CHAPTER 45: CH 45: EMERGENCY TASK - PART 1

Nyx’s voice came through again, laced with tension.

[Nova, this is too risky. Even if there’s an opening tonight, another might appear tomorrow. We don’t have enough verified intel to justify acting now. I suggest you hold back.]

Nova relayed the warning to Anna in a quiet tone.

Anna’s face twisted with frustration. She clenched her fists, biting her lip before speaking.

"I didn’t want to say it earlier... but I overheard something else."

Her eyes locked with Nova’s.

"According to what I heard, General Urn’s flagship is returning to the planet earlier than expected. She’ll be here in two days."

Nova stilled.

Anna continued, her voice low.

"That’s why they’re doing this unregistered drill tonight. To clean things up before the general arrives."

"Nyx, confirm that. Any record of Urn’s return?"

Nova said.

[Nothing confirmed. But... there are irregularities in the data. Gaps. Subtle redirections. Someone’s hiding something. I can’t prove she’s returning, but the signs are there.]

Nyx responded after a brief silence.

Nova glanced at Anna again. Her expression was tense, determined.

He made up his mind.

"We’re moving. Nyx, monitor for traps. Keep me posted."

Nova said.

[Understood. Stay sharp.]

She replied.

Moving under the cover of dim corridor lights, Nova and Anna stuck to shadows and unused paths.

They navigated through half-constructed wings and under flickering ceilings, avoiding patrolling bots and surveillance blind spots Nyx pointed out in real-time.

Nova kept his aether sense spread thin—just enough to detect any presence drawing too close, but not so strong that it would be picked up by sensors.

Anna walked quickly, every movement tight with urgency. Nova’s calm steps followed her, quiet as ever, his focus locked.

"Left here."

Anna whispered, pausing near a sealed utility tunnel.

Nova pressed his hand to the panel beside the hatch. A soft pulse of his aether caused it to unlock with a faint click.

They moved forward, now within the boundaries of the inner circle of the base.

Anna exhaled.

"We made it this far. It’s quiet."

"Too quiet."

Nova muttered.

His senses stretched farther now, probing for aether fluctuations. Everything ahead felt stable. Too stable.

Like the silence before a storm. But there were no approaching guards, no alerts, no trace of direct pursuit.

"We continue."

He said.

Nyx’s voice buzzed faintly.

[Still no signs of alarms tripping. I’ve locked the internal AI on a looped path around your corridor. You’re covered for now. If that changes, I’ll alert you.]

"Good. Lead the next part."

Nova said. He turned to Anna.

Anna nodded. Her hands were trembling slightly, but her movements remained precise. They had passed the point of return. Now, there was only forward.

Nova kept his hand near his weapon. Whatever waited deeper in Vault Sector Zeta, they would face it together.

The moment Nova and Anna crossed into the inner section, red lights flooded the corridor.

Sirens wailed a second later, shrill and sharp, bouncing off the metal walls like a scream in a sealed coffin.

[Alarms triggered. I’ll stall digital notice and redirect personnel. But I can’t access the local mainframe running the physical security systems. You’ll have company.]

Nyx’s voice snapped through their earpieces.

"Let them come. We’ll handle this."

Nova said coolly, his eyes glowing faintly as aether pulsed down his arm.

He stepped forward, a blade of condensed aether forming in his right hand. The edges shimmered with that deep blue hue unique to his construct—elegant, but unstable, flickering like restrained lightning.

Beside him, Anna pulled out her compact aether pistol, her grip steady but her breaths shallow.

The ground beneath them vibrated—dozens of heavy footsteps approaching fast.

A panel burst open ahead and the first security unit emerged: a bipedal mech with polished black armor, its head a smooth lens scanning in red.

Two more followed, then four. Soon, the hallway ahead filled with machines.

Nova dashed in without hesitation.

He met the first robot with a horizontal slash, cutting through its weapon arm before driving the blade upward, splitting the torso clean through.

It sparked violently, collapsing in two heaps. Nova pivoted mid-step, his heel dragging across the floor, narrowly dodging a projectile.

The second robot had fired a bolt of compressed aether.

He flung his blade.

The weapon spun, slicing across the robot’s shoulder joint and making the arm clatter to the floor.

Nova caught the blade as it rebounded back to him and followed through with a heavy downward strike, cleaving through the mech’s core.

Behind him, Anna fired short, clean bursts. She didn’t waste time aiming for the armored plates.

She followed Nova’s instruction—shoot for the gaps where limbs met the torso. Her shots found the soft wiring in the robots’ inner joints, making their legs buckle.

Another robot lunged toward her, but Nova appeared behind it in a blur, running his blade through its back. He kicked the twitching shell aside and glanced over his shoulder.

"You good?"

Anna nodded quickly.

"I’m not dead yet!"

"Keep close."

He muttered, turning as another wave approached.

The next group had heavier plating—riot-class droids. Their shields deployed instantly, forming translucent barriers in front of their torsos.

Nova didn’t hesitate.

He ducked a horizontal swing, dashed forward, then dropped low and slashed at the knees. Sparks flew.

One robot collapsed, and Nova used the falling shell to spring upward and over the others.

Mid-air, he spun and hurled his blade like a javelin, the aether shrieking through the air before it impaled another droid’s head.

Two riot droids rushed Anna.

She rolled backward, firing rapidly, but the shields absorbed the hits.

"Nova!"

He landed, snapped his fingers, and the hovering remnants of his previous blade shattered into a burst of aether shards.

They flew forward, piercing through the shielded droids’ backs like glass bullets. One sparked, twitched, then collapsed, and Anna blew off the second one’s head with a clean shot.

They panted. Alarms still blared. More footsteps echoed.

[Left corridor incoming. I count six more.]

Nyx warned.

Nova didn’t answer—he was already moving. He grabbed the discarded shield of one fallen droid and used it to ram into the next wave.

The impact crumpled two of them, and Nova flipped the shield forward to block incoming fire.

He lunged, now dual-wielding the makeshift shield and his reformed blade, weaving between attacks like a phantom.

Sparks, smoke, and twisted metal filled the corridor.

Anna backed into a side alcove, shooting over Nova’s shoulder. The recoil bruised her wrist, but she held firm.

The final two mechs tried to retreat and regroup.

Nova didn’t let them.

With a burst of speed, he leapt and spun in the air, his blade slicing a clean arc. He landed behind them—his blade dripping with glowing liquid from their aether cores—and both machines collapsed behind him.

Silence returned.

Only the red light remained, washing the destruction in a crimson hue.

Nova turned to Anna.

"You alright?"

She nodded, wiping sweat from her brow.

"Remind me to never doubt you again."

Nova gave a half-smirk, letting the blade dissolve into dust.

"Let’s move."

[You’ve got about fifteen minutes before rerouted patrols show up. I’ll distract them and close off this section. I will also list this area as ’under maintenance’.]

Nyx informed them.

"Understood."

Nova replied.

They stepped over the wreckage, deeper into the heart of Vault Sector Zeta.