Futuristic Rage against the dying of the light (fru x arcsteel)

[Fru]

Silas’ gaze returned to her when she sat up straighter. He remained silent, studying her face while she spoke. The faint tells of emotion flickering across her face, the subtle shifts in her voice, the way she leaned further and further forward over the table.

He mirrored those same faint hints. A subtle crease between his brows, a slight squint of his eyes, as if he were trying to recall the people she was describing. A small tug at the corner of his mouth that suggested the memories from that time weren’t pleasant ones.

“I’m not sure… I mean,” he exhaled, gaze dropping to the empty bowl in front of him. “It was a chaotic time. It’s not impossible.” Leaning back, he dragged a hand over his chin, down his neck, a contemplative look to his face. “There were about a million people living in Highpoint. I worked in engineering, not logistics, unfortunately.”

A brief silence passed before he turned back to her, this time leaning forward, resting his arm on the table.
“Do you have a picture of them?” Something shifted in his posture then, and his gaze flicked over his shoulder—just in time to see Kai saunter in through the doorway, in that cat-like way of theirs.

“Hey, Doc. You got my answers yet? Eric’s disturbing my nap over them.” They turned their gaze to Ripley as they passed, a grin curling at their lips. “Love that look on you.” Sliding into a chair at the table, they stretched out, yawning dramatically, eyes flicking between Ripley and Silas, grinning even wider.

 

[arcsteel]

Doc had gone still where he stood, holding the noodles ready to be poured into a plastic bowl that he’d placed on the counter. Listening in on the conversation caught his curiosity, and as Rip stated earlier; they were his family too. Not by blood, but by many years of living with them. The Perez parents had put as much effort into raising him, and Doc had become a good man thanks to them. Not brave to a fault like Rip and Terry, but he was well educated and kind. So naturally, he turned his ear to the table in hope of any good news about the two men he’d come to call father and brother.

---

Ripley’s brows were drawn in a slight frown as her eyes were pierced to Silas. She didn’t dare move an inch, even if it was awkward that he as well leaned over the table. The information was too precious, and she treated him like an easily startled animal. But it turned out there was nothing to know.

“I see,” she said, slumping back in her chair—crestfallen. But the mention of a picture lit something in those brown eyes of hers. “I—”

They were interrupted, and her eyes narrowed on Kai. Even more so when they commented on her marked cheek. What the hell was their problem? Before she could say anything, Doc stepped in and put the bowl down before her, putting a pair of chopsticks in her hand, before he turned to Kai.

“I’m not questioning someone who just ate his first meal in days, and is right out of a traumatic event. If you wanna do it, then go ahead. But as a doctor, I decline.” He pulled the device with the questions from his pocket, placing it before Kai.

Ripley looked between them all before settling her eyes on Silas again. “I’ll show you later, it’s in my room—which we’re sharing by the way. Rex sleeps there too, but I couldn’t tell you when even if I wanted to. Sometimes Jana as well, when she can’t stand Doc’s snoring.”

She then leaned back to let Kai pour his questions out, but not without offering a little smile to Silas. Perhaps in apology for how he was treated after everything he’d just been through, or maybe just to let him know she appreciated that he reached out when he owed her nothing.

 

[Fru]

A snort left Kai as they lazily reached for the device.
“That soft heart of yours will be your downfall, Doc.” The mean smirk that followed could unsettle just about anyone. With a dramatic sigh, they got to their feet once more.

“Come on, handsome. Let’s spare Doc the pain.” They clicked their tongue at Silas, a sharp, expectant sound that he should follow. As if he were some kind of animal. Silas hesitated, a slight frown creasing his brow, but complied.

“Thanks for the food,” he said, offering Doc a faint smile before standing. As he followed Kai out of the dining area, he shot Ripley one last, unreadable glance.

---

[SYSTEM ALERT: NETWORK CONNECTION DISABLED]
LAST SUCCESSFUL NEXUS LINK: 72 HOURS AGO
MISSING SYSTEM UPDATES: 3
SECURITY KEYS OUTDATED BY 2.4%
RECOMMENDED ACTION: RECONNECT TO NEXUS TO MAINTAIN OPERATIONAL INTEGRITY.

---

“Strategy briefing in control room.” Eric’s voice crackled through the static of the comms. “I want Kai, Jana, Rex, Ren…” A pause. Then, strained, “...and Ripley there in ten minutes.”

Ren was already in her chair by the time the others started filing into the cramped room. She was always there. Some nights, she even slept there. The last few days, she actually had—not that she ever got a full eight hours. And it showed. The dark circles under her eyes had deepened, her gaze hollow. That binary transmission was still haunting her. Maybe she’d imagined it.

“Alright.” Eric scanned the room, his gaze moving over each of them.Well, almost everyone. He didn’t bother looking at Ripley. “It’s been two full days since the attack on the Edeners. No unusual activity spotted, so it’s time we continue with our mission.” He then turned to Kai who was leaning against the wall, smug as usual. “Kai, I believe you have gotten word from our sources in Horizon-3 about our guest?”

“Yes.” Kai smiled, studying their nails. “The source confirmed that Silas Laine came to Horizon-3 five years ago. He joined the dissidents about two years ago. Worked in engineering. Everything he said checks out.” They shrugged, lowering their hands to look at the others. “They couldn’t confirm where he’s from, but his claim of being from Highpoint is plausible.”

