The alarm echoed across Layer Zero.
Red warning lights flashed along the metal walls. Screens flickered as technicians rushed between control panels.
"Multiple entry points!" one of them shouted.
Arjun stepped toward the central console.
"How many?"
"Five… maybe six teams."
Riya swore under her breath. "Helix doesn't waste time."
Aarav stood frozen for a moment, trying to understand what was happening.
"You mean those people are coming here?"
Riya grabbed a small device from a table and clipped it to her belt.
"Yes."
She handed Aarav a thin tablet.
"And if you want to survive tonight, you're going to help us stop them."
He looked at the device. "How?"
Arjun pointed to the tunnel map.
"Helix uses drones and encrypted comm systems. If you jam their network, they'll be blind."
Aarav stared at the screen.
"So you want me to hack them."
"Exactly."
A loud explosion echoed somewhere in the tunnel.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
One of the guards shouted.
"They breached Gate 3!"
Riya pulled a pistol from her jacket.
"Well," she said calmly, "that was faster than expected."
She turned to Aarav.
"Stay near the console."
Then she ran toward the corridor.
Moments later gunfire echoed through the tunnels.
Aarav's hands moved quickly across the tablet.
Lines of code appeared as he connected to the underground network.
Helix drones were already inside the system.
He muttered under his breath.
"Okay… let's see what you've got."
His fingers moved faster.
Within seconds he found their signal frequency.
Then he smiled.
"Found you."
He typed a command.
Across the tunnels, Helix drones suddenly began spinning wildly in the air.
One of the technicians shouted in surprise.
"You're controlling them!"
Aarav nodded.
"Just borrowing them."
He redirected the drones toward the attackers.
Gunfire erupted again.
Arjun watched the screen carefully.
For the first time, he smiled slightly.
"Looks like we chose the right hacker."
But the battle wasn't over.
More red dots appeared on the map.
Many more.
Arjun's smile faded.
"Or maybe the wrong night."