Sector 12's industrial zone had been dead for years — a husk of crumbling warehouses and rusting rails. But in Auralis Prime, "dead" didn't mean "empty."
Zypher crouched behind a broken conveyor belt, scanning the shadows through his visor. "Black Circuit uses this place as a relay hub. Data in, orders out. If we take it down, Russel loses control over half his enforcers in this sector."
Sai gripped his plasma baton. "How many inside?"
"Seven hostiles, maybe more if they're on rotation," Zypher replied.
Bily was already unpacking a cylindrical device from her satchel. "Let me guess — you two want to kick down the door. I say we shut them down from the inside before they know we're here."
Sai raised an eyebrow. "And how do you plan to do that?"
She grinned. "Ghost them."
The device hummed as she powered it up, projecting a faint blue shimmer around her. "Cloak field — homemade. Won't hide me from thermal for long, so I'll be quick. Cover me if it goes loud."
Before Sai could protest, she slipped into the dark.
Minutes passed. The sound of rain on the broken roof was all they heard — until a flash lit the windows, followed by shouting and gunfire.
"Loud enough for you?" Zypher muttered, charging forward.
Sai followed, boots splashing through puddles as they burst into the factory. Two Black Circuit enforcers were down already, sparks leaping from their fried implants. Bily was behind a toppled crate, rifle barking blue plasma bolts into the rafters.
"About time!" she called out.
SaiXyr vaulted a conveyor, baton cracking against a guard's helmet, dropping him instantly. Zypher's blade cut clean arcs through the smoke, disarming another before kicking him into a wall.
More enforcers swarmed in from the far door — heavy armor, visor-glass glowing crimson. One of them stepped forward, larger than the rest, his arms replaced by reinforced servo-pistons.
"Mini-boss," Bily muttered.
Sai twirled his baton. "I'll take him."
The big enforcer roared, charging like a cybernetic freight train. Sai ducked under the first swing, the force splitting the conveyor in half. He slammed his baton into the gap in the enforcer's plating, sending a shockwave up the man's spine. Sparks exploded, the giant toppling with a crash.
Silence followed, broken only by the distant hum of Bily's device winding down.
Zypher wiped his blade on a fallen guard's coat. "That's one relay hub gone."
Bily looked at Sai. "Guess you can fight after all."
Sai smirked. "Guess you can keep up after all."
Zypher glanced toward the shattered doorway. "Enjoy the moment. Russel will know we're coming now."
And somewhere in the city, Russel smiled in the shadows.