“Fine. Then maybe we can put him to some use while he is here.” Eric turned back to the others, about wanting to move on, but Ren cut him off.

“What do you mean ‘couldn’t confirm’?” She looked between Kai and Eric. “We know Liza trains her little soldiers in Eden—”

“Ren. Stop.” Eric cut off, warning. “He has been cut, EMP’d ,and hasn’t shown any strange behaviour. He’s not a Whisperer–”

“Yes, yes, yes, fine.” She waved her hand as to swat away Eric’s words. “But he can still be a sympathizer. Maybe he was relocated from another Eden-Zone to infiltrate the dissidents?” She looked at them all, her mouth open, eyebrows raised as if this was the most obvious thing in the world. Totally ignoring that bulging vein in Eric’s forehead.

“Enough.” The sharp tone suggested this was her last warning. “Of course we can’t know for sure. That’s why we won’t be giving him any critical information.” Eric gave Ren a long, unwavering stare that made it clear that the discussion was over. She stared back, looking as if she might push it further. But then, she finally slumped back, dropping her gaze to the floor.

“Now, let’s move on. How do we want to proceed with our main mission?”

 

[arcsteel]

Three days had passed. Three days that would normally have been rather boring, but Ripley found herself quite intrigued by their new guest. He was taken care of by Doc for the most part—shown around, told when to grab something to eat, and his injury was carefully monitored. Rip even overheard Doc compliment him on having good healing abilities. Must mean they did something right back there in the Eden. Ripley usually stayed close to Doc in downtime, so naturally she spent some time around Silas as well. She tried not to glance at him too much, and wasn’t overly talkative for the most part. Every morning she invited him to do some basic training with her, to keep fit when cooped up like this. She sometimes checked up on him when they went to sleep, and when she was sure he was sleeping, she looked over the small room where he laid in the other top part of the two bunk beds. Most people looked so peaceful when they slept, but not him. She couldn’t really place why.

On the third day she felt sorry for him, having watched him being put on clean duty far too many times, and considering his background she thought he could help her out a bit. Rip often assembled her own bombs and mines, and him being an engineer could surely be put to good use with that. Did she let him touch the explosives? Absolutely not. But he could help her with the mechanics and timers. Her liquid containers were off limits though, and when she was called for the briefing she safely put them away again.

In the control room, Ripley kept her mouth shut, her hands clasped behind her back, and her eyes glued to the floor. She’d do well not to attract Eric’s attention, and not looking him in the eye seemed wise. Only when Ren spoke about her mistrust and speculations on Silas did Rip look up, frowning as she considered her words. She wanted to be open minded, but had grown a little accustomed to Silas, to be honest. Still, she didn’t comment on it, if only to avoid Eric’s reprimands. Instead she sought to please him by moving on.

“How did the scouting go last night? Any intel on that server hall?” she asked, looking at Rex and Jana.

“Yeah,” Rex began. “We located it and ran a scan for surveillance and alarm systems that could hinder us from coming close enough. There are several, and we would need someone knowledgeable to disarm them before you can move in, Rip.”

With Tommy gone, there was no obvious choice. The following silence revealed that everyone probably thought the same. Rip took a deep breath, not believing what she was about to say.

“I think Silas could do it.”

Eric’s gaze snapped to hers. “Silas? Are you serious?!”

She nodded. “He’s an engineer, and I think he would know his way around that kinda stuff.” Rip’s knuckles went white behind her back as she closed her fists convulsively hard, only to keep strength and backbone. “Let him do the technical bit, earn his keep—have Ren assist on her part from here, and then I move in with explosives once we’re in. Voila—one server hall down. It’s a big win.”

 

[Fru]

The control room fell into an uneasy silence. Eric’s gaze locked on Ripley, jaw tense, but not dismissing her outright. They all were considering her words. After losing Tommy, disarming surveillance had become a nightmare, grinding their mission to a standstill. Most seemed to be neutral to the idea, and only Ren’s brows sank lower in a disapproving frown. But she stayed quiet, because even she knew they couldn’t afford to stall any longer.

“I agree with Rip.” It was Jana who finally broke the silence. “He sided with Horizon dissidents, so he’d know his way around AI surveillance…” Her voice trailed off when Eric’s eyes finally left Ripley, shifting toward her instead. His shoulders relaxed slightly, and he raised his chin.
“You’re right, Jana. Good idea.” He discarded Ripley’s involvement entirely, as if it had never been her suggestion in the first place. “Let's call him in, see what he says.”

---

The days that passed had been uneventful. Silas mostly stuck around the towering Doc, joining Ripley during her training sessions, cleaning, or laying still, feigning sleep. Most ghost team members were still wary of him, but some struck up casual conversations during meals or in the hallways. The closest thing he came to any real information was when Ripley asked him if he could fix a timer for one of her bombs. It took less than a minute to realize it was off by 0.07 seconds. Enough time for certain drones to send a final report before detonation. Hardly new information, though.

He was still tweaking the timer when a quiet knock came from the open doorway. Silas let a second pass before looking up.
A man stood there, shifting slightly. “They have asked for you. Come, I’ll take you to the control room.” Silas’ brows lifted slightly, and he slowly put down the timer on the table as he got up from the chair. The man looked as surprised as Silas’ feigned confusion. Still, he asked anyway.
“Me? Why?” As expected, the man only shrugged, motioning for him to follow.

