~A Year Later
The city loomed in the distance, like a crumbling titan or something of the sort. Its spires, once pristine had now been corroded by the relentless tide of void energy. Down below was painted in sickly hues of green and blue... the city of Echelon Prime, a rapidly decaying fortified zone.
Vanya adjusted the worn out respirator strapped across her face and signalled to her crew with a few familiar hand motions.
"We're running out of time." Her voice was distorted by the mask as she spoke.
A labyrinth of rusted vehicles, scavenger camps and makeshift barricades made up the slums of Echelon Prime. Vanya crouched on a ruined overpass, scanning the derelict expanse below.
Grayskins milled about in muted desperation, trading scraps of tech or indulging in the many vices that thrived in the Echelon slums. The stench of burnt ozone and decay was thick in the air, a far cry from the controlled sterility of the UHF's glorified citadels.
Kael's portable scanner whirred softly behind her, the glowing interface of the device reflecting on his cybernetic goggles.
"The rift is about three clicks east." He said. "Energy spikes are off the charts. If this thing tears any wider, it could be strong enough to pull half the district into whatever hell awaits on the other side."
Vanya's jaw tightened, a sense of Deja vu churned through her and she nodded curtly. "Then we stop it before that happens. Isn't that what we're here for? Neutralising rifts too far from the fortified zones for the UHF to give a damn about."
Lynne, a petite woman darted past Vanya, her stealth cloak shimmering as she leaped down to the lower level from the overpass, her cybernetic arm primed. She passed Vanya a nod, her mismatched eyes flashed briefly in the dim light before she darted off ahead, disappearing around an alleyway. Whatever traps lay ahead, Lynne would clear the path.
Ren, the final member of Vanya's crew shifted behind her, his massive frame always a looming presence. He hefted his nanoblade warhammer, its edges humming faintly with stored energy.
"Feels too quiet...with energy spikes this strong, there should be wraith activity already." Ren observed.
"Give it time." Vanya replied grimly, "They always show."
Vanya knew enough about rifts, more than anyone else in her small squad. Her time with the UHF had honed her skills, but it had also revealed one truth: the organization was irreparably decayed, yet they believed humanity's survival was hinged on their iron grip.
Once, she had been a part of their ranks, a demolition specialist tasked with stabilizing rifts and neutralizing threats around the fortified zones, keeping the rich and powerful Domers safe behind their towering walls whilst the rest of the world, the Grayskins, inhabitants of the survival zones, were left to fend for themselves.
She'd seen too many things, she'd watched innocents sacrificed on a whim, too many lives deemed expendable for the greater good... including her team, blown to bits by charges they had set with their own hands, a recurring nightmare that had never left Vanya in the past year since.
As the sole survivor of that incident, defecting hadn't been a choice, it was survival. From a glorified demolition specialist of the UHF to a rebel void-seeker prowling the survival zones, a hired muscle with void expertise.
Vanya now ran with the outcasts, the ones society deemed unworthy. Kael, with his mind as sharp as his tongue. Lynne whose laughter masked the scars of a brutal past. Ren, a human tank who'd lost everything to the void but found a family in their rag-tag crew.
They weren't heroes, not one of them. They were smugglers, scavengers, and when necessary, saboteurs. But they got the job done.
The group moved quickly, navigating the crumbled cityscape with practiced ease. Vanya led the way, her navigation implant projecting a faint holographic map in her vision.
Every step closer to the rift brought back unwanted memories and that sinking feeling that accompanied her since she had begun confronting rifts again.
They soon regrouped with Lynne outside a warehouse, its rusted walls pulsed faintly with unnatural energy, which meant one thing... the rift was inside.
"Kael, scan for anomalies." Vanya ordered.
Kael crouched near the entrance, his fingers flying across the scanner. "Energy signatures are stable enough for now. But we have activity inside... could be wraiths, could be scavengers. Either way, they won't be friendly."
"Ren, take the lead. Lynne, keep watch out, we're in and out fast, three minutes top, count down begins now." Vanya relayed to her crew.
Ren grunted in acknowledgement, swinging his warhammer over his shoulder as he kicked open the warehouse doors. A quiet hum filled the air, a familiar sound that resonated deep in Vanya's bones.
Sure enough, the rift was right inside the warehouse. Rather than a tear, it took the form of a swirling vortex of darkness and light, suspended midair like a festering wound in the fabric of reality. Tendrils of void energy spilled out of it, disintegrating anything they touched, this kind of rift was tagged as a minor corruption zone...it was not harvestable.
Around the rift, several Grayskins moved, scavengers armed with makeshift weapons and plasma blades. A group of them rushed at Vanya's crew, surrounding them and brandishing their weapons threateningly.
"They're trying to harvest void energy and they think we're here to steal their chance." Kael whispered over comms.
"Idiots," Ren grunted. "You can't control void energy."
Vanya winced. "They're about to find out the hard way."
Just as the words were said, the lead scavenger stepped too close to the rift and in an instant, a wraith emerged. A dark and shadowy, skeletal creature with luminous eyes and razor-sharp limbs. In an instant, blood and flesh splattered everywhere, followed by a piercing howl of pain from the dying man.
The warehouse shook with piercing shrieks as more wraiths spilled out of the rift.
Vanya's expression turned grim and she lined her pulse gun. "Engage." She ordered and fired first, drawing the attention of the wraith.
Ren charged forwards, his warhammer cleaving through scavengers and wraiths alike, Vanya drew her pulse blades and lunged straight for the wraith whilst Kael provided cover fire with his pulse gun.
With lethal precision, Vanya sliced through a wraith, sliding across the ground to set up a mini stabilizer at the closest end of the rift and activated it. The rift pulsed violently, but the activated device began to emit a stabilizing field, shrinking the vortex.
"Two minutes to detonation!" Vanya called out. "Everyone out!"
They retreated stealthily, leaving the chaos of wraiths and scavengers in their wake. Vanya hesitated by the door but Ren took hold of her hand and pulled her along, slamming the door shut.
"We cannot save everyone." Ren reminded. As they exited the warehouse, the stabilizer charge detonated, collapsing the rift and obliterating everything in close proximity.
Vanya's jaws clenched tightly, as she suppressed the horrific memories of her team flashing through her mind, mingling with the final glance of the scavengers desperate faces. For all her efforts, the rifts would keep coming and the void always took its due.
"Scavengers are no better than wraiths, you know this. They would easily have killed us for interfering if they got out alive and their actions risk the lives of hundreds in this district." Ren said again.
"I know." Vanya replied in a tight tone, sheathing her plasma blade, she turned. "We should leave before the UHF agents arrive."