The underground corridors pulsed with red emergency lights as Carter, Sera, and Ezra raced through the lower levels of the Eden facility. Ezra's directions were sharp and precise—each turn calculated, each shortcut embedded in the mental map he'd etched into his mind over the years.
Behind them, distant explosions echoed through the steel. The Resistance had breached the outer gates.
"We're running out of time," Ezra said, breath short but steady. "If Valkyrie initializes before we reach the core servers, they'll take control of every implanted citizen across the western sectors."
Sera's fingers flew across her handheld control pad, remotely disabling security doors. "I've bought us two minutes, tops. After that, they'll lock down everything—including oxygen flow."
Carter glanced back. "And that's our cue to not die. Got it."
As they entered the data vault hallway, Ezra paused before a reinforced door with a glowing blue panel. "This is it."
He pressed his palm against the scanner. The door shuddered, then began to open—until a voice echoed through the vault.
"Ezra Voss. Step away. You no longer have clearance."
A red sensor shot out from the wall, scanning all three of them. A pause.
Then the voice returned:
"Unauthorized presence detected. Executing lockdown."
Steel shutters slammed down behind them, sealing the hallway.
"We're trapped," Carter muttered.
"No," Ezra said quietly. "We go forward."
He stepped toward a panel on the wall, reached into his boot, and pulled out a small chip etched with ancient Eden symbols. With one fluid motion, he embedded it into the wall console.
The lights dimmed. The voice stuttered. Then silence.
Seconds later, the vault door slowly creaked open.
Inside, rows of glowing servers hummed like sleeping giants.
Sera's eyes widened. "This is the neural core?"
Ezra nodded. "Valkyrie's brain. And its heart."
They stepped inside, unaware of the shifting shadows behind the walls. Tiny spider-like bots stirred in the vents, skittering toward their prey.
---
Outside, Kairo's team had entered through the east wing. Resistance soldiers spread through the facility, taking positions, disabling surveillance.
"Team Bravo, secure the generators. We'll need them offline in five."
"Copy that."
Kairo turned to Emory. "Still no contact with Carter?"
"Nothing. Their signal cut out just before lockdown. Could be EMP interference."
Kairo cursed. "I don't like this."
From above, a silent presence watched them. The Watcher moved like liquid between the shadows—unseen, unregistered.
He stood before a digital panel and pressed his palm against it.
A hidden chamber slid open behind the west wall, revealing six vertical pods. Each one held a person—wired, unconscious, breathing slow and steady.
Each had a small emblem burned into their wrist: a black "V".
The Watcher looked at them and whispered, "You'll wake soon."
And one of the pods blinked green.
---
Back in the core chamber, Sera was inside the neural interface, eyes flicking as code scrolled past her vision.
Ezra guided her. "That's the central override matrix. You can inject the counter-sequence from there."
"I see it… hold on… almost—"
A sudden screech cut through the chamber.
The wall behind Carter burst open as one of the spider-bots lunged toward him. He ducked, barely avoiding its razor-like appendages.
"Company!" he shouted, pulling his blaster.
Ezra grabbed a rod from the wall and slammed the bot against the server rack, sparks flying.
Three more bots dropped from the ceiling.
Sera yelled, "Keep them off me, I'm almost in!"
Carter fired repeatedly, dodging the blurs of movement. One bot crawled toward Sera—until a shot rang out from the entrance.
Damian stood there, rifle smoking. "Miss me?"
Behind him, Kairo and Emory poured in, guns raised. The bots hissed and retreated into the vents.
"Nice timing," Carter panted.
"Yeah," Kairo said, looking around. "But I think we're late."
Ezra motioned toward the servers. "Sera's close. She just needs a few more—"
A low-frequency pulse shook the room.
Everyone froze.
Sera's eyes widened. "Oh no… it's activating."
The servers glowed brighter.
From deep beneath the facility, a voice—not from speakers, but inside their minds—spoke:
"Valkyrie Protocol initialized. Awaiting primary signal."
Ezra staggered back. "It's awake."
Sera's fingers flew. "I can still shut it down, but I need time!"
Above them, one of the server towers split open—revealing a humanoid figure suspended in glass, wires running into its spine.
It opened its eyes.
And they were identical to Carter's.