2026-01-22 03:13:09
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32 Desperate Terms
The apartment felt smaller now. Sira stared at the strange cube in Lougard’s hand as its red light blinked slowly. “What is it?” she asked again, her voice quieter this time. Lougard swallowed hard. “It’s a holo-cube.” He turned the device sideways. A sharp blue light burst from the center, spreading into the air above the table. Lines of static flickered before forming the hologram of a man sitting in a large chair. The man was broad-shouldered with pale green skin and deep scars running across one side of his face. Thick metal rings pierced both pointed ears. One of his eyes was lime-colored while the other had been replaced by a glowing cybernetic lens that pulsed red in the dim hologram light. His voice came low and dangerous. “If you wish to see your sister again, Louyboy…” he said, “…then you better bring something valuable to me. You know how this works, you give
31 Red Light
Inside the hover car, the air was thick with exhaustion. Sira turned sharply in her seat, her hands already reaching toward Threi. “Threi! Are you hurt?” Her voice carried more panic than she intended. She began checking Threi’s arms, her shoulders, even her side, searching for burns or wounds. Threi swatted her hands away lightly. “Yeah yeah, I’m fine.” She leaned back against the seat, breathing heavy but steady. There were scorch marks on her sleeve and a thin cut along her temple, but nothing fatal. Her eyes were still sharp. Only then did she turn her head to the back seat. Aēllion sat on one side, Lougard beside him. Across from them sat the stranger quiet, watching. Threi narrowed her eyes. “Who the heck is this guy?” Before Sira could answer, Aēllion leaned forward slightly. “This is Trexxam. He was one of the prisoners trapped inside one of the boxes like me and Lougard.” Threi studied the stranger in silence. “And why is he here?” she asked. Aēllion scratc
30 Battle Lines are Drawn
.Morning light filtered into Lorekeeper Veydrān’s office through the tall reinforced windows, pale and cold, casting long shapes across the metal floor. Veydrān stood by his desk as a sealed data capsule slid open with a soft hiss.The information Prime-Dexūs had promised was here.He didn't sit immediately. Instead, he stared at the glowing interface hovering above the desk. Three primary divisions. Three pillars upon which the coming war would rest. His jaw tightened as he activated the first file._ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ | The Surveillance team |_ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ The words hovered in a bright white text.This team would be the first to step beyond the EDGE in force. Their task was infiltration of the real world. They'll be responsible for mapping terrain, studying alien movement, structures, and patterns without being detected.Recommended number: ten to twenty soldiers.
29 Counter protocol
Aēllion heard Lougard’s words even though Lougard’s voice was low, almost lost beneath the hum of the locked chamber. “What do you mean?” Aēllion asked, stepping closer. “What doesn’t look good?” Lougard dragged a hand down his face, fingers trembling slightly. “I thought I was talking to myself,” he muttered. Then he looked up, his eyes sharp despite the exhaustion. “I can’t override this lockdown without the exact protocol.” Aēllion frowned. “I don’t understand.” Lougard sighed, turning back to the control panel for a moment, then facing them again. “You know the protocol that put this room on lockdown mode. Well every lockdown protocol has a counter protocol. A release command.” Aēllion’s mind clicked into place. “So we need the other protocol if we’re going to get out of here.” “Exactly,” Lougard said. Sira swallowed hard. “And there’
28 Lockdown
The gun pressed harder against the back of Sira’s head.“Before I fry your brain like I did to your comrades,” the man said coldly, “tell me who you’re all working for. And what were you after in this facility?”Sira’s body shook despite her effort to stay still. Fear crawled through her chest, tense and suffocating, but she forced her voice to remain steady.“Fry my brain all you want,” she said. “I’d never tell you anything.”The man sighed, almost bored. “What a stubborn decision you’ve made.”His finger tightened on the trigger.A sudden burst of laserfire exploded through the room.The security drone Marian had hacked earlier swooped in from behind, firing rapidly at the man. He reacted instantly, twisting aside as shots scorched the air where he had been standing. He rolled, fired back, and barely missed the drone’s core.“Now’s your chance, Miss Sira,” Marian said quickly through the comms. “Push the yellow button at the edge.”Sira didn't hesitate.She spun toward the control
27 No time for Hesitations
The hover car cut through the air in a steady glide, its engine humming low and controlled. Neon lights from the city blurred past the windows, stretching into long streaks of color. Inside the car, the atmosphere was tight and heavy, as if the air itself knew something terrible was coming. Sira sat rigid in the passenger seat, her hands clasped together in her lap. Her fingers trembled despite her effort to keep them still. Threi sat in the driver's seat, without speaking, her eyes locked on the road ahead, her jaw set hard. The glow from the dashboard lit her face in sharp lines, making her look even more intense than usual. After several seconds of silence, Sira finally spoke. “What’s your plan?” she asked quietly. “How are we getting Aēllion and Lougard out of there?” Threi didn't look at her. “I know where they’re being kept inside the facility.” Sira’s heart thudded harder. “Where?” “It's called the box.” Sira turned fully toward her. “The box? What does that mean?”
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