—What do we do now, Mr. Kailen?

—Keep moving down. We need to secure the VIP.

Our small victory seemed to have breathed some courage into my bald companion, but his hands still trembled like leaves in a storm.

"Kan, I'm coming for you, you damn piece of crap."

At last, I had a moment to take in the change of scenery. It was so stark that I struggled to process it. Above, everything was made of welded plates, pieces torn from somewhere else. It all looked patched together, worn, like a makeshift collage built for survival.

Down here, though, it was different. Way too different.

—Mr. Kailen, this looks like...

—...one of my family’s factories.

Melena stared at me, his eyes wide as plates.

—You mean that...

—That we’re walking into some powerful person’s lair. Yep, we’ve been royally screwed.

Melena swallowed hard, the sound almost as loud as a gunshot in the dead silence of the place.

—Should we... should we retreat?

I looked at him seriously, though the exhaustion and tension weighed on me like a slab of stone.

—There’s no turning back now.

I checked my gear, reloaded my weapon, and inspected my armor. The plating had taken another hit I hadn’t noticed in the chaos of the battle, but it was still fully operational. Finally, I reached back to where my kinetic shield was strapped.

"Protector, please let me not have to use this."

Somehow, I knew my little prayer was pointless. The pristine condition of the space around me made it clear—I’d need this shield, and probably much more, very soon.

—Try to contact your friends. If you manage to get through, ask about the route and any other information they might have. I’ll check the surroundings.

I handed Melena the radio.

The walls were immaculate, covered in smooth, gleaming metal. Soft blue energy lines ran along the walls like pulsing veins, casting a cold, artificial glow across the space. The floor, perfectly leveled, hummed faintly with each step—a barely perceptible vibration that sent shivers across my skin. The corridors were spacious, designed to accommodate a constant flow of machinery or people. There were no signs of improvisation here; everything was built with precision, crafted to endure.

In the distance, the echo of a constant drip of water broke the metallic stillness. Above my head, the ventilation ducts exhaled dry, recycled air, tinged with that artificial scent so characteristic of sealed facilities.

"This is far too advanced for a bunch of scavengers," I thought, the doubt digging deep into my mind. Everything was in near-perfect condition, far too functional to be the work of looters.

I turned a corner and found a row of empty rooms. The marks on the walls and floor revealed that they’d been stripped down to their foundations, probably in search of anything valuable. I kept moving, passing by abandoned consoles covered in dust. Some still blinked faintly, as though waiting for commands that would never come. Cracked screens displayed text in barely recognizable languages, intermixed with technical symbols and fragmented graphics.

Every few meters, I stopped, straining my ears. And then I saw it: at the end of the hallway, amidst the flickering lights, a familiar symbol was etched onto one of the doors. A circle divided by a vertical line, surrounded by inscriptions that looked like runes.

It was the emblem of an old corporation, one of those that had vanished long before I was born.

"Was it Bayek or Nemadian?" I wondered, staring closely. Both had worked in similar fields: advanced electronics and cutting-edge robotics. Their symbols had always seemed confusingly alike, but identifying this one with certainty might give me clues about what lay ahead.

"Maybe Melena knows something," I thought.

As I approached, I noticed a small door embedded in the wall, barely wide enough for a single person to pass through. Beside it, a built-in computer with a tiny keyboard emitted a faint, blinking light.

I switched on the flashlight attached to my rifle and pointed it into the room beyond. The darkness was dense, swallowing most of the beam. Even so, I could make out what appeared to be a control room, surprisingly intact. The scavengers hadn’t managed to breach this place, which was as unsettling as it was revealing.

After a moment of deliberation, I decided not to venture in alone. The safety of the team came first. I turned on my heel and took one last look down the corridor. Further ahead, to the right, I saw a staircase descending.

I’d have to return to Melena and prepare. One way or another, our path led deeper.

—Did you manage to make contact?

—Nothing concrete. But I did intercept some of the enemy’s communications.

—And?

—They think they’re being attacked by four different forces at the same time. Plus, it seems like some of their men have turned against them.