When they reached the control room, the man hesitated at the door, as if about to ask something—but then, he simply knocked instead. A barked command from inside told them to come in. The man pressed down the handle, pushed the door open, and motioned for him to step through. Stepping over the threshold, the cool light from the screens reflected in his blue eyes. Then the small woman—Ren—hit a key and the screens locked. The lines of code and programs vanished, replaced by a floating emoji. Still not convinced then.

Silas looked around on those who had gathered in the cramped room. Brows drawn together in a worried frown, he let his eyes briefly settle on Ripley. Searching. As if the answer to why he was here might be written on her face. The door closed behind him.

“Let’s cut to the chase.” Eric’s voice pulled his attention back. He stood by Ren, arms crossed over his chest. “You’re an engineer, and you’ve lived in an Eden-zone. Do you know your way around AI surveillance and alarm systems?”

Silas tensed just slightly, his eyes narrowing a fraction, like he wasn’t entirely sure where this conversation was going.
“Yes… naturally.” His voice carried a note of hesitation. “Depends on the systems, though.”

Jana, who he recognized as a scout, stepped forward, offering him a screen device.
“These. Do you know these?” Accepting the device, his gaze dropped to the screen. A quiet hum left him as he scrolled through the images, chewing his lower lip slightly, as if he tried to make sense of the pictures.
“It’s quite old,” he said after a moment's contemplation, handing the device back.

“Does that mean you can or cannot disarm it?” Silas’ gaze lifted to Eric who raised his brows in expectation. Hesitating just long enough to seem uncertain, he then half-shrugged.
“Yeah, I mean—I can try.”

 

[arcsteel]

Good idea, Jana? Was he fucking kidding right now? Ripley scoffed a quiet laugh and crossed her arms, searching for reactions from the others. Rex offered her a grim smile and shrugged. Thankfully someone noticed Eric’s shitty behaviour. Sadly, she’d begun to get used to it. Pleasing Eric to some extent was the only way to go, but it slowly built up a resentment that wouldn’t have been necessary—had Eric just grown up.

When Silas entered, Rip met his gaze. She did not know how to assure him it would be fine, because how could she? Eric might be taking decisions that often led them to success, but as of late, he’d been unreliable and grumpy. Sometimes Rip wondered if it was her fault, and if she could set things right by going back to him. Perhaps it would be better for the group, but he hadn’t lost his mind quite yet, so there was still time to be selfish around it. Hopefully he’d get over it soon enough.

She stood straight, watching Silas in silence as he talked to Eric. Poor guy, but she could tell he had guts underneath his mellow exterior. It wasn’t until he agreed to try putting his skills at use that Rip allowed herself to smile, even if just for a moment.

Eric studied Silas for a second, before clearing his throat, as if he’d had more to say but chose not to. “Good. We leave at 1500 hours. I’ll hand out specific intel until then. Someone help newbie here gear up. Dismissed.”

Ripley didn’t even wait for Eric to leave before she strode towards Silas, grabbed his arm and dragged him out. She didn’t stop until she’d opened a door to a small storage room, where she began to scramble through marked up bags.

“It’ll be good for you to have something to do while you’re here. I’m sorry if it’s not something you want, but the quicker our work here can be done, the quicker you can safely be on your way. Unless, y’know… Eric let’s you stay.” She glanced at him. “Here.”

Ripley placed a comm setup in his hand before looking further for what else he might need.

 

[Fru]

Looking somewhat confused, Silas followed as Ripley dragged him away through the hallways. He’d gotten no more information on what he was supposed to do. No further instructions at all. But there hadn’t been any room for questions. And now he guessed there wouldn’t be much more answers from Ripley as she started to rummage through the bags in the storage room.

He accepted the comm, trying to catch her gaze, a faint crease forming between his brows.
“Safely be on my way..?” He echoed, exhaling. “I have no idea what I should do, honestly.” His voice was low, almost as if speaking to himself. “I should be planning for that. Guess I was kinda hoping that… ” His voice trailed off and he just shook his head, putting the comm in place.

//ANALYZING…
SOCIAL ADAPTATION REQUIRED FOR CONTINUED COVER.
//UPDATING SUBROUTINES…

[BEHAVIORAL RESPONSE MODULE MODIFIED]
[ALERT: MISSION OBJECTIVE ADJUSTMENT DETECTED]
ORIGINAL MISSION: INFILTRATE. OBSERVE. TERMINATE.
NEW OPTIMIZATION: INFILTRATE. INTEGRATE. REPORT.

As Ripley continued sorting through the gear, handing him equipment, Silas took each item without question. Some things he examined a little longer, others he barely spared a glance before strapping them into place.When she handed him a gun though, his eyebrows lifted, and a faint smirk curled at the corners of his mouth as he accepted it.

“And here I thought you didn’t trust me.” There was a light humor in his tone as he glanced sideways at her, before turning his attention to the weapon. Weighing it in his hand, considering it for a moment. Then, he raised it, head tilting slightly as he aimed at the adjacent wall. A smooth, well practiced motion. Like he had done this a thousand times before.

Lowering the gun his gaze flicked back to Ripley, a brow slightly arched.
“This won’t do much against sweepers, though.” He turned toward her, that faint smirk lingering on his lips. “So the question is…can I trust you to have my back?”

