Chapter Nine: The First Strike

The cold, damp air of the underground tunnels clung to Ethan’s skin as he led the group through the forgotten passageways beneath the city. The sound of their footsteps echoed faintly, creating an eerie atmosphere that mirrored the tension hanging over the rebels. Every step they took brought them closer to the heart of the System’s power closer to the final confrontation.

Ethan’s mind raced, focused on the task ahead but weighed down by a nagging sense of unease. Mara had been quiet for too long, and the way she had manipulated them in the past gnawed at him. This mission had to succeed, but he couldn’t shake the feeling that something was coming something he hadn’t anticipated.

Behind him, Lila, Aisha, Jared, and a small group of elite fighters followed silently. Each of them carried the weight of this mission on their shoulders. They knew the risks and accepted them, but the uncertainty still loomed large in the air.

As they moved deeper into the tunnels, Jared, who had been navigating using the schematics he’d stolen from the System, slowed his pace. “We’re almost there,” he whispered, his voice tight with nerves. “The entrance to the Central Command Tower’s lower levels is just ahead.”

Ethan paused, glancing around the tunnel. It was old, crumbling in some areas, and lit only by the dim glow of their flashlights. “Are you sure the System hasn’t picked up on this tunnel yet?”

Jared nodded, though his eyes betrayed doubt. “I’ve done everything I can do to stay off their radar. But this tunnel was supposed to have been abandoned decades ago. Even the System’s top brass might have forgotten about it.”

Lila stepped up beside Ethan, her eyes scanning the darkness ahead. “It feels too easy,” she muttered, echoing the thought on everyone’s mind.

Ethan took a deep breath and nodded. “We don’t have a choice. If this is a trap, we’ll deal with it. But we need to get inside that tower.”

They moved forwards again, their footsteps careful and quietly. They came to a large metal door, rusted and covered in grime, just as Jared had described. It was an old maintenance hatch, leading directly into the under belly of the tower.

Jared went to work on the lock, his fingers trembling slightly as he manipulated the ancient mechanism. After a few moments, there was a soft click, and the door creaked open.

“We’re in,” Jared whispered.

The rebels slipped through the hatch and into a narrow utility corridor that led up into the depths of the Central Command Tower. The air was stale, thick with the smell of machinery and age, but the faint hum of electricity told them they were in the right place. The Tower was alive with power, its life blood flowing through these unseen veins.

Aisha quickly pulled out her hand held device and began scanning the area. “I’m picking up security feeds, but nothing active in this sector. We’ve got a small window before they notice anything unusual.”

Ethan nodded. “We head straight for the control room. If we can disable the security systems and communications, we’ll cut off their ability to respond quickly. The rest of the city will be able to rise up while we’re in here.”

Jared led the way, using his knowledge of the Tower’s layout to guide them. They moved quickly, navigating through a maze of service corridors and maintenance shafts. Every so often, they would pause, listening for any sign that the System had detected their presence. But so far, they remained undetected.

As they reached a set of stairs leading up to the next level, Aisha suddenly held up a hand. “Wait.”

Everyone froze their hearts pounding. Aisha tapped on her device, her eyes narrowing. “I’m picking up movement. We’ve got a patrol coming from the north corridor, about twenty meters away.”

Lila looked at Ethan, her hand resting on her weapon. “Do we engage?”

Ethan shook his head. “No. We stick to the plan. We can’t afford to alert them yet. We need to stay undetected as long as possible.”

The group quickly ducked into a small side passage, pressing themselves against the walls as they listened to the sound of footsteps approaching. The tension was palpable, each second stretching into an eternity as they waited for the patrol to pass.

The footsteps grew louder, then slowly faded as the patrol moved past their hiding spot. The rebels let out a collective sigh of relief.

“We’re still good,” Jared whispered. “Let’s keep moving.”

They pressed on, finally reaching the access point that led directly to the lower levels of the Tower’s command center. This was it, the final hurdle before they could strike at the heart of the System.

Just as Aisha began working on the final security lock, a chilling voice echoed through the corridor.

“Well, well, well… look who we have here.”

