The atmospheric shuttle, a tool stripped bare for efficiency, vibrated with the low thrum of its stealth systems. Inside the cramped, grey interior, illuminated only by tactical readouts, the Eight were islands of contained energy. Noah gripped the armrests, knuckles white. The shuttle’s jarring flight through Aethelburg's sky-lanes assaulted his potential-sight, each near-miss and course correction triggering a cascade of catastrophic 'what-ifs'. He squeezed his eyes shut, forcing Lian’s technique: Filter. Select. Discard. He tried to tune out the static of potential collisions and detections, focusing instead on the immediate: shuttle systems (99.8% operational), pilot AI route (97.3% success probability), harness integrity (99.99% secure). It barely reduced the roar to a buzz.

  Across the aisle, Rias vibrated with anticipation, a grin fixed on his face despite the lack of viewports. Eliz sat beside him, a calming hand on his forearm, a silent grounding force. Koru, plugged into the tactical feed via neural link, relayed data from Silane at the remote command hub. "Structural resonance increasing near target sub-levels," Koru murmured over internal comms. "Silane confirms emitter pulses correlate with localized seismic spikes. Proceed with extreme caution near conduit access." Draven sat perfectly still, analyzing, while Tao remained a quiet void. Lian, near the cockpit, reviewed holographic schematics, the picture of focused command. She met Noah’s eye briefly, a near-imperceptible nod acknowledging his struggle. Focus, Number Six.

  "Approaching insertion point," the pilot AI announced. "Five kilometers out." The shuttle banked sharply, descending into the perpetual grey twilight of Sector 12's mid-levels. Stained plasti-steel and weathered ferrocrete replaced the upper tiers' gleam. Silane’s voice crackled, "Network interference intensifying. Heavy jamming around Sector 12. Keep comms tight-burst."

  "Acknowledged," Lian replied. "Koru, access point integrity?"

  "Conduit 12-Gamma-7b stable, but showing increased micro-fracturing," Koru reported. "Consistent with sustained low-frequency resonance. Draven's subterranean hypothesis likely."

  With a gentle bump, the shuttle settled onto the rooftop of the abandoned hab-block Delta-Nine. "Insertion complete," the AI stated. "Cloaking field active."

  The rear ramp hissed open onto a wide, grimy rooftop littered with rusted machinery. Across a chasm of shadowed streets, Processing Hub 7 loomed, humming with power. A feeling of wrongness permeated the smog-thick air.

  "Alright," Lian commanded, voice low. "Team split. Rias, Eliz – surface level. Establish perimeter, monitor crowds, avoid escalation."

  Rias grinned. "Got it. Keep things interesting down below." He and Eliz descended via a maintenance ladder, vanishing into the urban canyon.

  "Koru, Silane, maintain overwatch," Lian continued. "Standing by," came Koru’s voice, followed by Silane’s strained, "Wrestling this jamming, but I'm on it."

  Lian turned to her remaining team. "Draven, Noah. With me. Standard infiltration. Draven point, I'll take rear, Noah center. Comms silence unless critical."

  Draven nodded, silently moving to the rooftop access hatch. His multi-tool sparked, and the heavy panel lifted, revealing a dark shaft smelling of decay. Noah took a breath, focusing: Filter. Select. Discard. He followed Draven down the rusted ladder, Lian bringing up the rear, their movements controlled in the oppressive darkness.

  They emerged into a deserted service corridor deep within the hab-block. Emergency lights flickered, casting dancing shadows. Pipes wept rusty tears. "Conduit access point approximately 70 meters southeast," Draven murmured, consulting his scanner. "Minimal life signs. Vermin."

  Moving through the derelict space, stepping over debris, they reached a heavy blast door marked 12-Gamma-7b. A seized manual wheel lock supplemented a defunct electronic panel. Draven applied precise heat from his multi-tool, then braced himself and turned the wheel. It screeched in protest, the sound echoing alarmingly, before finally giving way with a jarring shriek. He pulled the heavy door open, revealing not darkness, but a faint, pulsing, greenish glow. The air that drifted out felt unnaturally cold, carrying a strange metallic tang.

  Noah’s potential-sight flared uncontrollably. The space beyond screamed immediate, high-probability threats: shifting energy fields, unstable structures, atmospheric contaminants, unseen watchers. "Report, Noah," Lian ordered, weapon raised.

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  He swallowed. "Energy fluctuations… unstable. Directed fields deeper in. Atmosphere… unknown, recommend seals active. Structures compromised. And… movement. Unconfirmed bio-signatures, masked. Multiple ambush points."

