Amara crouched low behind a container, her breath steady, eyes sharp. The cold ground bit through her uniform, but she didn't flinch. Her eyes scanned the warehouse entrance—the guards were methodical. Each step they took, every glance they threw over their shoulders, it all followed a rhythm. She watched them loop around the same three pillars, always pausing five seconds between turns. Four of them patrolled the perimeter in pairs, and another two stood by the main entrance with rifles cradled in their arms like children.
She pulled out a small notepad and scribbled the rotation timing and blind spots. One of the pairs passed by a set of crates and took just a moment longer there. Long enough for someone to slip by—maybe. She didn't speak, didn't signal to Akio yet. Timing was everything.
After another pass, she spotted it.
"There," she whispered, tapping Akio's shoulder. "That right corner. They linger less. We move in three seconds after they pass."
Akio gave a small nod, gripping his sidearm tight. Amara waited, heartbeat syncing with the quiet echo of footsteps. Three... two... one.
They moved—low, silent, one step at a time—slipping past the light's edge like ghosts.
——
Julian leaned forward, eyes locked on the radar screen. Two small white dots moved steadily through the blueprint outline of the VEX outpost. He couldn't see them directly, only the signals from the embedded trackers in their suits.
"No visuals, but movement is steady," he said.
Ashford stood behind him with arms folded. "They're doing better than I thought."
Julian didn't respond right away. His hand hovered near the mic switch but never touched it.
"You went a bit rough on them earlier," he said finally, turning halfway to glance at Ashford.
Ashford's face stayed blank. "This isn't a playground. They want comfort? They picked the wrong job."
Julian sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "Yeah, but still... they're new to this."
"Exactly why they need to learn now. One mistake in the field is all it takes."
Julian returned to the screen, watching the slow crawl of the dots move closer to their objective. "Let's just hope they don't make that mistake tonight."
——
Amara and Akio crept deeper into the facility. Shelves towered over them, casting long shadows in the dim glow of security lights. But all the shelves were empty—no files, no documents, no terminals. Just rusted metal and crates filled with what looked like junk parts.
"No data... nothing valuable here," Amara muttered. "This was supposed to be a main hub."
Akio scanned one of the open crates. "Just scrap... maybe they cleared this floor already."
"We keep going." She pointed to a staircase tucked behind a large crate stack. "Upstairs."
They moved slowly, steps featherlight. Each creak of the old staircase made Amara freeze. Her fingers hovered near her pistol, ready for anything. But the second floor was even quieter than the first. Dust floated in the air, untouched.
At the end of the hallway, a single room with a red light glowing above it beckoned.
"That's the one," Akio whispered.
——
Akio pressed his back to the wall beside the door while Amara crouched and peeked inside.
Inside, a large table sat in the center of the room. On it lay a massive map—spread open and pinned down by metal cylinders. Red lines crossed through entire districts of Yhurn, with handwritten labels like "Phase 1," "Phase 2," and "Phase 3." Dozens of tiny marks dotted the outer edges—outposts, dropsites, movements. But no legend. No clear explanation.
"What the hell is this?" Amara murmured.
"Some kind of strategy plan," Akio replied. "We don't know what phases mean, but it looks big."
"Could be a raid. Or worse."
She took out a small piece of paper and began scratching the major marks down, hand moving quickly. Akio snapped a photo, then another from a different angle. They had to be sure. Just in case.
"Let's go. Fast."
They retraced their steps with care, remembering the patrol patterns, checking their corners. Every step downstairs felt heavier than before. Amara kept her breathing slow, remembering how they got in. She motioned to Akio—left, right, crouch. They paused for three seconds behind the same crate from earlier. Then slipped through the final blind spot and into the dark grass outside.
Ten meters away from the compound, Amara finally exhaled.
——
Julian's earpiece crackled. A moment later, Akio's voice came through.
"We found valuable information," he said. "You might want to take a look."
Julian sat up, heart kicking in his chest. "Send the image now."
Seconds later, the file popped onto his screen. A photo of a paper map, worn but clearly marked. Julian's eyes scanned it, zeroing in on the words: "Phase 1"... "Phase 2"... and the worst of all—Phase 3 directly overlapping the center of Yhurn.
Ashford leaned in.
"What the hell is this?" he asked.
Julian stared, then leaned back, lips tight.
"I don't know yet," he muttered. "But whatever it is... it's already in motion.