08:25, February 10, 2295

  Main Server Room, 117F, Amber Moon Spire (琥月塔), ZenFusion Taipei branch, No. 7, Section 5, Xinyi District, Taipei, Taiwan, Imperium of Dragons territory

  "This is Manny. I'm retreating from Amber Moon and making my way towards Rally Point Alpha." In the bean-sized earphone socketed in Lorna’s right ear, Emmanuel Boateng's deep voice came through crystal clear.

  "Lorna here, still working on my part," Lorna responded through her own earpiece, hearing the faint sound of gunshots on the other end.

  She was standing in a chilly room, surrounded by amber-colored tubes and machines that towered over her. Xin sat next to her at a marble table, focused on typing away on an advanced quantum computer that was securely fastened to the table with a pque reading ‘Cluster 6865‘ on it.

  The Main Server Room hummed with the concentrated power of dozens of Zephyrium processors, their crystalline matrices pulsing with ethereal light behind transparent panels. Unlike the ornate dispys in the building's public areas, these crystals were purely functional - rough-hewn chunks of raw power barely contained by their quantum-shielded housings. The air crackled with ozone, heavy with the metallic taste that all fusion facilities shared.

  Through the reinforced floor panels, Lorna could see the building's primary Helionite circution system - a network of luminescent green tubes. The waste product cast a glow across the room's amber-colored walls. Each crystal-powered processor generated enough heat to require its own coont system, filling the space with a byrinth of pipes that snaked between clusters like mechanical veins.

  "Careful," Xin warned as they moved between the servers. "The Zephyrium crystals are unstable this close to the building's core. One stray shot could trigger a cascade." He gestured to where the crystals' light flickered erratically, their usual blue-white glow occasionally fring orange.

  "Do you need assistance, Manny?" Diego Rodriguez's voice sounded over the comm channel.

  "Yeah, remember that Helionite sewage system we used to get here from the Songnei Starport? It's blocked off now," Emmanuel replied.

  "My goodness. Guess pn A just got crossed out, huh?" Diego quipped.

  "Yep. Pn B it is," Emmanuel's tone was ced with amusement. "These Imperium people sure know how to build Quantum Lifts, though. This one is beautiful, fast and sturdy."

  "Alright. How are things going, Lorna? Is the data there?" Diego’s tone remained calm.

  "Yeah, a local is helping me out," Lorna replied, shifting her gaze towards the small and thin man typing away eagerly on the computer. "Guy goes by the name Xin."

  "I can't hear your friends on the other side, but please say hi to them for me," Xin's gaze remained fixed on the screen as he spoke in a cheerful and enthusiastic tone.

  "Xin says hi," Lorna smiled as she caught her own gaze lingering on him. It was her first time in the Taiwan province, and in past missions within Imperium territories, most people she had encountered would treat her and her teammates like dirt. In pces like Mainnd China and the Northern Korean Peninsu, the average Imperial was condescending, detached, apathetic, and emotionless.

  In comparison, Xin seemed different. Lorna wondered if there were more people like him, who still held onto their humanity despite growing up in an oppressive and cruel society.

  Suddenly, a smell wafted in from the stairwell outside the room: a mixture of sweat and burning dust. It was followed by a loud cnking sound of metal armor getting closer and closer.

  "Xin, work as fast as you can," Lorna spoke in a hushed tone as her body tensed.

  "Got it," Xin took a deep breath before continuing his typing on the computer. "The data is in. Just need to delete the local copy —"

  "Stop right there, scum!" A tall, muscur figure in crimson armor stepped out from behind a cluster of tubes, his heavy boots echoing on the metal floor. His face was hidden by a horned helmet, and his rge shoulder ptes glinted in the dim light. He gripped a massive Thermal Battleaxe with both hands, raising it, poised to strike down on Xin.

  "Get down!" Without hesitation, Lorna sprang into action, lunging at Xin and knocking him to the ground just in time to avoid the deadly blow from the crimson soldier's Battleaxe. The attack sshed through the chair Xin had been sitting on, splitting it in half.

  "Bloodtrooper!" Xin excimed as they tumbled to the floor together, he held onto Lorna for support and his cheeks heated up at their closeness. "Thank you."

  "Use your gun," Lorna instructed calmly as she gave him a smile and pushed him away. She then rolled out of the way of another attack from the Bloodtrooper.

  "Why won’t you die!" the Bloodtrooper yelled in frustration as his weapon cut into the ground, sending sparks flying.

