Amelia slid down the metal structure, her heart pounding. Every creak and squeak made her freeze, fearing discovery. Sweat ran down her forehead, clouding her vision. With a quick movement, she wiped her eyes and continued her descent.

She was aware of the strategic positions of her companions nearby. Marina worked from a hidden place, deciphering alien communications, while Javier provided sniper cover from a partially collapsed building.

The night sky was tinged with a sickly glow. Amelia held her breath, her flesh and metal fingers clinging to the remains of the sign. From her elevated position, she watched as enormous alien ships descended upon the ruined city, their silhouettes reminiscent of gigantic metal squids.

The convoy stopped abruptly. The biomechanical vehicles pulsed with a greenish light, emitting a high-pitched hum that made Amelia's teeth vibrate in her skull. Her mechanical arm responded with a series of warning beeps, the indicators flashing frantically.

"Damn it," she muttered, adjusting the controls on her visor.

In the distance, alien troops deployed with terrifying efficiency. Electric blue energy fields began to weave an intricate net, systematically cutting off every possible escape route. Amelia's stomach churned.

The communicator on her wrist came to life with a crackle of static.

"Gear, do you copy?" Ernest's voice sounded tense. "The situation is getting ugly over here."

Amelia closed her eyes for a moment, inhaling deeply before her training took over.

"I copy, Wrench. Looks like the bastards decided to throw a surprise party."

"Yeah, and we weren't invited," Ernest replied, humor barely hiding the concern in his voice. "What's the plan?"

Amelia scanned the horizon once more. The aliens were closing the net quickly. In a matter of minutes, there would be no way to approach the convoy without being detected. Her mind worked at full speed, evaluating and discarding options.

"I need a few minutes to think," she finally said.

The silence that followed was deafening. Amelia's heart was beating so loudly she feared the aliens might hear it. Her mind was a whirlwind of emotions and questions.

Ernest's voice snapped her out of her trance.

"Gear, I know this is a shock, but we need to make a decision. Now."

Amelia blinked, forcing herself to focus. Luciano or not, the mission was still the priority.

"You're right," she said, her voice regaining its edge. "We need to get close to that convoy, with or without the alien cordon."

"About that..." Ernest's voice sounded tense, but Amelia detected a hint of excitement. "I think I have an idea."

Amelia knew her companion well; the technical challenge was exciting him despite the danger.

"I have an idea, but it's risky," he said, his voice a mixture of enthusiasm and concern. "Remember that device I... borrowed from the alien base?"

Amelia raised an eyebrow.

"You mean the one that almost killed you last time you used it?"

"That's the one," Ernest said. "I think I can use it to infiltrate their security systems. Give them an electronic headache, so to speak."

"Are you sure it will work?"

"Honestly? I have no fucking idea. But it's the best we've got."

Amelia weighed her options. It was risky, but Ernest rarely made mistakes when it came to technology.

"Do it," she ordered. "But be careful. If something goes wrong..."

"Relax, Gear. I'm a professional."

The communicator crackled and went silent. Amelia held her breath, her eyes fixed on the alien energy fields. For several seconds, nothing happened. Then, as if an invisible hand had pulled a cosmic switch, the sky lit up.

The alien energy fields flickered violently, rippling as if they were liquid. Amelia watched, open-mouthed, as entire sections of the alien cordon destabilized, creating momentary gaps.

Her communicator came to life again.

"It worked!" Ernest's voice was full of jubilation. "But it won't last long. The alien systems are already trying to recalibrate. You have a few minutes, at most."

Amelia wasted no time. With a fluid movement, she slid down the metal structure and landed on the ground with a thud.

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"Good job, Wrench," she said as she began to run towards the convoy. "Keep your eyes open and let me know if anything changes."

"Be careful, Gear. And... good luck."

The interior of the convoy was a maze of pulsating corridors and greenish lights. Amelia moved cautiously, each step calculated to avoid triggering any hidden alarms. Her mechanical arm hummed softly, the sensors working overtime to map the alien environment.

After what seemed like an eternity, she reached a central chamber. Her stomach lurched at what it contained. The space was filled with stasis pods, each containing a human figure submerged in a bluish liquid. Amelia felt a wave of nausea. It wasn't weapons or technology they were transporting. It was people.

She approached the nearest pod, her fingers brushing the cold surface. The face inside was that of a young woman, her eyes closed in an artificial sleep. Thin metallic filaments extended from the base of her skull, sinking into the skin.

"What the hell are they doing to them?" she muttered to herself.

A sound, barely perceptible, made her turn abruptly. In the shadows, something moved. Amelia raised her mechanical arm, the servomotors tensing in anticipation.

The figure that emerged made her hold her breath. It was an alien, but not like the ones she had seen before. This one was larger, its body a grotesque fusion of pulsating flesh and shining metal. Multiple appendages extended from its torso, each ending in what appeared to be tools or weapons. Its skin constantly changed color, like a living camouflage.

For a moment, both stood motionless, evaluating each other. Then, the alien lunged at Amelia with supernatural speed. The air hummed as its metal tentacles sliced through the space where she had been a second before.

