The cold cut through the skin like blades.
But none of them hesitated.
The three hooded figures moved swiftly among the abandoned containers at the docks, gliding like distorted shadows.
Kael signaled:
Split and encircle.
—
Helena and Claudia moved silently to the right, using the rubble as cover.
Nikita and Camila flanked left, alert to every movement.
Marie and Patricia maintained watch over the surroundings, blending into the darkness among barrels and old cranes.
Amina and Samantha, positioned at a higher vantage point, monitored the movement and updated the team via Transcoder.
—
The figures stopped briefly, gathering in front of an old cargo warehouse.
Kael crept closer.
Samantha's equipment captured fragments of the anomalies' communication:
> — "Insertion point compromised."
— "Recover core. Restart flow."
— "Enemies detected. Activate fade protocol."
Kael frowned.
They knew they were being hunted.
And they were preparing either to flee—or worse.
—
Without hesitation, Kael gave the command over the Transcoder:
— Initiate containment.
Immediately:
Helena launched a frequency disruption grenade, cutting all nearby electronic transmissions.
Nikita and Camila leapt from the flanks, blocking escape routes.
Marie and Patricia formed an invisible perimeter, blending into the darkness.
Amina initiated an energy wave lock, restricting anomalous movement.
Kael advanced.
—
The first clash was brutal.
The anomalies tried to breach the containment, but Nikita was faster—delivering a precise strike to the structural base of one of them, knocking it down.
It was not human.
Beneath the cloak, there was no flesh.
It was distorted matter, flowing like liquid shadow.
Kael fired his adapted disruptor directly into the unstable core.
The creature convulsed—and imploded, evaporating into the air.
—
The two remaining figures attempted to flee.
Claudia and Camila pursued them like trained predators.
Within minutes, the group had neutralized all three entities.
No witnesses.
No deviations.
No margin for error.
—
Silence returned to the docks.
Everyone's heavy breathing blended into the wind.
Kael checked his portable scanner:
No remaining anomalous presence.
For now.
He lifted his gaze to the smoke-covered night sky.
He knew this battle was only a signal.
The Abyss was no longer just observing.
Now, it was acting.
And Kael would have to act too.
Before it was too late.