  Draven and Lian activated their environmental seals, translucent faceplates sliding into place. "Seals active," Lian confirmed. "Maximum caution. Draven, point. Noah, immediate threats. Move."

  Draven slipped into the pulsing green gloom. Lian gestured Noah forward, then followed, the blast door sighing shut behind them. The conduit walls were coated in a phosphorescent slime, the source of the eerie light. Thick cables, some pulsing green, snaked everywhere, secured by crude clamps. Jury-rigged devices – metal boxes, humming crystalline structures – were bolted haphazardly onto infrastructure. Water dripped loudly, underscored by a low, sub-aural hum.

  "Energy readings erratic, localized around those devices," Draven reported, sweeping his scanner. "Low-level EM fields. Possible nodes for the sonic emitters."

  Noah’s senses screamed new warnings. "Trap!" he forced out, pointing. "Pressure plate. Left wall, ten meters. Plasma." He indicated upwards. "Ceiling weak. Fifteen meters."

  "Acknowledged," Lian said calmly. "Draven, bypass?"

  Draven knelt, deploying micro-tools. "Subsurface trigger. Sophisticated." Filaments probed the floor seams. "Attempting local field disruption." A soft click, and the faint hum near the plate died. "Trigger neutralized. Proceed."

  They moved cautiously past the trap and under the weakened ceiling. Twenty meters further, they found the first emitter array: a cluster of the humming crystalline structures wired into a salvaged power junction. Thick cables snaked deeper into the tunnel.

  "Primary emitter node confirmed," Draven stated. "Active. Broadcasting complex waveforms. Proximity triggers automated defenses."

  "Silane, can you target this node?" Lian commed.

  Static burst, then Silane’s voice: "Trying, Lian! Military-grade firewalls. This isn't standard dissident tech."

  "Understood. Keep trying."

  Noah felt the watchers closing in. "Multiple hostiles," he choked out. "Closing. Front and rear. Drones ahead, fifty meters. Behind us… four or five bio-signatures, armed, shaft three-alpha."

  "Confirming," Draven said instantly, scanner swiveling. "Automated signatures powering up ahead. Bio-signatures detected rearward, stealth approach."

  "Contact," Lian stated grimly. "Draven, suppress drones. Noah, tactical foresight, rear targets."

  The tunnel erupted. Insect-like drones dropped from the ceiling ahead, red optics flaring. Dark-clad figures emerged from the shaft behind, firing silenced rifles. Draven unleashed energy pulses, engulfing drones in white fire. Noah shouted firing solutions: "Lead target, left, angle forty-seven! Second target, right, pattern delta!" Lian’s sidearm barked, shots finding gaps. One figure staggered back; another returned fire, rounds sparking harmlessly off Lian’s armor. A drone blast seared past Noah’s head. "Drone! Ceiling! High!" Draven vaporized it instantly.

  The firefight was brief, brutal. Within thirty seconds, the drones were inert, two dark-clad figures were down, and the other two had melted back into the maintenance shaft. Silence returned, heavy with ozone and burnt wiring.

  "Status?" Lian demanded.

  "Forward hostiles neutralized," Draven reported. "Rear retreated. Two confirmed incapacitated. No armor breaches."

  "Clear… for now," Noah managed, heart pounding. "They retreated too easily. Regrouping?"

  Lian knelt beside a downed figure. Matte black uniform, no insignia. Compact, unmarked kinetic rifle. "No identification. Professional gear." Her scanner revealed minor cybernetics. Draven examined a drone. "Custom design. Untraceable hardware."

  "Untraceable soldiers, untraceable tech," Lian murmured. "Silane was right. This isn't dissidents." She looked at Noah. "They were testing us," he said slowly. "Assessing our strengths. Our powers."

  Draven nodded. "Logical. Engage, record data, withdraw. Efficient."

  Lian’s expression hardened. "If they're assessing us, they know what we are. This operation just escalated." She tapped her comm. "Koru, Silane. Encountered organized, well-equipped hostiles, custom tech, likely cybernetics. Confirming subterranean activity hostile. Proceeding deeper to identify source. Update Oracle."

  "Acknowledged," Koru replied. "Oracle updated. Recommends extraction, Lian."

  "Negative," Lian stated firmly. "We haven't identified the source. We push on." She met Noah's and Draven’s gaze. "Stay sharp. They know we're here now. The unseen cracks just showed their teeth."

  They moved past the humming emitter array, leaving the site of the firefight behind, pushing deeper into the pulsing green gloom beneath Sector 12. The feeling of being watched remained, colder now, more calculating. They were recognized threats in hostile territory, moving further from the light.