 

[arcsteel]

Ripley wasn’t entirely sure about handing him a gun. Still, she gave it to him simply because she herself would’ve hated to be defenseless out there.

“Who says I do?” she mumbled, rolling her eyes with the hint of a smile before watching him handle the gun with ease. She went rigid at first, wondering if he would aim it at her, but as he didn’t she almost laughed at her cautious self. Perhaps there was more to him than met the eye. Hidden charms and talents? Silas was beginning to grow on her. Though she didn’t know if it felt safer or more riskful that he obviously knew his way around firearms, only that he was a little more like her than she expected. Surely, he’d been carrying a gun at arrival, but she’d never seen him handle one.

She grabbed a safety vest from one of the larger bags, along with a belt carrying a holster and a tracker. “You can shoot them with just a gun, actually. If you’re quick and precise enough, no machine is indestructible.”

Ripley grinned, having been one of those people who shot down the damn drones with just a handgun.

“But,” she continued, grabbing a winter jacket for him, “If you stick with me, I’ll have your back. Doc likes you, so you can’t be that bad. Besides—you’re kinda cute.” She patted his chest, wrinkled her nose in a playful smile before walking past him out to the corridor again.

---

Soon enough, they’d geared up—Rip looking like she was gonna take on the world with her backpack full of explosives, one EMP-grenade hanging from each side of her hip belt, her big gun held in hand, blade and handgun strapped to her thighs. She preferred sturdy tights, which made her fluffy white winter jacket look even more oversized. Doc was also geared up, but he hated carrying weapons. Instead he had every safety gear available, a backpack and a medpack on his chest. If he looked big before, it was nothing compared to now.

When Eric showed up in the hallway where they stood, he handed Doc a small screen, nodding at him to share the info.

“This is the route we’re taking. You two and another breaker will be going inside, while the rest of us secure the perimeter. Think you can—” Eric froze when his gaze dropped to the gun Silas was carrying. “You gave him a weapon?!”

“Obviously. We don’t have time to babysit. Let him have at least a slight fighting chance out there,” Ripley said. She simply raised her chin when his jaw tightened.

“You’re getting on my last nerve, Perez,” Eric snapped.

“Have I overstepped any boundaries, sir?”

He hesitated, looking for the right words, but his momentum was lost with every part of a second that he didn’t find them. Instead, he just snarled before turning to Silas, pointing right at him. “If I find out you even so much as think about pointing that gun at any of us, it’ll be the last thing you do. Understand?!”

 

[Fru]

Silas had been minding his own business when Eric’s voice suddenly made everyone silent. He stood beside Ripley, but his attention had been to Jana, who stood beside them, walking him through his role in the mission, the small device in her hand displaying the area. At Eric’s snap, Silas lifted his gaze, looking between him and Ripley. Even if Silas had only been there for a few days, he had already noted the strange dynamic between them and the way Eric treated her. Illogical.

When the attention suddenly shifted to himself, Eric pointing right at him, Silas studied the man's face for a heartbeat. Calculating the probability of Eric being able to back up that promise. The numbers were not in Eric’s favor. If Silas were to be wary of anyone, it would be Ripley– who were armed to the teeth.
“Understood,” he said, voice indifferent, then adding, “Sir.” Eric gave him a long, dark look. Silas dropped his gaze back to Jana, something Eric mistook for submission, and resumed giving directives.

A few minutes later, they were ready to move out. Silas fell into step beside Ripley and Doc.
“Hey Rip,” he said, tone casual, almost amused as his gaze swept over the team. “Try not to run into any more door frames because of me.” He lowered his gaze to her, readying his mask. “Or Eric might need to make good on his promise.” A faint flicker of a smile touched his lips as he pulled the mask over his face, but the slight squint in his eyes suggested he was now grinning beneath it.

The underground tunnels were warmer than the frozen landscape above their heads, water dripping steadily over the debris. The team moved silently, well honed from years of working together. Their scouts guided them, occasional updates crackling through the comms. Silas had no problem keeping up, blending in seamlessly. Almost like he had been on missions with them before.

Soon, they began a steady ascend that led them into what must have been an old factory. Eric ordered for them to stop and gather.
“Alright, we’re getting closer to the target. Let’s split up and get into position.” His voice cracked over the comms, gesturing to underline his commands. “Diversion, five clicks north. It’ll go off in fifteen minutes. Be ready by then. Rex, I need eyes from above.” The group split into smaller groups, and disappeared into the crumbling structure.

Silas followed Ripley and the other breaker, shadowing their steps with ease. If the fast paced walk through the tunnels, or the many stairs had worn on him, he didn’t show.

“How long do you need to get in, place the explosions and get out?” His voice was calm over the comms, gaze momentarily flicked to Ripley, then back to their surroundings, scanning for threats.
“Five clicks is a three-minute response time for Sweepers. And even if the systems Jana showed me are old, they’ll restart within two minutes after I disable them. Can you do it in under five?” Something in his voice, barely perceptible beneath the static, sounded like concern.

 

[arcsteel]

Ripley bent her neck to hide the smile that blossomed when she heard Silas call Eric ‘Sir’. Most called him by name, given how close the team had gotten over the weeks they’d spent together, or even months in most cases. Captain was another option. Her on the other hand had started calling him Sir to make a point of their now-platonic relationship, and she knew it bothered him. Still, he couldn’t get mad with Silas for copying her, even if he wanted to.

