The tower groaned beneath them, skeletal steel trembling as Division carriers circled above. Maya's chest heaved, her fingers tight around the pulsing override key. The hunters had them pinned—drones above, soldiers below.
Vector raised his rifle, jaw clenched. "We make our stand here."
Rei's voice broke. "That's suicide."
"It's better than capture."
Floodlights seared their skin, turning night to day. The carriers tilted lower, their cannons glowing with restrained fire. The soldiers below aimed in unison, black visors gleaming.
Maya's grip on the key tightened. This is it.
Then—The sky split.
A sound like tearing metal ripped across the clouds. One of the carriers jolted violently, sparks erupting from its hull. A beam of searing blue light lanced from nowhere, cutting through the night like a blade.
The carrier exploded, debris raining down. Soldiers below screamed, scattering.
"What the hell—" Vector began, shielding his face.
Another beam tore through the sky, dropping a second carrier in flames. The drones faltered, their red eyes flickering.
Through the smoke, a shape descended—sleek, angular, unlike any craft Maya had ever seen. Silent, except for the whisper of displaced air. Its hull shimmered like liquid glass, bending moonlight into strange patterns.
Rei's face went pale. "No… impossible."
Maya's voice cracked. "You know what that is?"
He swallowed, eyes fixed on the descending craft. "Not Division. Something older."
The craft hovered above the tower, blue light cascading down. The override key in Maya's palm pulsed in sync, faster, harder, until it burned against her skin.
Soldiers opened fire at the sky, but their bullets curved—deflected by an unseen field. The strange craft didn't retaliate. It simply hung there, silent, waiting.
Then a voice—metallic, but eerily human—echoed inside Maya's skull:
"Maya… protocol recognized. Echo command accepted. Extraction ready."
Her breath caught. The voice hadn't spoken aloud. It had spoken inside her.
Vector grabbed her arm, eyes wild. "What the hell is going on?"
Maya stared up at the shimmering vessel, the key searing her palm.
Somehow, it was calling to her.
And she wasn't sure if it was salvation—…or something far worse.
⚡ End of Chapter 16 ⚡