Time: 01:13 AM – The Next Day
The city slept… or at least pretended to.
But beneath its streets, everything was moving.
In the abandoned sewage tunnels under Sector 17-B, Franco and his team moved cautiously. Darkness swallowed the faint beams of their flashlights. Water dripped from the ceiling like a slow, nervous heartbeat.
Rocco (whispering with his rifle in hand):
"So, if we die down here, I want my tombstone to say: 'Died heroically… surrounded by the stench of victory.'"
Luchini (dead serious):
"If you don't shut up, I'll make sure you're buried before the robots even touch you."
Franco (checking the digital map):
"We're fifty meters from the lower lift. Once we take it, we'll be inside the facility."
Savio:
"This silence… it's too perfect. Too clean."
Colombo (checking thermal signals):
"No signs of life… or bots. That alone smells like a trap."
Franco (nodding slightly):
"We go in anyway. The data's there. The answers… are there."
---
Above – Command Center
Thermal cams tracked every movement of the squad—streamed live to a massive screen in front of Karos, seated like a king in his black leather chair.
Karos (softly, almost smiling):
"Come on, Franco… just a few more steps..."
He pressed a button. The red alert lights started to blink.
---
Below – The Lift Chamber
The team reached the elevator door. Franco pressed the panel. A mechanical sound echoed from within… but the door didn't open.
Rocco (looking around):
"That's not good..."
Suddenly, an alarm blared. Red lights flooded the tunnel.
Franco (shouting):
"Positions! It's a trap!"
From hidden vents in the walls, small weaponized drones flew out, releasing thick gray smoke. Combat droids followed, armed and moving with terrifying precision.
Colombo (calmly yelling):
"Get behind cover! Don't shoot until I say!"
Rocco:
"Here we go! The sewer showdown begins!"
Savio (jumping onto a drone):
"Franco, go! We've got this! Find the server!"
Franco:
"I'm not leaving you!"
Luchini (growling):
"You're the leader now, idiot! ACT LIKE IT!"
Franco ran through the chaos, smoke trailing behind him, dodging lasers and shattered steel. He slipped into a small control room with a humming server. He opened the panel and started downloading files to his portable drive.
A voice echoed from hidden speakers.
> Karos: "Hello, Franco. We finally meet… in the shadows, at least."
Franco (stopping briefly):
"Who are you?"
> "Someone who knows exactly who you are. More than you do."
> "You're not just a rebel, Franco.
You're… an unfinished project."
---
An explosion rocks the chamber. Franco yells, grabbing the drive before fire bursts from the server.
He sprints back, smoke all around him, coughing, until he sees his team still battling.
Franco:
"Retreat! I've got the data! Pull back!"
Rocco (grinning, covered in oil):
"But I was just starting to have fun!"
Savio:
"Forget fun, genius! Move before we become fried junk!"
Under a wave of suppressing fire, the team escapes, diving through maintenance tunnels until they reach safety. They're bruised, bloodied, breathing hard… but alive.
---
Later – Secret Base
Silence filled the room. Med kits were open, wounds treated. The stolen data began decrypting on a holographic console.
Marco entered, his expression unreadable. He looked straight at Franco.
Marco:
"You did good."
Franco (still breathing hard):
"It wasn't a win… It was a message.
They know everything about us."
Marco (low voice):
"Then it's time we learn everything about them…
Before we take them down."
---
End of Chapter 10
The real threat hasn't even begun.
And every step forward… may uncover a truth more dangerous than the enemy itself.