Amelia rolled, the cold metal of the floor biting into her skin. Her mechanical arm squeaked in protest.

"Damn it!" she growled, dodging another attack by millimeters.

The alien emitted a shriek that made the stasis pods vibrate. Amelia felt her teeth resonating in her skull.

She counterattacked with a burst from her mechanical arm. The projectiles bounced off the creature's exoskeleton, leaving barely a scratch.

"Think, Amelia, think," she told herself, frantically searching for an advantage.

The alien took advantage of her moment of doubt. A tentacle coiled around her mechanical arm, squeezing with superhuman strength. Sparks flew. Red alarms flashed in her peripheral vision.

"Let go of me, you damn spawn!" Amelia repeatedly hit the appendage with her free fist, ignoring the pain shooting up her arm.

With a metallic crunch that echoed throughout the chamber, she managed to free herself. Pieces of her arm hung uselessly.

The alien gave her no respite. Its appendages became a lethal blur. Amelia dodged, the whistle of the attacks brushing her ears. Each movement was a dance with death.

A blow reached her. The impact threw her against a stasis pod. The glass cracked under her back. Blue liquid dripped, cold and viscous.

Stunned, Amelia blinked to clear her vision. The alien approached for the final blow, its multiple eyes glowing with ruthless intelligence.

At that moment Amelia saw a flash among the shadows of the corridors. "It's now or never," she thought.

With a battle cry, Amelia launched herself at the nearby control panel. Her fingers, both flesh and metal, hit the controls with all her strength.

Warning lights flooded the chamber. A high-pitched hum filled the air, causing the alien to stop, disoriented.

The stasis pods came to life. The liquid inside bubbled violently.

Suddenly, a shot tore through the air like thunder in a closed room. The projectile impacted directly on one of the alien's compound eyes, bursting it in an explosion of viscous fluid.

The creature retreated, emitting a deafening shriek that made Amelia cringe in pain.

"Amelia, get down!" shouted a familiar voice above the chaos.

Without hesitation, Amelia threw herself to the floor. The cold metal kissed her cheek as she rolled.

Two more shots rang out in rapid succession. The alien collapsed with a metallic crash that shook the entire chamber.

Javier emerged from the shadows, his rifle still smoking. His eyes shone with a mixture of adrenaline and satisfaction.

"Looks like I arrived just in time," he said, extending a hand to help Amelia up.

Amelia accepted the help, feeling how every muscle in her body protested. She looked at the inert body of the alien, then at Javier.

"Thanks, Shadow," she replied, her voice hoarse from the effort. "Your aim is still impeccable."

Javier sketched a half-smile, but his expression quickly turned serious.

"We have to get out of here. Alien reinforcements won't be long."

Amelia nodded, but something caught her attention as she scanned the room for an exit. Her eyes stopped on one of the central capsules. Her breath caught suddenly.

"Wait," she murmured, approaching slowly.

She stopped abruptly. There, in one of the central capsules, floated a familiar figure. Her heart skipped a beat as she recognized Luciano's face, his eyes closed and his expression serene, as if he were asleep. Thin metallic filaments extended from the base of his skull, sinking into the skin. She held her breath, her hand trembling as she approached the glass.

"I found you," she whispered, a mixture of relief and horror flooding her chest.

She was about to look for a way to open the capsule when the communicator came to life.

"Gear! Do you copy?" Spark's voice sounded urgent. "I've managed to decipher part of the alien data. The pods... they're connected in a symbiotic system."

"What do you mean, Spark?" Amelia said, frowning.

"If you release one without the proper protocol, you'll trigger a chain reaction," Marina continued. "Everyone else will die."

The weight of the revelation fell on Amelia like a slab. She looked around at the dozens of pods that filled the chamber, each containing a human life.

"Are you sure about this, Spark?" she asked, unable to hide the desperation in her voice.

"Completely," Spark replied. "The data is clear. You need to initiate the release protocol from the main control panel, but it will take time. Time we don't have."

As if to emphasize her words, a series of explosions resonated in the distance. The floor beneath their feet trembled.

Javier approached a nearby control panel, his fingers moving quickly over the alien interface.

"I can try to initiate the protocol," he said, his voice tense. "But Marina is right. It will take time."

Amelia immediately understood the implications. Her stomach twisted as she weighed the options.

"Either we leave now, with the information we have..."

"Or we stay, risking everything to save these people," Javier completed.

The communicator came to life again.

"Gear! Do you copy?" Ernest's voice sounded frantic. "The energy fields are re-establishing. If you don't get out of there in the next five minutes, you'll be trapped."

Amelia closed her eyes for a moment, her mind working at full speed. Her fingers clenched, feeling the weight of dozens of lives on her shoulders. The hum of the pods and the alarm beeps filled the air, creating a cacophony of urgency.

"Wrench, I need you to do something for me..."

The explosions were getting closer, the sound rumbling through the metal corridors. Time was running out. And in that alien chamber, surrounded by suspended lives and technology beyond her comprehension, Amelia Rotorblade made the most difficult decision of her life.