The data vault was a tomb of twisted metal and flickering lights, the air heavy with the tang of burnt circuits and blood. Kael Vortex stood amidst the wreckage, the quantum shard clutched tight, its dulled surface warm against his chest. His mask's glyphs sputtered, the blue light dimming as sweat and grime streaked his face. His trench coat hung in tatters, the circuit embroidery torn, and a dull ache throbbed in his cut palm. The Creators' signal pulsed on the terminal, a relentless drumbeat, and the Spire's lower levels rumbled with the approach of something vast. Kael's breath hitched, but he forced his mind to sharpen—survival demanded it.
Jyx limped to the terminal, her prosthetic arm dangling uselessly, its circuits fried from the overload. "Processor's toast," she croaked, her voice raw. "Shard's still linked, but it's draining fast. We need to move before they pinpoint us." Her silver hair was matted with dust, and she rubbed her temple, wincing—too many hacks, too little rest.
Lira leaned against a wall, her pulse blade notched but ready, her cybernetic eye scanning the feeds. "Red Dragons are rallying," she said, her tone edged with fatigue. "They've got fifty guns, but they want half the shard's take. Concord drones are closing too—ten, maybe more. We're boxed in." Her aug-scars glistened with sweat, and she spat, the Lowtown habit a shield against fear.
Toren knelt by the hatch, his cybernetic arm sparking as he jury-rigged a pulse mine. "I can hold the entrance," he grunted, his visor cracked wider, revealing a bruised eye. "But if the Creators breach, these mines won't stop them. We need a plan, Kael—something better than running."
Kael's jaw tightened. Running wasn't an option—the Spire was a cage, and the Creators were the bars. He glanced at the holo-map, its nodes flickering, and spotted a Concord relay tower on the Spire's rim. "We take that tower," he said. "Cut their drone control, signal the Red Dragons. Jyx, can you hack it remotely?"
Jyx shook her head, wincing. "Not with this junk. We'd need to be onsite, and I'm half-dead. You'll need me there."
"Fine," Kael said. "Lira, lead us out. Toren, rig a rear guard. We move now."
They slipped into the alley, the rain a cold slap against Kael's skin, the neon holo-ads casting jagged reflections. Lira took point, her blade ready, guiding them through gang-marked tunnels—red dragon sigils glowing faintly. Toren trailed, planting mines with a soldier's precision, his arm creaking. Halfway to the rim, a Concord drone swooped, its optic locking on. Kael ducked, firing his pistol, the shot grazing its hull.
Lira reacted, tossing a micro-charge into a conduit pile. The explosion rocked the tunnel, debris collapsing to block the drone's path, but two more buzzed in, their pulse cannons charging. Toren opened fire, his rifle's bursts lighting the dark, targeting a drone's sensor array. It spiraled, crashing into the second, but the impact triggered a cannon blast, scorching the wall near Jyx.
Kael grabbed her, pulling her into a side passage, the heat singeing his coat. "Stay low!" he barked. Lira charged the surviving drone, her blade slashing its undercarriage, sparks flying as she dodged a counter-shot. Toren lobbed a pulse mine, the detonation shattering the drone's core, sending shrapnel ricocheting. Kael felt a sting on his leg—minor, but it fueled his rage.
They reached the rim, the relay tower a skeletal structure against the stormy sky, its antennas humming with Concord signals. A squad of Enforcers guarded it, their armor gleaming, rifles raised. Kael signaled a plan—Lira to flank, Toren to suppress, Jyx to hack. Lira slipped into the shadows, her blade silent, and ambushed an Enforcer, her strike severing its arm. Toren fired, pinning the others behind crates, his shots methodical.
Kael led Jyx to the tower base, dodging a pulse round that melted a strut. He boosted her up, her prosthetic sparking as she interfaced with the control panel. The Enforcers advanced, and Kael drew their fire, rolling behind a generator, his pistol's last shots sparking off their armor. Lira took down another, her blade slick with blood, while Toren's mine exploded, scattering the squad.
Jyx hacked the tower, the antennas screeching as drone signals cut out. The Red Dragons' holo-signal flared—reinforcements inbound. But the ground trembled, and a vortex of light opened, Kaelith emerging, its sigils blazing. "You cannot escape judgment," it intoned, its energy wave knocking Toren back.
Kael charged, the shard pulsing in his hand, and swung it like a club, the impact sending a shockwave through Kaelith. Lira joined, her blade slashing, while Jyx rerouted tower power, amplifying the shockwave. Toren fired, his arm stabilizing him, and the combined assault shattered Kaelith's form again. The emissary vanished, but the vortex lingered, a portal glowing ominously.
Kael panted, the shard's hum fading. The Red Dragons arrived, guns raised, and he knew the fight was far from over.