CALM DOWN

The first wave of droids surged forward, rusted joints whining and optics flickering with unstable red light. Some crawled across the walls like mechanized insects, others hovered above, scanning for movement.

The moment Myst and Flux made a move, the assault began.

Flux moved first, swiftly evading the first strike while dismantling one of the wheeled droids with a precise blow to its exposed wiring. Myst scrambled behind him, trying to keep up. Though she wasn't as battle-trained, adrenaline pushed her forward.

She ducked as a drone's metallic claw slashed past her, sparks flying as it scraped against the rusted walls.

"This is bad," Flux muttered, panting slightly as he took down another bot. The facility's defenses weren't just reacting to intruders; they were actively hunting.

Myst tried hacking into a nearby control panel, her fingertips pressing against its surface. A faint blue glow emitted from her skin, but the system was too corroded to respond properly.

"I can't shut them down like this," she hissed, frustration creeping in.

Another bot lunged at Flux. He twisted out of the way, but this time, it wasn't a clean dodge. A sharp metal claw raked across his side, tearing through fabric and skin.

He grunted, staggering slightly as he pressed a hand to the wound. Blood stained red through his fingers.

Myst's breath caught.

The sight of Flux bleeding sent a jolt of something sharp and electric through her chest. Her breath hitched, something deep inside her unraveling.

A wave of energy surrounded the space. Flux barely had time to react before Myst's entire presence changed.

Her irises burned with neon blue light, her pupils narrowing to thin slits. Electric currents danced along her fingertips, light lashing out uncontrollably. The droids around them quickly twitched violently, others freezing mid-attack before abruptly crashing to the floor.

Then, the entire facility reacted.

Flickering overhead lights stabilized, monitors long-dead suddenly sparked back to life, displaying glitching code and fragments of encrypted data. Rusted machines, idle for decades, hummed as they rebooted against their own decay.

A loud screech of corrupted data rang through the room as the bots overloaded, their circuits frying under the interference.

Flux, still gripping his wound, stared at her. "Myst—"

Her breathing was ragged, body trembling under the force of her own power. She wasn't in full control—the energy inside her surged wildly, seeking more systems to latch onto.

More machines responded, as if being called to life by her mere presence.

The data were whispering through her consciousness.

Cipher's Xen-Link screen flickered.

Lines of garbled text flashing for half a second before stabilizing. His brows furrowed, fingers flying over the screen. "Wait... I'm getting something. But it's—"

The Clan, already moving toward Grid Maw, exchanged glances. "Where?" Razor pressed.

"Right in the depths of Grid Maw," Cipher confirmed. "But something's off—it's unstable. Almost like... interference."

Shade, peering over his shoulder, narrowed his eyes. "That's not just a normal tracking ping."

Blaze exhaled, with tension thick in his voice. "Then we better move faster."

As The Clan burst into the facility, they arrived just in time to see the aftermath. Sparks rained from short-circuited droids. The air hums unnaturally and screens along the walls flicker abnormally.

Then, just as suddenly as it had begun—Myst's power cut out.

She collapsed to her knees, her vision blurring as exhaustion took hold. The last thing she saw was Flux, still wounded, reaching out to steady her before she could fall further.

And somewhere, deep in the heart of the reactivated facility, a new screen flickered on.

PROJECT BLUE ROSE… ACTIVE.

>> Awaiting Directives...