The elevator descended with a metallic screech. Kael felt a split-second of relief. Below, an unfamiliar, dark corridor full of dust and old pipes stretched out before them. Red emergency lights flickered on the walls, casting short shadows.
"I didn't expect us to survive the roof," Rex muttered, stretching to his full height and checking his weapons. "But it looks like it's not time to die yet."
"No time for talking," Kael said, turning to the rest of the team and leading them through the narrow corridor. "We need to find a way out. The silhouette isn't going to let up."
Zara stumbled on the elevator steps but got up immediately. "I can't believe I survived that! I can't believe I still have these toys with me. But, hey, I've got 'em!" She pulled out both guns, aimed them ahead of her, and smiled maniacally.
Taro looked up from the emergency terminal. "Thanks for rescuing me on the roof. I don't think I've ever been so stressed in my life."
Lira moved along the wall, disabling the remaining laser traps. "This place is even more destroyed than I thought. We don't know what awaits us at the end."
The corridor was long and winding. Metal creaked under their feet, and every echo from the past reverberated. Kael activated the backlight mode on his suit, illuminating the path ahead.
"Check that door on the right," he said, pointing to a rusty, corroded entrance. "Maybe it leads outside."
Zara went first and checked the locks. "Damn, it's all rusted. But there's nothing I can't open." She pulled out her toolkit and set to work with precision and efficiency.
Rex watched the hallway. "Be quick. The silhouette is still following us. I heard footsteps on the roof before we got into the elevator."
Taro connected the terminal to the emergency door system. "This might work, or it might break it completely. Give me a minute."
Lira shook her head. "We don't have a minute. Kael, lead them forward, and we'll cover the rear."
Kael nodded and moved toward the door. Zara followed him, jumping over obstacles and firing shots into the air to scare off opponents.
Suddenly, a metallic clang echoed through the hallway. A figure leaped out of the shadows and landed in front of them, blocking their path. It was enormous, its eyes glowing red in the dim emergency lighting.
"Shit..." Rex whispered, raising his weapon. "This doesn't look good."
Zara rolled over, landed on her side, and fired at the silhouette. "Who said I couldn't make an impression?"
The silhouette moved with disturbing speed, almost imperceptibly. Kael knew their every move was being watched and analyzed.
"We have no choice!" Kael shouted. "We have to break through and find a way out!"
Rex opened fire, and plasma cut through the air toward the enemy. The enemy deflected the projectiles as if they were air.
Zara screamed and rolled over, firing another burst. "There's no time for subtlety!"
Kael pushed Taro toward the next section of the corridor. "Forward! Now!"
The silhouette hovered above them, its movements fluid and unnatural. The metallic sound of its footsteps echoed throughout the complex. Kael felt that if they didn't break through quickly, they wouldn't get a second chance.
He pushed the group along the corridor as the figure moved after them with extraordinary speed. Metal creaked under their feet, and each thud echoed in the narrow passageway.
"Someone tell me this thing isn't abnormal!" Rex shouted from the rear of the group. Plasma from his rifle cut through the air, and the bullets bounced off the metal walls, disappearing without a trace.
Zara jumped over the gap in the floor, somersaulting in midair and landing flawlessly on the edge. "There's nothing I won't do in chaos!" She fired a burst at the enemy, trying to block them.
Taro connected another cable to the emergency panel, trying to open a hidden door. "Just a moment, and we might have a way out. I think."
"A moment could be too long!" Kael yanked Lina's hand and pushed her toward the next section of the corridor. "Go!"
Lina climbed up the pipes, watching the figure moving with unnatural precision. "If we don't hurry, it'll catch us before we reach the elevator."
The figure appeared in front of them in an instant, blocking their path. Its eyes glowed red in the flashing emergency lights, and its body moved so quickly that it seemed almost invisible.
"Don't stop!" Kael shouted, urging Taro to work faster on the panel. "We have to open the door!"
