The hum of Lora's workshop was a constant reminder that the world outside wasn't stopping for them. The faint glow of terminals illuminated the room, casting long shadows across the walls as the three of them huddled around a central console. Lora's fingers flew across the keyboard, pulling up blueprints, maps, and surveillance feeds, all while her sharp blue eyes scanned the information with laser focus.
Elliot leaned over the console, trying to keep up with the rapid pace of her explanations. Nina stood off to the side, her pistol tucked into the waistband of her jeans, her arms crossed tightly over her chest.
"Alright," Lora began, tapping the screen. "The Syndicate has three major facilities in Mid-City. One's a distribution hub, where they process shipments of NoQAnOLs. Another's a lab where they refine the formula and test it on... well, people like your friend here."
Nina flinched at the thought, but Lora didn't pause.
"And the third?" Elliot asked.
Lora smirked. "Their comms hub. It's where they keep their internal network running—communications, surveillance, command. If we hit that, we cripple their entire operation in Mid-City."
"That sounds like a good place to start," Elliot said, his brow furrowed.
"It's also the most heavily guarded," Lora warned, crossing her arms. "They know how valuable it is. If you screw this up, you're dead before you get through the front door."
Elliot frowned, his mind racing. "What about the lab? If we can get in, we could find more evidence—maybe even figure out how to reverse the neural commands."
Lora arched an eyebrow. "You're ambitious, Kessler. I'll give you that. But you're not storming the lab without backup."
"I don't need backup," Elliot said. "I need you to help me get inside."
Lora sighed, shaking her head. "You've got guts, kid. Stupid guts, but guts." She glanced at Nina. "And what about you? You in on this suicide mission?"
Nina hesitated, her gaze dropping to the floor. She thought about the pain, the fear, the overwhelming sense of helplessness she'd felt ever since this nightmare began. Then she thought about the people still out there—people like her—who didn't even know what they were walking into.
"I'm in," she said finally, her voice steady. "But I want to hit the lab. If they're still experimenting on people, we can't let them keep doing it."
Elliot gave her a surprised look, but there was admiration in his eyes. "Alright," he said. "The lab it is."
Lora sighed again, muttering something under her breath. "Fine. I'll get you in, but you're going to owe me big for this, Kessler."
Lora led them to another section of the workshop, where a long table was covered in an assortment of gear: weapons, tools, and devices that looked both highly advanced and highly illegal.
"First things first," Lora said, picking up a sleek, black device the size of a deck of cards. "This is a signal disruptor. It'll block their comms and surveillance feeds within a fifty-meter radius. You'll have about five minutes before they reset the system, so don't waste time."
She handed the disruptor to Elliot, who studied it carefully. "Got it."
"For you," Lora continued, turning to Nina, "I've got something a little more hands-on." She picked up a compact shotgun and held it out. "Close-range, lightweight. Perfect for tight spaces."
Nina hesitated for a moment before taking the weapon. It felt heavy in her hands, but there was a strange comfort in its weight.
"And for me?" Elliot asked, half-joking.
Lora rolled her eyes. "I've got something even you can't screw up." She handed him a small, handheld EMP device. "This will fry any electronic locks or low-grade implants you come across. Just point and press."
Elliot frowned, turning the device over in his hands. "I feel insulted and grateful at the same time."
"Good," Lora said, smirking.
As they finished gearing up, Lora pulled up a live feed of the Syndicate lab. The building was a sleek, nondescript structure tucked between two larger corporate towers. To anyone passing by, it looked like just another office space. But inside, it was a fortress.
"Here's the plan," Lora said, pointing to the screen. "I'll create a distraction at the front entrance to draw their security away. You two will enter through the loading dock in the back. Once you're inside, you'll have to move fast. Get the data, free any prisoners, and get out before they know what hit them."
Elliot nodded, his jaw tightening. "Got it."
Nina glanced at him. "You sure about this?"
"No," Elliot admitted. "But we don't have a choice."
The night sky above Mid-City was a swirling haze of neon light and pollution as Elliot and Nina approached the Syndicate lab. They moved through the narrow alleyways behind the building, their footsteps muffled by the hum of nearby generators and the faint buzz of drones overhead.
Lora's voice crackled in their earpieces. "Alright, I'm in position. Distraction goes live in three... two... one."
A distant explosion rocked the front of the building, followed by the blare of alarms and the sound of shouting. Elliot and Nina exchanged a glance before slipping through the loading dock entrance.
The inside of the lab was cold and sterile, its white walls illuminated by harsh, fluorescent lights. The air smelled faintly of antiseptic, and the faint hum of machinery filled the silence.
"This place gives me the creeps," Nina muttered, her shotgun at the ready.
"Just stay close," Elliot said, clutching the disruptor tightly.
They moved cautiously through the hallways, avoiding security patrols and cameras. The disruptor worked as advertised, scrambling the lab's surveillance systems long enough for them to slip past unnoticed.
Elliot's handheld beeped softly, guiding them to a secure data terminal near the center of the building. He crouched in front of it, plugging in his device.
"NORA," he whispered. "I need you to extract everything you can from this terminal. Quickly."
"Understood," NORA replied, her voice calm.
As lines of code scrolled across the screen, Nina kept watch, her eyes scanning the hallway.
"How much longer?" she asked.
"Almost there," Elliot said, his voice tense.
The terminal beeped, and NORA's voice chimed in. "Data extraction complete."
"Got it," Elliot said, pulling the device free. "Let's move."
On their way out, they passed a heavy steel door with a small, reinforced window. Nina paused, peering inside.
"Elliot," she whispered. "Come here."
He joined her, looking through the window. Inside, a group of people—six or seven, maybe—were strapped to gurneys, their faces pale and gaunt. Wires and tubes connected them to machines that beeped softly, monitoring their vitals.
"They're alive," Nina said, her voice trembling. "We can't leave them here."
Elliot hesitated, his mind racing. "If we try to get them out, we'll blow our cover."
"And if we don't, they'll die," Nina shot back, her eyes blazing.
Elliot sighed, rubbing his temples. "Fine. But we have to be fast."
Using the EMP device, he disabled the lock on the door, and they slipped inside. Nina moved to one of the gurneys, gently shaking the shoulder of a young woman whose eyes fluttered open.
"It's okay," Nina whispered. "We're getting you out."
The woman nodded weakly, her lips moving, but no sound came out.
Elliot worked quickly to disconnect the machines, his hands trembling. As they helped the prisoners to their feet, the alarms in the building shifted, their tone becoming more urgent.
"They know we're here," Elliot said grimly. "We've got to move."
The hallways erupted into chaos as Syndicate enforcers poured into the building, their boots thundering against the floors. Elliot and Nina led the group of prisoners toward the loading dock, ducking behind cover as gunfire echoed through the corridors.
Lora's voice crackled in their earpieces. "You've got company. I'm rerouting a drone to cover your escape, but you need to move now."
"Working on it," Elliot muttered, clutching the disruptor like a lifeline.
Nina fired her shotgun at an approaching guard, the blast echoing in the confined space. The guard crumpled to the ground, and she turned to Elliot. "Go! I'll cover you!"
Elliot hesitated for a split second, then nodded. "Don't get yourself killed!"
As the group reached the loading dock, a small cargo drone swooped in, its mounted turret firing at the remaining guards. Lora's voice was triumphant in their ears.
"Now that's what I call a distraction!"
They piled into a waiting transport vehicle Lora had arranged, the engine roaring to life as they sped away from the lab.