—So it’s turned into a complete pandemonium up there.

—Exactly. From what I gathered, this faction of scavengers came together from several smaller ones. Now, whether by chance or fate, they’ve split into three.

—That doesn’t matter anymore, —I replied, shaking my head.— I found the staircase down and an intact room that looks like an operations center. Let’s go. Move out.

I began walking, but soon noticed there were no footsteps following me. I stopped and turned around. Melena stood still, like a statue.

—What’s wrong?

—Do you think my companions will be all right? —he asked in a barely audible voice.

—Of course. They’ve got two veterans protecting them.

—Do you trust them, Mr. Kailen? Would you trust your life to them?

—No —I replied after a long sigh—. I would never trust my life to someone from the Pits.

This tale has been unlawfully lifted without the author's consent. Report any appearances on Amazon.

Melena averted his gaze, visibly uncomfortable.

—I’m afraid they’ll abandon them —he said after a pause—. I’m afraid you’ll abandon me.

I scratched my head, battling a familiar feeling. I understood perfectly how he felt. That same insecurity had haunted me when I joined the military. Until my mentor took me under her wing, I’d lived in constant fear of being left behind.

—I need you until we rescue the VIP —I said, locking eyes with him—. After that, my focus will be on keeping him alive. But that doesn’t mean I’ll throw you away. I’ll keep fighting on the frontlines, and as long as you follow instructions, you’ll have a chance to make it out of this alive.

I wasn’t as convincing as I would’ve liked, but at least Melena started moving again. And right now, that was all I needed from him.

We advanced quickly down the hallway. When we reached the door, Melena muttered something that caught me off guard.

—By the Daughter of Metal… This base belongs to the HYDRA Initiative.

I stopped dead in my tracks, turning to him with a frown.

—What are you talking about? —I asked, pointing to the engravings on the wall—. Those are clearly the symbols of the Bayek or Nemadian corporations.

Melena, with a mix of patience and urgency, pointed at the emblems in more detail.

—Ah, I see why you’re confused. HYDRA created joint departments with all the major corporations to cover their operations.

—HYDRA? What the hell is that initiative you keep talking about? —I could feel irritation creeping into my impatience.

—It’s a long story… —Melena hesitated, as if deciding where to start.

—Melena, for the love of the Guardian, summarize it! —I snapped, unable to hold back my exasperation.

—All right, all right... HYDRA is some kind of government initiative. There was a time when it looked like the city was doomed to fall. So… they gave funding and free rein to all the major corporations to defend it however they could.

—That doesn’t sound good at all. —I didn’t bother hiding my skepticism.

—Well… the city didn’t fall. —Melena’s expression held a trace of resignation, as if trying to justify the unjustifiable.

—Whatever. We need to keep moving. —I motioned for us to press forward, but Melena stayed where he was, staring at the room ahead of us.

—Wait, Mr. Kailen... —he finally said, his tone almost pleading—. If I stayed here for a moment to gather some information...

I stopped and slowly turned toward him.

—Cut the nonsense. —My tone was sharp, like a whip cracking through the air—. I need you to rescue the VIP. After that, we leave immediately.

—But this room is intact. —Melena gestured toward the active terminal and the powered-down but complete consoles—. There could be something important here. Something that could help us.

—Melena... —I sighed tiredly, my patience wearing thinner by the second—. Don’t make me drag you down the stairs.

He stood frozen for a moment, staring at the doorway as if it were a portal to all the answers he needed. Finally, he turned to me, his eyes alight with a mix of stubbornness and hope.

—Think about what we could find in there.

That line stopped me cold. I straightened immediately, my posture as rigid as a blade. I fixed him with a hard stare, letting the weight of my authority crush him like an anvil.

—Nothing you find in there will matter if you don’t make it out alive. —My voice was low, firm, calculated.

Melena hesitated, his gaze flickering between the room and my face.

—I can do it... I can do it if you just help me...

I didn’t let him finish. With a deliberate motion, I drew my revolver. I raised it slowly, letting the barrel come to rest pointed directly at his head.