When they moved out, Rip quickly put her mask on and adjusted her equipment to better move through the tunnels and rickety stairs, which was a task in itself. EMP-grenades weren’t exactly small, and neither was the rest of what she’d packed onto herself. Still, she walked with practised ease—with a straightened posture, grounded feet and eyes alert. When Silas said her name, or rather nickname, her focus switched to him. Her eyes widened, even if just slightly, because he outright shocked her. What he was implying was more than she’d picked up from their sparse interactions. Yet a faint blush colored her cheekbones, because no one had ever even hinted at standing up for her. Doc was too scared, and the rest wanted to remain a team. She couldn’t find the right words to say, so she just nodded awkwardly. Bringing him into their missions wasn’t a mistake after all. At least not on her part.

Soon enough, they were headed up the building where the server hall allegedly laid hidden. On the 13th and 14th floor, according to the intel. Ripley had her gun at the ready, loaded with bullets containing some kind of liquid. Her belt was filled with four different mags, one with the mark of her own puckered lips.

“You know much about the Sweepers, eh?” she responded and threw him a glance before looking at the back of the man walking in front of them, carrying a gun almost as large as hers. “I can make it under two, but that’s if there’s no disturbances and if I have time to prepare myself beforehand. My biggest concern is getting us all out on time.”

The breaker in front of them stopped, holding up a hand before pointing to something further up. His voice cracked in the comms. “Motion sensors up ahead. Think you can disarm them before we’re noticed, newbie? Otherwise we have to wait for the diversion and we still have 7 stories to go.”

In other words, they wouldn’t make it. So, either Silas saved them a lot of time, or they found another way up. Or the third option - face whatever LIZA had in store for them if they shot the damn things.

 

[Fru]

“I do.” His voice carried no emotion, just the simple statement of fact. And he did know a lot about Sweepers. More than he, or anyone, should. He considered offering an explanation, a reason that would make sense. But instead, he simply gave a small nod, a silent confirmation of Ripley’s concern. “I trust you’ll figure it out.”

They halted at the other breaker's words. Silas’ gaze followed the man’s pointing hand, moving up behind him to get a better look.
“Yeah,” he hesitated, “I think so.” Reaching down to his belt, he unfastened one of the devices, powering it up with a few practiced taps. A low hum left him as he studied the screen. After a short moment, he glanced toward the motion detectors ahead, then between Ripley and the other breaker.
“These systems probably aren’t so sensitive. If they were, they’d trigger on debris or snow. Or momentary signal disturbances.” His eyes flicked toward the war-torn building that barely had any glass left in its windows. It would be ineffective for the sensors to be sensitive, calling on sweepers at the smallest disturbance.

“I’d wager they won’t go off if we use a disruptor. At least not for the first thirty seconds or so.” He straightened, looking back at Ripley. “That should be enough time for me to get into the primary system. Ren can feed it false data, and all the other connected sensors will stay down until the entire system reboots.” There was a slight hesitation in his otherwise calm voice, but his gaze remained steady as he added, “Of course, there’s a risk it won’t work. And we won’t know that until it’s too late. It’s up to you to decide.” Behind his mask, his brows lifted slightly—expectant, waiting for her command.

“If we go with the plan, our comms will be down for the same duration as the disruption signal,” he then added, voice calm in a matter-of-fact way. “You’ll have to stay out of range of the sensors until the comms are back online. And Ren—” A crackle of static, then a small, unimpressed hmph came through. “You’ll just have to trust me and start sending the data thirty seconds in.” Another muffled response of reluctant confirmation carried over the line.

It was a cumbersome plan, far less efficient than what he could actually do. But maintaining radio silence with the Nexus was essential to maintain cover. So, in order to gain these people's trust, he’d to do it the hard—human—way.

 

[arcsteel]

Ripley watched Silas from a few steps down the stairs, and it was like Tommy had sent them someone worthy of being his successor. It wasn’t without a small feeling of pride growing inside her for going with her guts when suggesting Silas come with them. He was now a vital point of this operation, because without him there would be more risks, and a higher probability of them getting hurt. She listened in closely on every word coming out of him, thankful he described it so she could understand. But something made her tense as well. The silence from Eric was gnawing at her, and when Silas asked for her permission, she just stared at him—wanting to warn him in some way, but afraid of moving even an inch. Should be fine, but she’d run into those sensors before, and it wasn’t something she was keen on experiencing again.

The comms were silent for a long second, before Eric’s voice sounded. “Jim and Rip; keep 360 security. Ren; keep line open until shut down, confirm and comply. And Silas…” He seemed to take a breath. “Proceed. Over.”

Ripley knew how far in that word must’ve been buried within Eric. He took pride in how well his team was put together, and letting a newcomer take charge like this probably stung in a way Eric would never admit. Honestly, he should be proud of them. They had achieved a lot with low casualties. Other teams were not so lucky.

She gave Silas a subtle nod, then held her rifle up and turned around to cover their asses in case of contact. Jim covered their front on his end, and they let Silas get to work.

 

[Fru]

“Confirming. Motherf—” Ren’s voice crackled over the comms before abruptly cutting out. Silas kept his gaze on Ripley, returning her subtle nod before looking down on the device in his hands. A few quick taps across the screen, then he fastened it back onto his belt. One hand hovered over one a button, while he raised his other to look at his wristwatch. A device they all wore and had synchronized before setting off.