  "Fulmen Argentum!" Lorna decred as she stood up, her fingers crackling with blue energy as she aimed a spell at the trooper. The attack hit its mark, causing the soldier to freeze in pce and colpse onto his back.

  Lorna then drew her Psytum Sword and ignited it with a deep breath, feeling her heart synchronize with its glowing core. She approached the fallen Bloodtrooper, aiming for his helmet as she plunged the quantum blue bde right through it. The smell of burnt metal and brain filled the air as she pulled out her sword, victorious over her opponent.

  A pair of Bloodtroopers appeared at the entrance, each wielding a Thermal Battleaxe in their hands. One charged towards Lorna while the other went after Xin.

  Focusing intensely, Lorna could hear the sound of a 10mm Magnum firing and Xin's frantic shouts in the background. She focused on the approaching Bloodtrooper and dodged low to avoid the incoming axe swing. In one swift motion, she countered with her sword, sending sparks flying as it collided with the soldier's armored torso.

  She sidestepped and spun around to meet the enemy's attack head on, their weapons cshing in a fierce duel. Despite feeling a sharp jolt of pain, Lorna pushed through and continued to fight. She took a step back and then lunged forward once more, countering with a powerful strike that sent him reeling backward, his helmet cracking under the force of her blow. But he was not down yet.

  With a roar, the trooper swung his ax again. With his helmet falling away to reveal the rugged and scarred face beneath, Lorna could see the frenzy in his bloodshot eyes as he lunged forward, aiming straight for her waist. Instinctively, she deflected the first blow and sidestepped the second.

  "Pedis Leporis Lunaris!" Gritting her teeth, Lorna dodged the third wild swing and lunged forward, pnting her boot into the Bloodtrooper’s gut and driving him to the ground as a quantum blue energy surrounded her form.

  "Lorna Weiss?! Nooooo!" The Bloodtrooper gasped out.

  "That’s me, fucker." With a swift sweep of her bde, she severed his weapon-arm just as it began to glow red from quantum energy. The Bloodtrooper roared in pain and fear as he clutched at the stump onto the pavement. Seizing the opportunity, Lorna stepped forward and stabbed him in the head as he fell lifelessly.

  Her gaze darted around, looking for any potential threats as she kept an eye on Xin. He had taken cover behind a rge pilr, and beside him y a fallen Bloodtrooper buried under machinery and tubes. To her surprise, the enemy soldier's armor was shattered and crushed, rendering him motionless. Lorna’s lips parted, but no words came out.

  Xin looked up at her, his grin awkward. "There's a weakness in these heavy server machines. Their foundations are flimsy and they easily tip over. Shot a few of them to take down that guy."

  "Clever," Lorna nodded as she deactivated her sword, a melodic hum came from the silver hilt while the energy bde retracted. She felt her heartbeat slowing down and becoming stable as she let out a relieved sigh.

  Suddenly, the ground shook beneath them and they both struggled to maintain their bance.

  "The satellites report sightings of increased police activity in the city. Lorna, have you made any progress?" Diego’s voice crackled through their communication devices.

  "Xin, is the data ready?" Lorna asked as she stepped over the corpse of another Bloodtrooper.

  "It's stored on that fsh drive over there," Xin replied, getting up and walking towards the broken computer. "It's a shame the computer got destroyed though."

  "That's fine. Just grab what you can," Lorna said as she scanned the area with her sapphire eyes. "Is there an emergency exit nearby?"

  "There’s one down on level 69, but we’ll have to get back to the stairwell," replied Xin. As he spoke, he retrieved a dark brown fsh drive - about the size and shape of a tennis ball - from the computer, pocketing it in his gray prisoner suit before zipping it close.

  "Alright, I suppose we can —" Lorna’s pulse quickened as she rounded the corner, only to come face to face with six Bloodtroopers standing in formation, their towering frames dominating the corridor. " — move?"

  Each trooper was encased in menacing crimson armor, ornate yet brutal in design, with jagged edges and intricate engravings that glowed faintly with a malevolent energy. Their helmets were shaped like the snarling faces of ancient demons, complete with horned visors that hid their eyes but left their cold, unyielding gaze unmistakable.

  In their gauntleted hands, they each held a massive two-handed battleaxe, the bdes honed to a deadly sharpness and pulsing with the same ominous energy that coursed through their armor. The troopers stood as an impenetrable wall of red and steel.

  From between the line of Bloodtroopers, a woman emerged with an air of cold authority, her steps measured. She wore a flowing robe of deep bck and crimson, the fabric rich with embroidery that depicted dragons and mythological creatures, shimmering with an almost supernatural sheen under the corridor's lights.