—The stairs, Melena.

The sound of him swallowing echoed in the silence. His eyes, wide open, reflected a mix of surprise, fear, and a futile attempt at defiance.

—But…

—The stairs. —My words fell like a verdict. Cold. Final—. I won’t repeat myself.

Time seemed to stop. For a moment, I thought Melena might try to defy me, but his determination crumbled under my gaze. He dropped his shoulders, resigned, and began walking toward the stairs.

I holstered the revolver, keeping my eyes on him, making sure he didn’t try anything stupid. Sometimes, a loaded gun is more persuasive than a thousand words.

The man lowered his gaze to the floor, clenching his fists for the first time since I’d met him. For an instant, it seemed like he wanted to fight—not me, but the fate that had dragged him into this situation.

—I really need that information. —His voice was low but carried a determination that hadn’t been there before—. It could be in there.

His stubbornness was palpable, but so was his fear. His hands trembled slightly, as if his body couldn’t decide whether to flee or stay. His words were a plea, though he tried to disguise them as rationality.

—There could be a million things in there, Melena. —My tone was firmer than I intended—. But no amount of information will help you if you don’t make it out alive.

I knew I was right, but I also knew those words wouldn’t be enough to calm him. I didn’t know his story or how important this thing he was looking for might be. There was a chasm of uncertainty between us, and that gap made the situation even more tense than it already was. For a moment, I considered forcing him to move on, but I decided to try another approach—something more… diplomatic.

—We could come back here someday. This place isn’t going anywhere. —My voice softened, though I didn’t lose the firmness—. And for now, only the two of us know what’s here. There’s no need to tell anyone else about it.

Melena raised his eyes to meet mine. I could still see fear in them—a deep fear that had been haunting him since we entered this damned place. But something else began to flicker in his expression, like a spark struggling to ignite. Hope? Maybe.

—All right, Mr. Kailen. —His voice was steadier this time, as if my words had managed to ground him.

I nodded.

—Good.

Finally, we started descending the staircase that led to another corridor. This one was wider, with walls covered in metallic panels that reflected the faint light from our visors. The doors lining both sides were sturdy, made of reinforced steel, and almost all of them were ajar, as if the occupants had left in haste or amid chaos.

I checked the first door. What had once been meeting rooms or file storage spaces had been turned into makeshift barracks or armories for the scavengers. Rickety beds were piled against the walls, alongside open ammunition crates and scattered tools. The place reeked of rancid oil, rusted metal, and something sourer, the lingering trace of those who had lived here.

Each door we inspected was a reminder of how desperate the abandonment of this place must have been. Wires hung from the ceilings, and scorch marks on the walls suggested small skirmishes had taken place here. But the sheer number of doors was overwhelming, and checking each one would take forever. We decided to move quickly, taking only brief glances into each room.

Finally, we reached the end of the corridor, where a wider door stood out due to its design. Its frame was sturdier, with reinforced edges that seemed capable of withstanding even minor explosives. It was clear that this was the entrance to the heart of the complex.

Beside the door, a terminal jutted out from the wall, its design slightly different from the ones on the upper floors. This one appeared to be fully functional, with a screen glowing faintly in the dim light. Someone had reconfigured it—I doubted it was the same scavengers occupying the place. It seemed far too sophisticated for the crude methods those cockroaches usually employed. Fortunately, it allowed access to be controlled efficiently.

—Once we open this, there won’t be any rest until we’re done. Are you ready? —I said, turning to Melena.

—Yes… no, wait… no. Yes, I’m ready. —His hands started trembling visibly as he struggled to make up his mind.

I shook my head, letting out a sigh. I couldn’t blame him; I was starting to feel uneasy too. Everything had gone wrong from the very beginning of this operation. The mission had turned into a disaster. Every step we took seemed to push the possibility of getting out of here successfully further away.

The worst part was the sense of isolation. We had no way of contacting the team above. We were alone, submerged in this labyrinth of steel and shadows, moving forward into the unknown with the weight of uncertainty pressing down on us.

And yet, there was no choice but to keep going.