CHAPTER 285: FIRE AND STEEL [ 1 ]

The tunnel door buckled inward with a sharp crack, sending a shudder through the air. Smoke rolled low and fast, curling around their feet before thinning into the bright light beyond.

Gunner was first, a dark silhouette slipping through the breach, rifle raised and visor glowing with data.

Stone and Vance followed closely behind, their footsteps purposeful,no wasted motion.

"Alpha inside," Mireille reported, her voice steady and clipped. "West corridor clear. Two down."

"Bravo inside," Holt chimed in. "South catwalk secured. Turret nests spotted. Marking now."

Silas’ drones whispered past the open hatch like moths drawn to light, hugging the ceiling as his calm voice cut through the comms:

"Motion arrays spinning up in thirty seconds. You are ghosts for twenty-nine seconds,after that, they’ll start seeing shapes."

"Copy that," Gunner replied. "Phase One: sweep and choke. Go!"

They split up; Alpha vanished left into a corridor lined with sealed doors while Bravo ghosted right along a narrow maintenance walkway overlooking a loading bay stacked high with gray crates.

Gunner’s team pressed straight ahead through the wide hall where bright lights flickered overhead,cameras dead from an EMP blast but even without surveillance, it felt as though unseen eyes were watching.

Suddenly, a defense drone slid from its hiding spot above the corner like a mantis dropping from a branch, swiveling faster than any human neck could turn.

Its sensor cluster glowed ominously red.

Rask’s shot struck true before it could make a sound,a silent cough of power from his Mantis-X5 rifle sent it crashing to the ground like a marionette with severed strings.

"X5s confirmed," Rask murmured with satisfaction. "Clean break. No sparks."

Silas pushed live feeds to everyone’s HUDs, heat silhouettes moving behind a translucent wall caught their attention: six guards in the north access point, one heavy unit among them, while turret systems began waking up on the gantry above Bravo’s position.

Lyra didn’t hesitate; she launched herself into action with Ghostveil fibers rippling across her suit as she slid beneath the turret’s firing arc.

The Viper-9 flashed silver once as she opened a maintenance panel and jammed its blade into optic cables,a quick maneuver that left the turret blind.

"Turret down," Holt confirmed over comms as he scanned for incoming threats. "Two patrols converging on our ping,we’re dark."

"Alpha, pinch them," Gunner commanded decisively. "Charlie pivots to north access..."

Just then, an earth-shaking tremor reverberated through their surroundings as something heavy slammed shut far above them; somewhere deeper within the facility, generators coughed back to life in syncopated rhythm.

"Motion arrays live," Silas warned urgently over comms. "They’ll see you if you loiter! Keep moving!"

They Kept Moving.Gunner’s team surged toward the north access, adrenaline coursing through their veins.

The first two guards were caught completely off guard, oblivious to the impending threat.

The third guard caught just a fleeting glimpse, a ripple of movement in his peripheral vision,before Stone’s shot shattered the bridge of his nose, sending him crumpling to the ground.

The heavy set guard raised his shield instinctively, but the X5 rounds tore through it like paper, reducing steel to dust.

Vance swiftly maneuvered around, gripping the rim of the shield and shoving its wielder against the wall with a forceful shove.

In an instant, he drove his Viper-9 into the armpit seam of the man’s armor; he collapsed like a tent under pressure.

"North access secure," Gunner reported briskly. "Alpha, status?"

"West clear to Junction Delta," Mireille responded without missing a beat. "Drone rack ahead,two dozen, hot. Rask?"

"On them." The big man’s rifle barked twice more than silence allowed,two rounds per chassis and lights flickered out in a neat line.

Suddenly, a klaxon blared through the facility as heavy shutters slammed down along the corridor like jaws closing shut.

"Lockdown!" Silas warned urgently. "They’ve sealed Sector C and D! They’re trying to trap each team in a kill zone!"

Without hesitation, Gunner barked orders: "Bravo, cut through maintenance crawl under B-4. Alpha, smash through glass on Delta and take the service staircase. Charlie will hold this spine and draw fire."

"Copy that," Holt acknowledged.

"Copy," Mireille echoed as she was already on her way.

The first squad of VULTURE guards charged down the spine with alarming speed and coordination,dressed in composite armor suits with high visors and compact rifles that looked menacingly efficient.

They moved as if they had trained together for years; they were not just hired guns,they were dangerous professionals.

Gunner stepped into their path and fired twice; one round shattered into the lead man’s chest while another sent the second guard sprawling with a severed leg at the knee.

Stone took aim at an incoming shot meant for Gunner; he turned slightly to absorb it into his backplate instead of letting it hit squarely.

Vance leaned out from cover and unleashed a burst that shattered three helmets like glass fruit falling from trees.

Ethan bolted forward, shouting over gunfire: "Left flank!"

His Ghostveil fibers pulsed intensely as they dampened his heat signature while he dashed across turret fire erupting at hall’s end.

He felt bullets whizz past him before diving behind a low lab cart for cover.

"Ethan!" Gunner cautioned sharply.

"Relax," Ethan said, breathless but grinning. He sprang up, flicking his right hand with a flourish.

A stubby cylinder bounced once under the turret, rolled into its base, and popped inward. The turret hiccupped, whined, and froze before sagging like a weary neck.

"EMP tickle," Ethan quipped. "Works wonders on grumpy furniture."

"Stay on my shoulder," Gunner replied flatly.

"Yes, Dad."

"Don’t call me that."

Just as quickly as it had begun, the firing subsided.

The spine looked untouched,if you ignored the bodies and the acrid scent of scorched metal lingering in the air.

"Skyfang on station," Stone reported, his eye narrowed as he listened intently. "Fifty seconds to run."

Silas layered a feed into their HUDs: a ghost-black triangle slicing through the low clouds like it owned the sky.

"Convoy approaching from the east access," Silas added. "Three vehicles with heavy plating,they’re trying to funnel reinforcements into the south lot."

Gunner tilted his chin toward the ceiling as if he could see through steel beams. "Paint them."

Silas tagged the convoy with three cold white diamonds.

Outside, chaos erupted.

They felt it first,the pressure shift from far to near,as if the air inside was pushing against their throats for just a heartbeat,then came the sound: a ripping roar that devoured distance.

The Skyfang punched through a low bank and dove between ridges like an arrow finding its mark. Its engines didn’t howl; they peeled back layers of silence from above.

"Run commencing," Stone relayed calmly, like he was reading off a timetable.

The jet flared and leveled out. Twin plasma lances blinked,white lines so bright they stung when glanced at.

The first vehicle didn’t explode; it simply ceased to exist, collapsing into molten outlines and smoke.

The second veered desperately; a rail slug shattered its front axle and sent it crashing into a concrete barrier.

The third vehicle pressed on,stubbornly brave despite its impending doom.

The Skyfang pivoted sharply and unleashed a precise burst across its roofline,the vehicle folded like paper and lay still.

Static crackled over comms as someone screamed warning into dead radio waves somewhere nearby.

"Convoy neutralized," Silas confirmed coolly. "Perimeter response stunned."

Lyra’s laugh flickered over their net: "That’ll trend!"

"Stay tight," Gunner instructed firmly. "We didn’t come for their parking lot."

And just like that, they moved again.