Zara rolled over, landed on her side, and fired both pistols at the figure. Each bullet bounced off its armor. "Damn, this is even harder than on the roof!"
Rex moved closer, covering the group with a burst of fire. "I can't stop her!"
"Almost done!" Taro hissed as he pulled wires from the panel and reconnected them. "Almost done! Just a second!"
"We don't have a second!" Lira shouted from above. "Kael, lead them through the side crevice!"
Kael pushed everyone into a narrow passageway hidden in the shadows. Suddenly, the silhouette jumped out right behind them. Its movements were fluid and dangerous, as if the air were a spring bouncing it off.
"One more step and it'll end badly!" Rex shouted. Zara landed with another somersault and fired into the air to confuse her opponent.
Taro connected the last wire. The door behind them opened with a metallic clang. Wind from the shaft blew through the corridor, stirring up dust and metal debris.
Kael pushed the group toward the door. "Forward! Now!"
Zara rolled through the air, firing a burst at the enemy, trying to catch up with them. "No mercy!"
A silhouette hovered above them, its eyes glowing red. Kael knew that if they didn't break through the door, it could all end tragically.
"One more step!" Kael shouted, leading the team toward the exit.
Rex fired a burst, and the plasma lit up the corridor, revealing the silhouette, which suddenly disappeared into the shadows. Kael felt relieved, but knew it was only temporary.
Zara landed outside, smiling maniacally. "Someone should remember that I survived!"
Taro looked up and watched the silhouette circle above the complex. "It's not over yet."
Kael nodded. "I know. But at least we have a way out and time to regroup."
The group rushed outside, where the wind whipped their faces and kicked up dust and small pieces of metal. The roof of the complex was in ruins, and the chasm below looked deeper than ever. Kael quickly assessed the terrain. They needed to find cover and a location from which they could work together.
"We're splitting into two groups," Kael said, reaching out to Zara. "You and Rex search the left side. Taro and Lira, search the right side. I'll stay in the center and monitor the silhouette."
Zara rolled through the air, landed in the shadows, and fired a burst at the silhouette. "No time for pleasantries! We have to check it out!"
Rex moved alongside her, covering the rear of the group. "I can't believe something like this is chasing us. It doesn't look like a normal enemy!"
The silhouette reacted immediately. It leaped onto a piece of the destroyed roof and landed with a thud that echoed throughout the complex. Its eyes glowed red, and its movements were fluid yet unnatural.
Taro leaned away from the emergency panel and looked at Kael. "If we don't come up with a plan, we'll end up as its dinner!"
Lira climbed up the protruding pipes, trying to find a good vantage point. "Maybe if we provoke her, she'll reveal herself more. Then we can identify her weakness."
Kael nodded. "Okay, everyone ready? On my signal, we'll open fire and provoke her. We need to see how she reacts."
"Zara, you start." Kael pointed to the left side of the roof where a silhouette was watching them from above.
Zara rolled over, landed on a metal fragment, and fired a burst into the air, aiming just past the silhouette. "Hey, we're here! Come on, show us what you've got!"
The figure reacted instantly. It disappeared from where it stood and appeared right in front of Zara in an instant. Its movements were so fast that Kael barely had time to raise his rifle.
Rex immediately opened fire, trying to stop the figure. Each bullet bounced off its armor like stones off a wall.
Zara rolled through the air to dodge the attack and fired at the figure. "Don't think you can catch me!"
Kael moved to the side, watching the silhouette's reactions. He noticed that each of its strikes was deliberate but repeated a certain pattern. "Rex, Zara, keep moving! Taro, Lira, look for a weak spot!"
Taro moved away from the emergency panel and pulled out a thermal scanner. "The armor seems to react to energy. If we fire too many shots at one spot, it will deflect the projectiles."
Lira slid onto a pipe above the silhouette and watched its movements. "But I can see parts of the armor that don't react to energy. That's our window."
