Kaelen and Elara burst into the broadcast chamber. It was heavily guarded, but not by soldiers. Automated defense turrets tracked them instantly.
"Rorke, buy us time!" Kaelen yelled.
Rorke gave a final, defiant roar and charged the turrets, drawing their fire. He was cut to pieces, but his sacrifice gave Kaelen the seconds he needed to jack into the main console.
"I'm in! Uploading the counter-frequency now!" The progress bar crawled. 10%... 20%...
Suddenly, the chamber's blast doors sealed shut. A familiar, smug voice echoed from the speakers. It was Silas Vance, his body now heavily augmented, one arm replaced with a integrated sonic cannon.
"You didn't think I'd miss the finale, did you?" Vance hissed. "I've evolved, Kaelen. I am the Alpha and the Omega now."
He fired his cannon. The blast wasn't meant to kill, but to corrupt. It targeted Kaelen's counter-frequency, twisting it, threatening to turn it into a new, even deadlier wave.