The underground tunnels were a labyrinth of steel and concrete, stretching in all directions like veins beneath the facility. Ethan's wristlight cast flickering shadows as he and Mariam made their way through the narrow passages, the echoes of distant alarms muffled by layers of stone above them.
"Wolf, status update," Ethan tried again, his voice low and urgent. The comms were still filled with static, but every now and then, a crackle of Wolf's voice would break through.
"...trying... find another... signal boost..." came the fragmented reply.
Mariam, moving a few paces ahead, paused to catch her breath. "How long before they realize we escaped?" she asked, wiping sweat from her brow.
"Not long," Ethan muttered, glancing back toward the hatch they had sealed behind them. "Spectre's men will be tearing this place apart looking for us."
He accessed his cybernetic HUD, scanning the area for exits. "There's a ventilation system that leads to the surface about half a kilometer north. If we can reach it, we can slip out before they lock down the perimeter."
"Lead the way," Mariam urged, her voice steady despite the tension.
As they pushed forward, the tunnels began to slope upward. The air grew thinner and colder, a sign they were nearing an exit. But just as hope began to rise, Ethan's HUD lit up with a proximity alert.
"Incoming hostiles," he whispered, motioning for Mariam to take cover behind a corner. They barely had time to hide before a patrol of armed guards stormed past, their heavy boots echoing down the corridor.
Mariam clenched her fists, ready to move, but Ethan shook his head. "We can't risk it," he mouthed. "Too many."
They waited in silence, their breaths barely audible, until the sound of footsteps faded. Only then did Ethan give the signal to move again. As they turned a corner, they came face to face with a security camera swiveling in their direction.
"Damn it," Ethan muttered, quickly pulling out a jamming device. But it was too late. The red light on the camera blinked rapidly—an alarm had been triggered.
"They know we're here," Mariam hissed.
"No time to be subtle anymore," Ethan replied, drawing his pistol. "We run. Now!"
Ethan and Mariam sprinted through the tunnels, the sound of alarms and shouts growing louder behind them. Every few seconds, Ethan's HUD pinged with new hostile signatures closing in. Spectre's forces were mobilizing fast.
"We're not going to make it to the surface vent," Mariam panted as they rounded a corner and skidded to a stop. The corridor ahead was blocked by a reinforced steel gate.
"Then we find another way," Ethan said, pulling up the schematics he had downloaded earlier. His eyes narrowed as he noticed an emergency access tunnel nearby. "There's a maintenance shaft to the west. It should lead us out."
They doubled back, ducking into a side passage just as another squad of guards appeared. Gunfire erupted behind them, bullets pinging off the metal walls. Ethan fired back, covering Mariam as she pried open the access panel to the maintenance shaft.
"Go!" he shouted, sending a final burst of gunfire down the hallway before diving into the shaft after her.
The shaft was cramped, forcing them to crawl on their hands and knees. Ethan's ears were still ringing from the gunfire, but he could hear the distant shouts of the guards as they closed in.
"Wolf, if you can hear me, we're heading for the maintenance shaft," Ethan barked into his comms. "We need an extraction point—now."
For a moment, there was only static. Then, faintly: "...copy... picking up... location..."
As they emerged from the maintenance shaft into the frigid night air, Ethan and Mariam found themselves on the edge of a dense forest. The moon was hidden behind thick clouds, casting the world into darkness. The distant rumble of engines indicated Spectre's forces were already combing the area.
"There," Ethan pointed to a faint glimmer of light in the sky. It was their VTOL, circling overhead. But as they made a break for the clearing, a new threat materialized—a squad of drones swooping down from above, their red lights scanning the ground.
"Down!" Ethan yelled, tackling Mariam into the underbrush just as a barrage of laser fire scorched the earth where they had been standing.
Mariam scrambled to her feet, her eyes wide. "We're pinned!"
Ethan's mind raced. He had planned for many contingencies, but Spectre's relentless pursuit was pushing them to their limits. He activated his EMP grenade, tossing it into the air. It detonated in a flash, sending the drones spiraling out of control.
"Run for it!" he urged, grabbing Mariam's hand. They sprinted toward the VTOL, which was now descending rapidly, its hatch open and Wolf waving them in.
"Move, move, move!" Wolf shouted, covering their retreat with a mounted turret as they scrambled aboard.
As soon as they were inside, Mariam slammed the hatch shut. "Get us out of here!" she yelled.
Wolf didn't need to be told twice. He yanked the controls, and the VTOL shot up into the sky, narrowly dodging a missile that streaked past.
The VTOL sped away from the hot zone, the city lights fading into the distance as they gained altitude. Ethan leaned back against the cold metal wall, his breathing ragged. Beside him, Mariam clutched her knees, trying to steady herself.
"That was too close," she muttered, looking at Ethan. "You okay?"
Ethan nodded, though exhaustion was etched on his face. "Yeah... but Spectre's not playing games anymore. That was a full-scale assault."
Wolf turned in his seat, his expression grim. "You guys might want to take a look at this." He pulled up a live feed on the main screen, showing a news broadcast.
The screen was filled with scenes of chaos: buildings burning, people running, and emergency services struggling to control the situation. The headline read:
"Cyberterror Attack: Cities Across the Globe Plunge into Darkness."
"What the hell...?" Mariam whispered, her eyes widening as she watched.
Ethan clenched his fists. "It's Darkwave. Spectre's activated it."
Wolf shook his head. "This is just the beginning, isn't it?"
Ethan's jaw tightened. "Yeah. And if we don't find Spectre soon, this is going to get a lot worse."
Mariam looked at him, her eyes filled with determination. "Then we stop him. Whatever it takes."
Ethan nodded slowly. "Agreed. But this time, we're not going in blind."
He turned to the rest of the team, who had gathered around. "We hit Spectre where it hurts. We find out where he's hiding, and we take him down for good."
Wolf's fingers flew over the keyboard. "I'll start tracking Spectre's digital footprint. If he's slipped up anywhere, we'll find it."
Sophia's voice crackled through the comms. "We're with you, Ethan. But we need to move fast. Spectre's already two steps ahead."
Ethan's eyes burned with renewed resolve. "Then let's make sure he doesn't get three."