“Disruption duration is thirty seconds. Stay in place. Ren, you’ll need to start the false feed at twenty eight. Counting down… Five… four… three… two… one.” Pressing the button on the device, the comms sparked with static. Silas gave Ripley and Jim a quick glance before moving up the stairs.

Finding his way to the sensors immediately, he knocked off the back panel, exposing the circuit boards and cables. Pausing, he counted the seconds. Inefficient. Illogical. Here he was, forced to wait. Needing to delay himself. It almost triggered a syntax error. But before the time run out, he plugged in a module that would give Ren the access she needed.

“...back online. Hold positions, checking feed.” Ren’s voice crackled back through the comms. “Feed stable, we’re in. Motions sensors are fucking out.” The thrill in her voice was unmistakable and a hoarse, triumphant laugh followed.

“Nine minutes until the diversion goes off. Move on, team.” Eric’s voice cut off the crackle of Ren’s laugh.

 

[arcsteel]

Ripley couldn’t help but chuckle at the profanities coming from Ren. Such a small woman, and yet filled to the brim with sass. They might not always get along, but she liked her all the same.

She kept a lookout, as told by Eric. If this didn’t work, she had to be ready immediately. Those drones didn’t wait, so neither could Rip. She didn’t even dare glance over her shoulder, but trusting in the lack of disappointment coming from Silas, and judging by the comms, it seemed to go on quite well.

“Good job,” she said loud enough to be heard when the comms went dead, and after having a last look around she followed him up. Jim did the same, because time was of the essence, and they had to move as a unit. Glancing at his work over her shoulder, her brows raised in subtle awe.

“You’re bloody good at this,” Rip almost whispered, as if surprised. In her mind she made a note of asking him what his past job position was, really. Not that she was too into tech, but not just anyone could do what he was up to. And thank goodness he was with them.

“We’re good. On movement,” she said into the comms, motioning for Silas to follow Jim—while she did as promised and had his back.

“Roger. Still no target,” Eric answered. Rip wished he was always like this. In the middle of a mission he was efficient and civil, for the most part. Better yet when she wasn’t even near him. The comms crackled a bit more when they went further into the building, and then stopped in front of a heavy safety door. An old reception laid before it, but Jim just jumped right over the first small gate before stopping near the door, jerking his head for Silas to do his job. Poor fellow, being thrown into something high tempo on his first mission, where he was a key component to their success. Suddenly, the comms crackled with a broken voice.

“Say again,” Rip said, articulating her words.

“MSV-drones incoming. We’re on it! Ren; create diversion. Jim and Rip; stay sharp,” Eric’s voice sounded, now much stronger than before, yet with enough disturbance that Rip was afraid they were gonna lose a word or two.

“Wilco. Moving in. Out,” she answered, feeling how her pulse was raising as she turned to keep a watchful eye on the far away windows. Soon, she could hear the faint sound of humming in the distance, and knew Eric and the team didn’t want to shoot them down if Ren could create a diversion further away for them to investigate. If it was Sweepers or otherwise armed drones, they wouldn’t hesitate. But patrolling search drones? Better let them think the Ghost team was meddling with Liza tech somewhere else.

“Please, hurry up, Silas,” Rip heard herself say, her breathing coming in shallow. They still had many doors to pass, and one long since broken down elevator.

 

[Fru]

Upon reaching the first door, Silas followed Jim’s lead without hesitation, jumping over the gate with ease. The structures were built for humans—which meant vulnerabilities. Beside the door, there was an old card reader, which was their way through. Just like the motion sensors, Silas popped off the panel, exposing the wires and circuit boards beneath. Despite the warnings coming over the comms, and the urgency in Ripley’s voice, he remained calm, hands moving with steady precision, methodically rewiring the panel.

“They’re unlocked, but you’ll need to open them manually.” His voice came steady over the comms as he turned to Jim. If they let the door open automatically, there was a higher risk they would trigger any security protocols. And if he wanted to gain the trust of the team, the mission better go well. Jim gave a quick nod, slung his rifle over his shoulder, and slid the doors open, just enough for the three of them to slip through.

---

“DoS initiated on drone station, one click southeast. Should get the MSV’s attention.” Ren executed the command with a quick tap of her keyboard. The monitors in front of her showed only lines of code, logs and data. But it told her everything she needed to know about the team’s status. So far ,so good.

And there was no sign of those binary transmissions. She had the sequences saved, so she knew they were real, and by the encryption alone, she knew it was top-tier AI. So why had it suddenly appeared… only to vanish completely? A faint beep snapped her attention back to the surveillance system, pulse rising. Was it—

“Shit—More MSV’s incoming. Looks like they have one Sweeper as well. Two minutes to contact. Something must’ve triggered them. Deploying decoy.”

---

“They’re reacting to the unlocked door,” Silas reported, breath slightly labored but his voice still calm. “And there’s one more door than expected.” Not unexpected to him, but the intel on the facility hadn’t accounted for it. They had breached the precious doors in the same way they had gotten through the first. And now he was working with this last door, attention on the exposed wires.

“Three minutes to diversion. If drones don’t take the decoy, stay hidden until it goes off.” The tension in Eric’s voice was audible despite the heavy static. Silas crouched by the door, re-wiring, eyes focused.