  The woman’s hair, dark as midnight, was styled in a sleek updo, held in pce by an ornate hairpin adorned with a blood-red gem. Her face was like porcein, with almond-shaped eyes that narrowed as they met Lorna's with hostility. She stood straight as she decred in a contralto voice. "One more step and you’ll meet your end, Lorna Weiss."

  "Do I know you?" Lorna casually asked as the group of crimson soldiers surrounded her and Xin. She slid her Psytum Sword back into her coat.

  "No, but many in the Imperium Legion know you," The woman in the onyx red robe smirked. "I am Dilinur Altai, senior Conjurer, Blood Mage in the Golden Serpent Circle, and the Thirteenth Prefect in the Taiwan province. You and your SIMU have sughtered dozens of my comrades."

  "Right, big shot. Killed too many Imperials on this job, though. Don’t really keep count," Lorna coolly tilted her head.

  "But can a Psi Lynx like you really take on me and six Bloodtroopers at once?" Dilinur scowled.

  "Who knows. What have you heard about me, though?" Lorna shifted her weight from foot to foot.

  "You're a filth. Arrogant and promiscuous. You slept with Han, Kuo, and Chang. Killed them all under different names," Dilinur sneered in disgust. "You are the worst kind of human from the Alliance."

  "Yeah, well, did you know that Han had erectile dysfunction?" Lorna's tone took on a mockingly seductive quality. "He told me it's been like that since he was a teenager. Those rumors about his three sons not being his are true after all."

  The Bloodtroopers gasped in shock and began whispering among themselves.

  Lorna's eyes flicked to Xin, who had his 10mm Magnum aimed at the Bloodtroopers while standing next to a gss wall. He looked back at Lorna with a dropped jaw, disbelief written all over his face.

  "Don't listen to this whore! She's a liar and a murderer!" Dilinur silenced her troops with a stern finger before turning back to Lorna. "And today, we will arrest her for great justice."

  "This is Thomas. Manny and I have rallied. Making our way towards Songnei Starport. See you there, Lorna," came Thomas's baritone voice through Lorna's earpiece.

  "Xin, what's behind these walls?" Lorna kept her gaze on Xin.

  "Uh, n-nothing. If anyone tries to go beyond them, they'll fall all the way down," Xin averted his gaze as his voice recovered. "But don't worry, I'll fight until my st breath if necessary."

  "Wu Zhi-Xin, stand down," Dilinur pointed a sharp, ebony fingernail at Xin. "Governor Qin wants you captured alive, but I won't hesitate to kill you if needed."

  With a hopeful expression directed at Dilinur and Xin, Lorna suggested. "Hey, how about this? I’ll walk away, while you guys take Xin into custody. Then, we can all just forget this whole thing ever happened."

  "Very funny," Dilinur responded quickly.

  A tense silence filled the room as both sides awaited the next move. As Lorna reached out telepathically to a component inside her pistol - the one that Xin now held - she sensed that there were only 2 bullets left in the 24-shot magazine. Alone, Xin wouldn't stand a chance.

  Lorna's head remained cocked to the side and her tone rexed as she spoke calmly to Xin, "Alright, Xin. Put your gun down."

  "No way, I'm ready to fight," Xin protested in disbelief.

  "Drop the gun on the floor!" Dilinur ordered. "And hands up! No sudden moves."

  "It's okay, Xin. Just do it," Lorna reassured him as she raised her own hands and subtly turned to face the gss wall next to where Xin stood.

  "This is insane," Xin mumbled as he reluctantly dropped his pistol to the ground with a loud cnk.

  "Arrest them both," Dilinur commanded two Bloodtroopers who slowly made their way towards Lorna and Xin, each carrying an ebony steel cuff.

  "That's right, Dilinur. We surrender to —" Lorna grinned mischievously at Xin before turning to face him. "— gravity."

  "What?" Confused, Dilinur raised an eyebrow but it was too te.

  "Passus Transitus!" Lorna's voice rang out clear and strong as she finished the incantation. A quantum blue aura enveloped her as she lunged forward, passing by Xin and grabbing his wrist. The blue aura enveloping her touched the gss wall and shattered it into pieces that harmlessly flew away from Lorna.

  "Buddha’s balls!" Xin gasped as Lorna pulled him with her.

  Together, they broke through the gss wall and fell into the open sky above. The city's busy morning streets awaited their freefall.

  "Weeeeee!!! Rollercoaster ride!" Thrilled, Lorna excimed with glee as they both plummeted downward, heads down and feet up.

  velwoven