Kael nodded. "Okay, here's the plan: Zara, fire a series of shots to provoke it into moving. Rex, aim for the weak spots Lira pointed out."
Zara rolled through the air and fired, hitting the silhouette on the side. The silhouette jumped back, exposing part of its unprotected armor.
Rex didn't wait a second. "Now!" He fired a burst at the exposed spot. The bullets only partially bounced off the metal, leaving scratches and sparks.
The silhouette retreated, moving more cautiously. Kael felt that they were beginning to gain the upper hand, though they were still in danger.
The figure hovered above them, moving with incredible fluidity above the metal fragments of the roof. Its red eyes glowed in the flickering emergency light, and its movements were precise and threatening. Kael knew that if they didn't exploit its weak points, they would end up dead.
"Keep her moving!" Kael shouted, pushing Zara onto another piece of the roof. "Don't give her a chance to lock onto us!"
Zara tumbled through the air and landed on a protruding piece. She immediately fired a burst at the silhouette. "I'm not going to wait for it to catch us!"
Rex moved closer and hit more exposed sections of armor. "Keep her moving, now!" Kael shouted, watching the silhouette's reactions.
The figure jumped to the side, but its movements were predictable. Kael noticed a pattern. Every time the figure reacted to fire from the front, it exposed part of its side.
"Rex, Zara, this is our window!" Kael shouted. "Aim for the side, not the front!"
Zara rolled over and landed right next to the silhouette. She fired a burst to the side, and Rex immediately joined in, firing at the exposed section. The bullets hit the metal but only partially ricocheted this time, leaving marks and sparks on the surface.
The silhouette let out an unnatural howl and backed away. Its movements became more cautious, and Kael felt that they had the upper hand, though they were still in danger.
Taro examined the emergency panel and pulled out extra wires. "If I can reset the local power grid, I can disable part of its armor. This is our chance!"
"Do it!" Kael shouted. "But do it quickly! We don't have much time!"
Lira climbed higher and observed the silhouette from above. "I see a spot that Taro can hack. If we succeed, we can paralyze it for a few seconds."
Kael nodded. "Zara, take her down. Rex, hold the flank. Taro and Lira, go!"
Zara rolled over, firing bullets from both pistols at the silhouette. The silhouette jumped back, but exposed the side Taro and Lira were trying to hack.
"Ready!" Taro shouted, pressing a button on the terminal. The silhouette's armor panel shook and went dark, revealing metallic connections and wires.
Rex didn't wait a moment. "Now!" He fired a burst at the exposed area. The bullets struck, bouncing off partially, but leaving marks and sparks that lit up the silhouette.
The silhouette hovered in the air, then recoiled, revealing fragments that looked like a machine connected to living tissue. Kael felt a shiver as he realized they were not dealing with an ordinary opponent.
"It's...a hybrid?" Lira whispered, watching the silhouette's every move. "Part machine, part something else... who knows what."
Zara fell over, smiling maniacally. "I don't care what it is. If it's in our way, we'll smash it!"
Kael nodded. "Okay, we've got it paralyzed for a few seconds. We need to retreat and regroup. Further down, we'll find the exit from the complex."
The group moved across the roof toward the elevator shaft, where Taro and Lira had prepared the way. Though temporarily immobilized, the silhouette was already slowly regaining its balance. Kael knew this wouldn't be their last encounter.
Zara rolled through the air, landing on the other side, and fired into the air to scare it off. "Who said escape was boring!"
Rex brought up the rear as Kael led the group across the destroyed roof. The wind whipped their faces as the silhouette retreated into the shadows to watch their every move.
Kael looked down at the shafts that led to other parts of the complex. "A little further, and we'll be out in the open air."
"If we survive," Zara muttered, smiling crookedly, "we'll have something to talk about."
Red emergency lights flickered, and the silhouette disappeared into the shadows. Kael knew one thing: This was only the beginning of their problems.