Dusk tinted the undercity smoldering red and gold, slicing through the cries of the ancient world above. The four of them edged along the tunnel nexus's rim, bathed in orange dance light, guns raised, nerves frayed.
"Two clicks north of Foundry," Ash breathed, indicating on the map. "We keep low, quiet. Envision's scanners will come by in ten minutes again."
Nyx adjusted her rifle strap, jaw tight. "If we're caught in the open, we're done."
Raze grinned. "Then don't get caught."
Kai didn't speak. His mind buzzed with noise that wasn't his own—faint whispers from the AI threading through the static of his neural link.
> "Right corridor blocked. Take the utility path east. Four hostiles ahead."
He glanced that way but said nothing. "We go east," he said instead, tone flat.
Ash frowned. "Why? Map says it's a dead route."
"Old maps lie," Kai replied, stepping forward. "Trust me."
Raze chuckled lowly. "There it is again. 'Trust me.' From the guy who never talks."
Nyx rolled her eyes. "If it gets us out alive, I'll trust whoever's breathing."
The path was narrow and half-flooded, water rippling around their boots. The air smelled like rust and oil. They moved quietly, shadows blending with the dark—until the hum began.
Ash froze. "Drones."
Raze's grin vanished. "Above."
Tiny blue lights blinked to life in the gloom—scouts, hovering silently, scanning the water.
Kai's pulse spiked.
> "Do not engage. Wait three seconds. They will pass."
Three seconds. That's all.
He paused, his breath hitched, and raised a hand gently, cautioning the others to halt.
Raze curled a lip, mouth opening to ask why, before Nyx's stare shut it. The drones drifted past, slow, feeling, lights on damp walls—then vanished down another corridor.
Kai breathed softly.
Nyx drew breath, "How did you—"
"Instinct," he cut in. "Let's move."
They gained speed.
Half an hour later, the tunnels widened into a massive industrial chamber—a graveyard of machinery and glowing sludge. The air was heavy with heat and metal.
Ash checked her scanner again. "We're close. Foundry's one level up."
Raze smirked. "I'll take point."
Before anyone could argue, he was already climbing the scaffold, blade humming faintly. Nyx followed, muttering a curse.
Kai and Ash lagged behind—but halfway through the climb, the voice of the AI interrupted his head for the third time.
> "Ambush in front. Visualize squad hiding outside the foundry entrance."
His stomach dropped. "Stop," he whispered.
Ash blinked. "What?"
"Something's wrong."
"Like what?"
Kai stared into the shadows. The AI superimposed faint silhouettes on his HUD—red figures behind crates, immobile, waiting.
"Snipers," he spoke quickly. "They're waiting for us."
Raze had already climbed halfway up the platform, but he whirled round with a grin. "And how would you know that, rat?"
"Because I'm still alive," Kai snarled. "And I intend to stay that way."
There was a moment of sheer silence.
Then, to verify him, a solitary plasma bolt ripped through the air—twitching inches from Raze's shoulder.
"Snipers!" Nyx shouted out.
Pandemonium erupted.
Ash took cover, pulling Nyx in with her. Raze cursed, drawing his knife, using the metal guard to parry. Kai fired up, muzzle light casting illumination through the black.
> "Left flank exposed. Destroy the supporting column."
Kai fired the creaky support column across the ambush site and opened fire. The pillar disintegrated, collapsing in a screech of metal and flame and killing the snipers with it.
Nyx whirled around him, eyes wide. "You—how did you—"
"Focus!" he bellowed.
Raze burst into action, cutting down two enforcers like paper. "You're full of surprises, rat!"
Ash reloaded and provided cover fire. "We can't keep this up!"
> "Emergency vent two meters to your left. Exit route."
Kai's eyes went to the vent—mostly concealed behind a pile of trash.
"This way!" he yelled.
They ran for it. Raze in the back, Nyx dragging Ash half-carrying, Kai laying down wild shots to push the drones off their shoulders. The vent hatch groaned open, rusty and full of dust, but large enough to crawl inside.
They sprawled in one after another, choking, hearts pounding. Plasma bolts rained after them.
The tunnel overhead shook with the boom of an explosion. Raze shut the hatch behind him and kicked it over and over again until it clicked. "That was close."
"Too close," Nyx spat, making dirt streak across her face.
Ash leaned back against the wall, panting. "We lost half our ammo."
Raze turned on Kai, eyes blazing. "Funny thing, though. You always seem to know where to head. Like someone's whispering in your ear."
Kai bristled. "Lucky guesses."
Raze's smile became more sinister. "Perhaps. Or perhaps you're playing at your own game."
The tension was thick enough to choke on. Nyx's eyes flicked between them, unwilling. Ash didn't reply, eyes iced.
Kai moved away, fighting to keep his breathing even. The AI breathed soft and low, like a hushed secret he alone could understand.
They won't trust you much longer. But they do still need you."
He closed his eyes. "I know," he muttered under his breath.
"Whatever?" Nyx snapped.
"Nothing," Kai stood tall. "We move. Foundry's nearby. Let's be done with it."
They trailed behind, quiet but vigilant, the hum of the vent with each step. The foundry's blood-red glow beat softly up ahead—a guarantee of refuge, or another trap.
Kai could no longer be certain.
He understood only that walls were closing and the secrets were not easy to maintain.