The chill of the night settled over the industrial zone as Aria and Elias made their way through the abandoned train yard, their figures hidden in the shadows. Above, the sky glowed with the neon lights of the city, casting an eerie, multi-colored glow over the rusting metal of old machinery. In the distance, the towering spire of the Tribunal's central archive loomed, a fortress of steel and glass wrapped in layers of shifting holographic defenses.
Aria adjusted the Phase Cloak strapped to her waist, feeling the slight hum as the device primed. It would allow them to slip through the outer perimeter undetected, but only for a few minutes. "How do we get past their scanners?" she asked, glancing at Elias.
He pulled out a sleek, silver orb from his pocket—the Temporal Scrambler—and gave her a grin. "With a little luck and a lot of tech. This baby will mask our time signatures just long enough for us to get through the entry points. But once it activates, we'll have two minutes before it burns out."
"Two minutes to bypass their security grid," Aria muttered, feeling a mix of excitement and tension. "No pressure, then."
"Hey, if it were easy, we wouldn't have chosen this line of work," Elias said, winking at her before turning serious. "Alright, let's synchronize our Phase Cloaks. On three."
Aria nodded, her fingers hovering over the activation switch. "Ready."
"Three… two… one." Elias flipped the switch, and a faint shimmer washed over them as they disappeared from view. The Phase Cloaks hummed softly, and they moved like shadows toward the perimeter.
The Tribunal's archive was surrounded by a high-energy fence, patrolled by sleek, hovering drones equipped with infrared scanners. Aria's heart raced as they crept forward, the Cloak's energy thrumming against her skin. She activated her ChronoLens, scanning the air for hidden sensors. The lens displayed faint temporal echoes—residual traces of movement left by guards who had passed through the area minutes ago.
"Follow my lead," Elias whispered, his voice barely audible in the darkness. He pressed the button on the Temporal Scrambler, and the world seemed to blur around them. The orb pulsed with a soft blue light, disrupting the electromagnetic field around the perimeter. They slipped through the fence, their Phase Cloaks absorbing the energy interference.
They moved quickly, darting past the patrolling drones and through a side entrance hidden behind a stack of old metal crates. Aria's breath caught as they passed under a massive turret, its sensors scanning for any hint of unauthorized movement. But the Temporal Scrambler held, keeping their presence hidden for a few precious seconds longer.
They reached the door to the archive's main data chamber. Elias pulled out a set of Quantum Blades, their thin edges glowing with a faint, oscillating light. "These should cut through the lock," he said, sliding one of the blades into the seam of the door. The metal vibrated and parted with a soft hiss.
Aria kept watch, her eyes darting to the surveillance nodes above. She noticed a shifting shadow and realized one of the Hover Drones had pivoted, its sensors aimed in their direction. "Hurry," she urged, her hand tightening around the grip of a small ChronoWeapon—a short-range pulse gun capable of freezing a target in time for three seconds.
"Almost… got it." Elias pushed the door open, and they slipped inside just as the drone's spotlight swept over the area. He sealed the door behind them, and they deactivated the Phase Cloaks, each of them letting out a breath they hadn't realized they'd been holding.
They stood in a vast chamber, the walls lined with transparent screens and digital archives. Streams of data flickered across the displays—files on people, locations, and events that spanned decades. Aria's eyes widened. "This is it. The Tribunal's primary database."
Elias moved to a central console and began typing rapidly, the screen lighting up under his touch. "We have to be quick. I'll download the data onto a Data Shard, but the security is tight."
Aria scanned the room, her heart still pounding. "How long?"
"About five minutes—if the extraction goes smoothly."
"Of course it won't," Aria muttered, keeping her pulse gun raised. Just as she spoke, the lights flickered, and a low rumble echoed through the chamber.
"Speak of the devil," Elias said, his face tense. "They've detected the breach. We're on borrowed time."
Aria moved to the far side of the room, scanning for threats. "I'll hold them off. Just get the data."
Elias's fingers flew over the keys, his expression focused. "I'm on it. But don't do anything heroic. We're not leaving this place without you."
She shot him a dry smile. "No promises."
The floor trembled, and the chamber's temperature dropped sharply as a Stasis Field began to form at the entrance, freezing the air into a shimmer of blue light. Aria's eyes widened, and she fired the ChronoWeapon. The pulse struck the edge of the field, destabilizing it long enough for her to slam the emergency override