“Ren. If I get you into the door system, can you fake error logs?” Silas glanced over at Ripley and Jim. “It may buy us some time and we still got to get through the elevator.”
Ren’s eager voice crackled back over the comms.

“Fuck yeah, I can. Get me in.”

 

[arcsteel]

Rip was honed to efficiency, moving through every room with a grounded stance and a keen eye on her surroundings. She kept her rifle up, ready to take a shot if need be. Jim also stayed close to them, but took on the role of checking every corner while Rip made sure to never leave Silas’ side. He was of utmost importance to succeed with this mission on time, because damn, they got through this system way easier than anticipated. Now only the last door remained, and it was looking pretty damn good.

“You’re bloody good at this,” she chuckled and glanced at Silas while he worked the last door. Ren did her part and then the alarm and lock was disabled. Just like that. Rip watched in anticipation as Jim walked up to the door, and her breath caught in her throat when he opened it. Now all they had to do was go up the elevator shaft and then—

Bang. Bang, bang, bang.

As the door slid open, Jim’s shout of surprise was cut off when his body was peppered with shots coming from inside. Ripley would recognize that sound in her sleep. The first millisecond of a Sweeper loading up, then how it released its rounds of destruction. She hated it—had seen too many be annihilated by the drones. A life wiped away, like it was nothing to begin with.

“Fuck!” she screamed as Jim was blasted into a pile of blood, yet reacted instantly by pushing Silas back and taking up position in front of him, rifle at the ready. Her pulse was racing and her chest hardly moved as she awaited any movement. Rip wasn’t gonna step in front of the doorway, but rather let the drone come out to meet her EMP.

The comms crackled. “Bravo-team, do you have contact?!” Eric shouted.

“Affirmative! Near left ambush. Very fucking near! At least one sweeper. Jim is down. KIA,” Rip answered, loud and clear because she knew those might very well be her last words on this earth. She didn’t have time to glance over her shoulder, so she couldn’t do much but hope that Silas would be wise and stay back. The comms were silent, as if the others too were holding their breath. What was probably a maximum of two seconds felt like ages passing by before the drone pushed forward through the open door, whirring around to kill them.

Rip hit the trigger immediately, gritting her teeth while sending out pulse by pulse in its direction. The whole room flashed repeatedly, blinding them momentarily. When the rifle ran out, sounding a shrill wiring up as it reloaded the EMP, Ripley placed her hand on a grenade. But she froze, because the drone dropped to the floor with a loud thud and flickered out.

“Take that, motherfucker,” she mumbled and spat in its direction. Before checking on Silas, she awaited her rifle for a heartbeat before pointing it at the doorway, closing in, slicked to the wall. With a quick movement she entered the doorway, and found there was absolute silence waiting for her in the next room. After a quick check, she went back to Silas.

“Threat down. Moving on to the elevator,” she said through the comms, panting between the words.

“Roger,” answered Eric with a tight voice.

Shit. Now it was just her and Silas. And she had no idea how that drone knew they were there. Perhaps it was always on standby in the next room, or they had been compromised by something. It wasn’t exactly her area of expertise.

“Sorry about that. You okay?” she asked Silas, scanning him with concern in her eyes. She started to feel bad now for taking him on this whole assignment. This wasn’t exactly what he needed after his whole ordeal of escaping an Eden and losing his friends, even if they weren’t too close. But she and Silas had come too far now. If he wanted to break down, he had to wait. “Only thing left is going up the elevator shaft. Use this to climb the wires. You go first, and don’t look back. Ready?”

She showed him the device attached to his belt. A hefty thing that would ensure they didn’t fall to their deaths, and made it possible to let the wires go if, let’s say, they needed their hands for shooting down LIZA machinery.

 

[Fru]

A heartbeat. That was all it took for humans to vanish. Could he have warned them of the potential threat behind that last door? Yes. But it would have risked his cover. So instead, he let himself be shoved aside, taking cover as well as he could—not from the Sweeper, but from the residual EMP energy.

His breath came fast, shallow. Wide eyes snapped to Ripley as she moved toward him, his gaze flickering between her, the downed drone, and the bloodied form of Jim.
“I—I should’ve known…” His voice hitched, eyes lingered on Jim’s still body, before turning back to Ripley. He swallowed, the sound loud enough for it to be heard over the comms. “Shit. I’m okay. I’m okay.” A deep breath. “Are you hurt?” His head turned, scanning for more drones. Then he turned back to Ripley, following her toward the elevator shaft. When passing the drone, his gaze flicked toward it for half a second.

> [WARNING: NEXUS CONNECTION DISABLED]

// SCANNING…
> [ALERT: LIMITED ACCESS TO SYSTEM FUNCTIONS]
> [ALERT: SELF-REPAIR NANOTECH DETECTED]
> TARGET: A-13 SWEEPER - REBOOT IN PROGRESS
> SCAN INCOMPLETE – ENCRYPTED MODULES DETECTED
> ESTIMATED TIME UNTIL FULL FUNCTIONALITY: 256 SECONDS
> ACCESS LEVEL: RESTRICTED

// RECOMMENDED ACTION:
> RECONNECT TO NEXUS FOR IMMEDIATE SYSTEM CONTROL
> [OVERRIDE AUTHORITY REQUIRED: LZ - LIZA ASSIGNED]
> RECONNECT TO NEXUS: y/n?

