The fight lasted twenty minutes.
By the time the shooting stopped, the tunnels were quiet again.
Smoke drifted through the air.
Several Helix soldiers had been captured.
Others had escaped.
Riya returned to the control room, brushing dust from her jacket.
"Well," she said, "that was unpleasant."
Aarav looked up from the console.
"You guys do this often?"
Arjun shook his head.
"No."
He glanced at the captured soldiers on the screen.
"But Helix will now."
Aarav leaned back.
"So what exactly are they trying to find?"
Arjun zoomed in on the underground map again.
The red symbol glowed beneath the center of the city.
"That machine buried underground."
"Right… the seventy-year-old mystery machine."
Arjun nodded.
"It's called The Core."
Riya crossed her arms.
"Helix believes it can control global communication systems."
Aarav blinked.
"That sounds impossible."
Arjun looked at him calmly.
"So did the internet once."
Silence filled the room.
Then a technician spoke up.
"Sir… we found something on the Helix network."
"What?"
The technician hesitated.
"A name."
Arjun stepped closer.
"What name?"
The screen displayed a single line.
PROJECT AT
Riya frowned.
"I've never heard of that."
Arjun's expression changed slightly.
"I have."
Aarav looked between them.
"What is AT?"
Arjun didn't answer immediately.
Then he spoke quietly.
"Not what."
He pointed to the screen.
"Who."