The Deep Vaults' core was a maze of glowing conduits, their hum drowning out the distant gunfire. Sylas and Veyra reached the kill-switch node, a quantum server pulsing with red light. Rhea was pinned back, holding off Syndicate forces with the last of her mercs. Sylas didn't care—she was expendable, as long as he got the Core.
Veyra's neural link was fraying, blood trickling from her eyes as she jacked into the server. "The kill-switch is here," she gasped. "But it'll take my link—my life—to activate it."Sylas's lenses analyzed the server: she was right. The kill-switch required a neural sacrifice to override the Core's sentience. He could save her or claim the Core.
The choice was easy—power over pity. But before he could act, the vault's ceiling shattered, and Corporate sentinels rappelled in, their laser-grid eyes locking onto him. Executor Talis led them, his gene-modded body enhanced with Core tech, his skin glowing with quantum circuits."Vren," Talis said, his voice amplified by implants. "You're out of lies. The Core's mine."Sylas smirked, his ghost rig cloaking him as he tossed a decoy shard. "Catch." The shard exploded in a pulse of EMP, frying the sentinels' sensors. Talis roared, charging through the chaos, his augmented strength shattering conduits. Sylas dodged, but Veyra was too weak to move.
She unplugged, collapsing, her data-core clattering to the floor.Rhea's voice crackled through his comms: "Sylas, I'm done. The Colonies offered me a way out. You're on your own." Betrayal—predictable. Sylas's tracker in her cyber-arm confirmed her location: she was leading Colony mechs to the Vaults. He'd deal with her later.Talis grabbed Veyra, his hand crushing her exosuit. "Give me the kill-switch, Vren, or she dies."Sylas's lenses flickered, the Core whispering: "Let her die. Take my power."
He ignored it, triggering a Vault lockdown, sealing Talis inside with collapsing walls. He grabbed the data-core and ran, leaving Veyra behind. She'd served her purpose—or so he told himself.