The sun slipped beneath the ruined skyline, leaving behind a bruised, purple sky. Shadows stretched long and deep across the fractured earth. Ada adjusted the scope on her rifle, her finger hovering lightly near the trigger. Beside her, Vega was a silent presence, checking her equipment one last time before they moved.
Night had fallen—and with it, opportunity.
Below, the camp was shifting. Lanterns flared to life, throwing harsh, artificial light over the battered plaza. The guards remained at their posts, but the easy posture they'd shown in daylight was gone. Now they were tense, alert. Watching for something.
Ada narrowed her eyes. "They're expecting trouble."
Vega crouched beside her, voice low. "Or they're planning it."
They waited until the last traces of sunset disappeared before moving. Silent, methodical. Two shadows slipping through the wreckage of a forgotten city.
Ada led, weaving a path through collapsed buildings and overgrown streets. The camp was heavily fortified from the west and south—but the eastern approach, where an old aqueduct snaked through the ruins, was less guarded.
Perfect.
They slid down the embankment, boots silent on loose gravel. Ada kept her rifle angled low, ready but not raised. Vega mirrored her, a ghost at her side.
Halfway to the aqueduct, Ada held up a fist, halting them. She dropped to one knee, scanning the ruins ahead.
Movement.
Two guards, sweeping in wide arcs, their rifles slung lazily—but their eyes were sharp. Too sharp for casual patrols.
Ada tilted her head toward Vega, signaling.
Flank.
Vega nodded, veering left to slip behind a crumbling wall. Ada stayed low, timing her advance with the patrol's movement. When the first guard's back turned, Ada darted forward, pressing herself against the base of a shattered billboard.
Vega struck first—a flash of motion, a muffled thud. One guard crumpled without a sound. The second barely turned before Ada moved, quick and silent, wrapping an arm around his neck and dragging him down. His body hit the ground with a soft thump.
They dragged the bodies into the rubble, covering them with debris.
"Clean," Vega whispered, a small nod of approval.
Ada allowed herself a brief, grim smile.
They reached the edge of the camp without further incident. Up close, the camp's true nature became clear. Beneath the façade of survival, there was something darker.
Cages.
Three of them, half-buried behind stacked crates. Inside, people huddled—dirty, bruised, terrified. Children, elders, injured men and women. Prisoners, not refugees.
Vega's mouth tightened into a thin line. "This isn't a shelter. It's a holding pen."
Ada's fists clenched at her sides. She fought down the surge of anger. Focus. First intel, then action.
From their vantage point, they had a clear line to the central generator. Nearby, several of the fake "guards" gathered, laughing over a map spread across a cracked table.
Ada zoomed in with her optics. The map was marked with grids—sectors across the city. Some were crossed out. Others circled in red.
"They're running sweeps," Ada murmured. "Systematic. Controlled."
"For what?" Vega asked.
Before Ada could answer, her HUD flashed.
[System Alert: Secondary Objective Unlocked.]
[Intercept and Extract Data Core.]
Ada blinked. A data core? That explained the earlier transmission. Whatever "core" they were guarding wasn't just valuable—it was critical.
"I've got a new directive," she said. "Data core. Probably tied to their operations."
Vega's eyes gleamed in the dim light. "Where?"
Ada scanned the camp, tracing power lines. They led to a reinforced bunker beneath the generator.
"Underground. Figures."
Vega smirked. "Of course it is."
Ada considered quickly. They had two options: extraction or disruption. Save the prisoners first and risk losing the data, or grab the data and hope they could come back for the prisoners.
Neither was ideal.
"We split," Ada decided. "You cover the cages. When I trigger the distraction, get them out."
Vega hesitated, then nodded. "Watch your back."
Ada gave a ghost of a smile. "Always."
They parted ways—Ada slipping into the maze of tents and Vega circling toward the prisoners.
Ada moved like smoke, weaving between shadows. She bypassed two sentries and a makeshift weapons cache before reaching the generator compound. A keypad blinked on the reinforced door.
She hacked in, fingers moving fast across the panel. Thirty seconds. Forty.
The lock clicked open.
Ada slid inside.
The bunker was cold, reeking of damp metal and ozone. Racks of servers lined the walls, cables snaking across the floor. In the center, a containment pod—sealed and humming with energy.
The data core.
Ada approached carefully. Her HUD linked with the pod, beginning an extraction protocol. Lights flashed red—too late to stop now.
[Extraction: 12%... 34%... 67%...]
Outside, alarms began to blare.
Damn it.
Ada yanked the core free just as gunfire erupted above. The camp exploded into chaos—guards shouting, prisoners screaming.
Through the comms, she heard Vega's voice, strained but steady. "Got them moving. Meet at fallback point Echo."
"On my way," Ada snapped, slinging the core across her back.
She burst from the bunker into a firefight.
Vega was leading the prisoners toward the aqueduct, exchanging fire with two guards. Ada joined in, laying down suppressive bursts to cover their retreat.
One bullet grazed Ada's arm—a hot, burning kiss—but she ignored it, focusing on keeping the path clear.
"Move!" she shouted.
They sprinted for the ruins. Behind them, more guards poured from the camp, shouting orders.
Ada tossed a flashbang over her shoulder. The blast lit the night, buying precious seconds.
They reached the aqueduct just as the pursuit closed in. Vega shoved the last of the prisoners into cover, turned, and grabbed Ada by the vest.
"Time to go, hero!"
Ada grunted, letting Vega haul her over the embankment. They scrambled into the tunnels, darkness swallowing them whole.
Behind them, the city burned anew—red against the night.