded.
The chamber lights dimmed as restraints retracted. Eudora stepped forward, her movements inhumanly smooth, the air warping around her.
***
Outside, in the cargo yard, a new sound swallowed the chaos—heavy, deliberate, and wrong.
Kirana froze. "You hear that?"
Zephyr's grip tightened around his chain spear. "Yeah. And I really don't like it."
The clanging grew louder. Something massive was approaching.
From between the crates, a silhouette emerged.
Then she stepped into the light.
Aelina's face.
A weapon's aura.
Eyes of living flame.
Eudora.
Zephyr staggered back. "She… she looks like Aelina…"
Kirana didn't flinch. Her gaze went sharp, cold. "No. That's not Aelina. That's what they built to replace her."
Eudora stopped, scanning them with mechanical precision. Her armor flared in crimson lines as she processed the data.
Then her voice came—metal scraping over metal, threaded with Aelina's cadence twisted into something monstrous.
"Targets identified: Kirana. Zephyr. Elimination protocol active."
She raised her arm. Energy gathered, hot enough to scorch the air.
And the hunt began.