The vibrations of footsteps from above were no longer faint.
Now they were clear.
Close.
Heavy.
Numerous.
The air in the underground chamber felt increasingly tight not from lack of oxygen, but from pressure coming from all directions.
Daniel stared at the stairs with a clenched jaw.
"Second wave," he murmured.
Leonard Graves shifted his position, making sure his line of sight was unobstructed.
"More than that," he said softly. "This isn't just an assault team."
Richard Blackwood stood straight in the middle of the room, his weapon aimed forward, his breathing steady.
"Defensive formation," he said shortly.
No one argued.
Ethan stood a few steps away from the core, now locked behind a protective layer.
Blue light still glowed inside it.
Calmer.
Yet still alive.
He could feel it.
Like a distant pulse, but never truly gone.
The footsteps finally reached the top of the stairs.
The first shadow appeared.
Then others.
Armed silhouettes descended with precise movements.
Not rushed.
Not panicked.
As if they knew exactly what they were up against.
Leonard let out a soft sigh.
"Professionals. I hate these types."
Daniel whispered,
"How many of them?"
Leonard replied without looking away,
"Enough to keep us busy."
The first man to descend didn't fire immediately.
He stopped a few steps from the bottom of the stairs.
Raised his hand slightly.
A signal.
The entire team halted.
An odd silence fell.
Richard narrowed his eyes.
"They're not attacking right away."
Leonard smiled faintly.
"That usually means worse is coming."
The man slowly removed his helmet.
His face came into view.
Calm.
Cold.
Eyes accustomed to chaos.
Ethan watched closely.
Something felt familiar.
The man stepped forward.
"Richard Blackwood."
His voice was deep.
Full of control.
Richard didn't respond.
But his stance remained unchanged.
"It's been a long time," the man continued.
Leonard whispered softly,
"Old friend?"
Richard finally spoke,
"Not close enough to be called that."
The man smiled faintly.
"I'm disappointed."
Daniel looked between them.
"Do you two know each other?"
Leonard replied casually,
"Small world for people like them."
The man shifted his gaze to Ethan.
His look changed.
Sharper.
"So this is him."
Ethan didn't move.
But his eyes didn't look away.
"Who are you?"
The man answered,
"Someone sent to make sure everything goes according to plan."
Leonard sighed.
"Everyone dangerous's favorite line."
Richard said coldly,
"You're too late."
The man shook his head slightly.
"No."
He glanced at the locked core.
"We arrived right on time."
Daniel tensed.
"They know about this core…"
Leonard added,
"Of course they do. We're not playing secrets anymore."
Ethan took one step forward.
"What's your goal?"
The man stared at him.
For a long moment.
As if judging something unseen.
"To take you with us."
Silence.
Daniel reacted immediately,
"That's not happening."
Leonard raised his weapon a little higher.
"I agree."
Richard remained silent.
But his aura shifted.
Sharper.
More dangerous.
The man didn't look intimidated.
He simply said,
"You're important to this system."
He pointed at the core.
"And to the network that's awakening."
Ethan replied flatly,
"I don't belong to anyone."
The man smiled faintly.
"We'll see about that."
He raised his hand.
Another signal.
And in the next moment.
Chaos erupted once more.
The first shots came from the left side.
Leonard returned fire faster.
Both flanks were active at once.
Daniel took cover while trying to access the panel again.
Richard moved forward.
Aggressively.
No waiting.
Every shot he fired found its mark.
Ethan didn't join the fight immediately.
He felt something.
The core.
A faint vibration returned.
Even locked away.
The energy inside was responding to the conflict.
As if every clash, every sound, strengthened something within it.
He stared at the protective layer.
"Not now…"
he whispered.
But the pulse was growing stronger.
Leonard shouted,
"Ethan! Focus!"
Ethan snapped back to attention.
He moved quickly, helping hold back the flank that was starting to break open.
One attacker managed to get too close.
But Ethan stopped him.
His movements were faster than before.
More precise.
As if his body reacted before his mind could.
The man fell.
Leonard glanced over.
"New reflexes?"
Ethan didn't answer.
There was no time to spare.
On the other side.
The helmetless man still stood in the middle.
Not rushed.
Not panicked.
He watched.
Waited.
Richard saw him.
Moved straight toward him.
They met in the center of the room.
No words.
No warning.
The first strike came.
Fast.
Hard.
A clash of two equally trained forces.
Leonard whistled softly.
"Now this is interesting."
Daniel almost shouted,
"We don't have time to watch!"
But the fight was hard to ignore.
Every movement precise.
Every attack calculated.
Nothing wasted.
Ethan glanced over for a moment.
But his attention returned to the core.
The pulse was growing stronger.
Faster.
As if trying to break free from its bounds.
He realized something.
It wasn't just responding to the conflict.
It was absorbing it.
"Daniel!" he called out.
Daniel turned quickly.
"What?!"
"The energy is rising!"
Daniel looked at the panel immediately.
Data moved across the screen.
Graphs climbed upward.
"It's impossible… the system is locked down!"
Ethan shook his head.
"It's not coming from inside…"
he looked around.
"…it's coming from outside."
Leonard shouted,
"What do you mean?!"
Ethan answered quickly,
"Every clash… every bit of kinetic energy… it's all being absorbed!"
A split second of silence.
Then Leonard cursed,
"So we're feeding the damn thing?!"
Daniel said frantically,
"We have to stop the fight!"
Leonard let out a short laugh,
"Tell that to them!"
In the middle of the room.
Richard and the man were still fighting.
Neither had a clear advantage.
But the pressure was building.
Ethan made a decision.
He ran toward them.
"Stop!"
His voice was loud.
Echoing.
For a moment.
All movement slowed.
Richard looked over.
The man did too.
Ethan stood between them.
"Every attack makes that core stronger!"
He pointed behind him.
"If this keeps going, we'll all die down here!"
Silence.
The man stared at the core.
His eyes narrowed slightly.
He understood.
Richard took a deep breath.
Held himself back.
Leonard lowered his weapon a little.
Daniel remained tense.
A few seconds passed.
Then.
The man smiled faintly.
"Interesting."
He raised his hand.
His men stopped.
The room fell quiet again.
But not because it was safe.
But because something bigger was now being considered.
The man stared at Ethan.
"You're right."
He stepped back one step.
"For now… we stop."
Leonard whispered,
"I don't like this."
Daniel swallowed hard.
"Me neither."
Richard remained alert.
"This isn't over."
The man nodded.
"It never is."
He looked at Ethan one more time.
"But we'll meet again."
A signal was given.
His men began to retreat.
One by one, they climbed back up the stairs.
Not rushed.
Not panicked.
As if they were only delaying something.
Ethan didn't chase them.
He knew.
This wasn't over.
The footsteps slowly faded away.
Until finally.
Silence reclaimed the underground chamber.
But the Helios core.
Still pulsed.
Stronger than before.
Daniel stared at the data.
His face was pale.
"We're not safe yet."
Leonard let out a long sigh.
"We were never truly safe."
Richard stared at Ethan.
His gaze was deep.
"Now we know."
Ethan replied softly,
"This isn't just about us."
He stared at the core.
"It's about something far bigger."
Silence fell again.
No one denied it.
The war had begun.
And they had just seen a small part of it.