Spark in the shadows

The slums of Galvaris Prime were alive with chaos. Neon lights flickered, and the air buzzed with the nervous energy of impending violence. Sol crouched on the rooftop of a crumbling building, his sharp green eyes cutting through the flickering neon haze below like twin blades of emerald. A convoy of armored transport vehicles, bearing the unmistakable Dream Corp logo, rumbled through the main street, flanked by soldiers in sleek black nanosuits.

The slums were a chaotic mosaic of races, each struggling to carve out a place in the neon-lit labyrinth. Dragonkin loomed in shadowy corners, their scaled forms blending with the jagged metal walls. Etherborn, their translucent bodies shimmering with inner light, whispered in huddled groups, their ethereal voices carrying secret deals. Titanborn lumbered through the narrow streets, their towering forms making them both intimidating and invaluable for heavy labor. Syntherions, their robotic frames adorned with mismatched scavenged parts, worked on illegal tech with mechanical precision. Even Crystalloids, with their glittering, gem-like bodies, could be seen trading shards of their own crystal flesh for food or weapons. In the slums, survival was the only unifying factor."They're here," Sol muttered into the comm unit strapped to his wrist.Behind him stood his handler, a towering brute named Brask. Tattoos snaked across his muscular arms, and the long scar running through his left eye gave him a perpetual scowl. Brask's gravelly voice growled through the humid night. "Stay out of my way, kid. I'll handle the heavy lifting."Sol ignored the jab, his mind racing as he calculated his next move. He knew Brask was planning to kill him after the job. The Vultures didn't leave loose ends, and Sol was nothing more than expendable to them. That's why he'd spent days meticulously planning his own way out.The Iron Fang gang was preparing a ruthless ambush on the convoy, and Sol planned to exploit the resulting mayhem to infiltrate, seize the target, and vanish before anyone noticed. But things were never that simple in the slums.The convoy came to a halt near the Iron Fang's ambush point, everything unfolding exactly as Sol had predicted—at first. Gunfire erupted, and the street descended into pandemonium."Go!" Brask barked, vaulting off the roof to join the fray.Sol slipped down a fire escape, moving like a shadow through the chaos. He darted between cover as Dream Corp soldiers and Iron Fang gangers exchanged plasma fire. The air crackled as a soldier unleashed their affinity—a burst of electromagnetic energy that fried a ganger's weapon mid-fire. Another ganger retaliated by hurling a fireball, the flames roaring as it slammed into a nearby vehicle, sending debris flying.A stray shot sizzled past Sol, scorching the wall inches from his head. His heart pounded, but he forced himself to focus. Reaching the rear of the lead transport, Sol pulled a small device from his belt—a compact plasma cutter he'd built himself. With practiced precision, he began slicing through the vehicle's lock, but the sound of footsteps made him freeze.Two Dream Corp soldiers rounded the corner, their helmets scanning the area. One raised their hand, summoning a shimmering barrier of energy while the other conjured a stream of liquid metal that coiled around their arm like a serpent."Sector's clear," one of them said, though his tone was uncertain. "We've got movement on the west side. Let's check it out."Sol crouched lower, straining his ears until the muffled sound of their footsteps dissolved into the distance. Only then did he let out the breath he hadn't realized he was holding and continue his work with renewed urgency. The lock finally gave way with a soft *click*, and he slipped inside. Rows of crates lined the interior, each marked with cryptic codes. Sol scanned the labels until he found the one he was looking for: **Prototype Energy Core.**"Bingo," he whispered, prying the crate open. Inside lay a small, glowing device, pulsating with an eerie red light. It didn't look like much, but Voska had once told him that some of the most powerful technologies in the galaxy came in unassuming packages.As Sol secured the core in his pack, the transport suddenly rocked violently. He cursed under his breath—someone was trying to remotely lock the doors. He scrambled out just as the locking mechanism hissed shut, narrowly avoiding being trapped inside.Outside, the chaos had intensified. Iron Fang reinforcements poured in, overwhelming the Dream Corp soldiers. Sol weaved through the chaos, sticking to the shadows, but his luck ran out when an Iron Fang ganger spotted him."Hey! What's in the bag?" the ganger demanded, raising a jagged machete. The weapon glowed faintly, indicating it had been infused with a shock affinity.Sol hesitated, then threw a small, metallic orb at the ganger's feet. The orb emitted a blinding flash, and the ganger stumbled back, cursing. Before Sol could move, another ganger appeared, this one wielding an affinity that created razor-sharp shards of glass from thin air. The shards shot toward Sol, forcing him to dive behind a pile of debris.A nearby Dream Corp soldier unleashed a surge of gravity manipulation, pulling the shards toward him before redirecting them at the Iron Fang members. The resulting chaos gave Sol the opening he needed to slip away, though his heart was racing from the near-miss.By the time he reached the rendezvous point, Brask was waiting for him in the alley, plasma pistol drawn."Hand it over," Brask growled, his one good eye narrowing. "And don't think about running."Sol's lips curled into a sly smile. "Running? Me? Never."With a flick of his wrist, Sol dropped a smoke bomb at his feet. The alley filled with a thick cloud, obscuring him from view. Brask fired blindly, the plasma bolts lighting up the smoke like fireworks. Sol dashed to the side, leaving behind a small, innocuous teddy bear."What the—" Brask started, but the bear exploded before he could finish. The blast knocked him off his feet, and shrapnel tore through his nanosuit.Sol didn't wait to see the aftermath. Clutching his bleeding chest where Brask's stray shot had grazed him, he sprinted through the maze of alleys. The sound of shouting and plasma fire faded as he put distance between himself and the chaos.By the time he reached Voska workshop, his vision was swimming, and his legs felt like lead. He staggered to the door, blood dripping onto the cracked pavement. His hand reached for the keypad, but the world tilted, and darkness claimed him.When Sol awoke, the scent of burning circuits and sterilized metal filled his lungs. Dim blue lights flickered overhead, casting eerie shadows across the cluttered workshop. He groaned, his body protesting as he tried to sit up. His chest was bandaged, the pain dull but persistent."You're lucky I found you first," a familiar voice rasped.Voska stood over him, arms crossed, his four glowing eyes scanning Sol with a mixture of relief and irritation. The old Vortigoth sighed, shaking his head. "You really don't know when to quit, do you?"Sol managed a weak smirk. "Got what I came for."Voska's gaze drifted to the energy core resting on the workbench. A rare, unreadable expression crossed his alien features. "Then let's hope it was worth it."