Ethan’s blood ran cold as he recognized the voice. Mara.

Before anyone could react, the lights in the corridor blazed to life, and enforcers emerged from the shadows, their weapons trained on the rebels. Mara stepped forward, a wicked smile on her face, flanked by her elite soldiers.

“I have to admit, I almost didn’t believe you’d actually try something this reckless,” Mara said, her eyes gleaming with amusement. “But I suppose I shouldn’t be surprised. You’ve always been stubborn, Ethan.”

Ethan’s mind raced, trying to calculate their next move. They were outnumbered, out gunned, and caught off guard. But he wasn’t ready to give up. Not yet.

“Mara,” he said, keeping his voice steady. “If you’re here, it means you’re worried. It means we’re getting closer.”

Mara’s smile didn’t falter, but there was a flicker of something darker in her eyes. “Worried? Hardly, But I do enjoy watching you scramble, thinking you can actually win this fight.”

She stepped closer, her eyes locked on Ethan’s. “Did you really think I wouldn’t be prepared for this? Did you really believe you could sneak into my tower and disable my systems without me knowing?”

Ethan clenched his fists, anger surging through him. He had known this was a risk, but being so close to the heart of the System, only to be caught was a bitter pill to swallow.

“You’ve lost, Ethan,” Mara continued, her voice dripping with condescension. “You and your little rebellion. It’s over.”

But even as she spoke, Ethan noticed something strange. Mara wasn’t alone, but she wasn’t accompanied by the full force of the System’s enforcers either. It was a smaller group, more targeted, more personal. He realized that Mara wasn’t trying to crush the rebellion outright; she was trying to capture them.

Ethan’s mind worked furiously. If Mara wanted to take them alive, there was still a chance. They could still fight their  way out of this. But they would need a distraction, something to throw the enforcers off guide.

As Mara’s soldiers moved in to surround them, Aisha gently shifted her hand toward her device. She glanced at Ethan, a question in her eyes. Ethan gave her a barely perceptible nod.

In an instant, Aisha triggered an EMP burst, sending a shockwave through the corridor. The lights flickered, and the enforcers’ weapons and commas sputtered out, momentarily disabled.

“Now!” Ethan shouted.

The rebels sprang into action. Lila and Jared opened fire, taking out two of the disoriented enforcers before they could recover. Ethan charged forward, his weapon rose, taking down another guard with a well-placed shot. Chaos erupted in the corridor as the rebels fought their way toward the command center doors.

Mara, caught off guard by the sudden assault, shouted orders to her soldiers. “Take them down! Don’t let them escape!”

But the rebels were already moving, using the brief confusion to push forward. Aisha managed to bypass the security lock on the command center doors, and they burst through, sealing the door behind them just as Mara’s forces regrouped.

Inside the command center, the rebels took a moment to catch their breath. The room was filled with monitors, control panels, and data terminals—everything they needed to disable the System’s defenses.

“We don’t have much time,” Ethan said his voice tense. “Aisha, get to work on shutting down their commas. Jared, see if you can access the tower’s power grid. We need to cut them off before Mara breaks through.”

As Aisha and Jared scrambled to their tasks, Lila kept her weapon trained on the door, ready for the any breach. “We’re running out of time, Ethan,” she said, her voice steady but urgent. “We need to move fast.”

Ethan nodded his mind racing. The rebellion’s fate rested on their shoulders now. They had to cripple the System from the inside, or everything they had fought for would be lost.

Just as Aisha began disabling the communication systems, Jared gasped. “Ethan, you need to see this.”

Ethan rushed over to Jared’s terminal, his heart pounding. On the screen was a live feed from the tower’s mainframe, displaying a countdown. It wasn’t just any countdown it was the final stage of Project Exodus.

“We’re too late,” Jared whispered his face pale. “Project Exodus is already in motion. We’ve only got hours before the city is wiped out.”

Ethan stared at the screen, his blood turning to ice. They had thought they were one step ahead, but the System had been preparing for this all along. Project Exodus wasn’t just a threat but it was a ticking time bomb, and they were running out of time to stop it.