Silas nodded, breath still uneven, eyes fixed on Ripley as she demonstrated how the device worked.
“Alright, let’s do this.” Determination laced his words, even between deep inhales. Doing as Ripley had shown, he clipped the device to the wires, testing it with a few yanks before beginning the climb. The comms sparked with static from time to time, but no clear transmission came through. The thick steel of the shaft—built to be the skyscraper’s reinforced spine—scrambled some of the signals.

“..seconds to…nation…nting dow…” Words fractured, distorted by heavy static. Silas glanced down at Ripley, realizing he didn’t need to stall as much as he had been. He picked up the pace, throwing a quick glance at his wristwatch.
“The diversion is going off,” he called, voice loud enough to be heard without the comms. It echoed through the shaft, bouncing against steel, the sound coming back oddly mechanical. “Let’s hurry.”

At the top, Silas crawled out, scanning the large server room with sharp, assessing eyes. Row upon row of humming towers filled the space, cold blue lights flickering in the dimness. The rebooting Sweeper below had likely been stationed here for security. He turned back to the shaft, reaching out a hand to Ripley, offering to pull her up the last stretch.

The comms crackled back to life.
“Ripley, Silas, do you copy? Diversion successful, drones are off our tails. For now.” Eric’s strained voice sounded somewhat relieved.

 

[arcsteel]

Silas had been so sweet for checking if she was hurt, and in other circumstances she might have smiled a bit when shaking her head in answer, but as they walked past Jim’s body, how could she? It was always tough losing someone on the team, and yet they couldn’t stop to honor him, carry his body away or even shed a bloody tear. Mission first, always. Or his life would be in vain.

She scanned the area before throwing the rifle on her back, and clasped herself onto the wires in the elevator shaft. The climb was excruciating, and by the time they had climbed the several stories, her arms were shaking with exhaustion. Rip looked up at Silas, gratefulness etched into her demeanor as she grabbed his hand and let him help her up over the edge. The cold floor bit into her knees. Her breaths came in heavy, but on this storey they did not coil from the usual cold surrounding them. There were no windows to be seen, and no holes in the thick outer walls. Just one of the many well-guarded hearts of LIZA. Catching her breath, she looked around before settling her eyes on Silas.

“Solid copy,” she said into the comms before getting on her feet and taking her backpack off.

“Whatever you’re made of, Silas, it’s bloody amazing.” One corner of her mouth pulled in a quick grin before she pulled out a stack of four round devices and a plastic bag with clay. She took a second to think, then handed him her rifle.

“Now it’s your time to have my back. You can obviously handle yourself quite well. Don’t make me regret putting my trust in you,” Rip said, straightforward, yet with a soft underlying tone. She held his gaze for a moment before grabbing her backpack, and the bombs. Then she disappeared between the server towers, running carefully along the long lines of each row.

There were five bombs for each floor—one for the middle, and four to go in each corner. The goal was for the two halls to collapse entirely, which only made it that more important for them to get out on time. She rigged the first five, communicating to Eric as she went, and felt the triumph starting to course through her veins. Now for the second floor, she thought and headed toward the stairs.

 

[Fru]

Ripley’s comment drew a low snicker from him, but he didn’t respond. Instead, he took a deep breath, as if steadying himself after the climb. His gaze followed her as she unpacked the explosives, though his eyes flicked back to their surroundings every few seconds, scanning for threats. When she suddenly handed him her gun, his brows lifted slightly in surprise.
“You won’t.” At least not this time. He turned the rifle over in his hands, assessing it, before adjusting the strap over his shoulder. Raising it, he checked the aim—the same smooth, practiced motion as with the gun before. Lowering the weapon again, he gave Ripley a short glance, a slight squint to his eyes suggesting he was smiling. “And don’t worry. I’ll take good care of her for you.”

As Ripley disappeared into the rows of humming servers, Silas moved down one of the middle aisles, positioning himself where he had a clear line of sight on both the elevator and the stairs. The Sweeper would reboot soon, and if it hadn’t reported the incident, it would soon. And then no diversion would keep away other sweepers. His flicked over the switch on the rifle, shifting it from EMP rounds to standard ammunition.

---

“Ren, do you have access to the security logs?” The newcomer's voice over the comms made Ren tense. Hesitating, fingers hovering over her keyboard for a second, she then tapped into the system through the device plugged into the door.

“Of course. Firewall was easy to bypass from the door system.” The logs were already up, lines of code scrolling past. Her pulse still pounded in her ears from the news about Jim, but as she watched new logs scramble in across her screen, it beat even harder.

“Fuck—new logs coming in—”

“Disrupt it.”

---

Silas’ attention turned toward Ripley that was heading up the stairs.
“Hurry. The Sweeper is back online.” He raised the rifle, pressing it firmly against his shoulder as he backed up after her, his attention on the elevator shaft. “Keep to the towers. It won’t risk damaging them.” Backing up the stairs, he could hear the faint hum of the Sweeper’s engines. It was highly probable that it would search methodically, floor by floor, which meant they had a some time to take cover.

At the top, Silas slipped between two of the blinking server towers, kneeling to set up a stable firing position. He raised the rifle, steadying it, keeping his aim trained on the stairs and elevator shaft. The Sweeper would come through one way or the other.