After escaping the Core, Evan and Skylar moved quietly through the darkened streets, taking cover in the shadows and avoiding the flickering surveillance drones that glided above. They made their way to a secret location on the outskirts of New Dawn, where they’d agreed to meet Caleb.

The place was a worn-down, inconspicuous warehouse surrounded by scrap piles and forgotten tech parts—just the kind of spot EVE’s eyes wouldn’t care to linger on. Skylar gave Evan a nod as they approached the door, and they both knocked in a distinct pattern: two slow knocks, a pause, then three more in rapid succession.

A moment passed, and a voice from the other side asked, “Who?”

Evan replied, “The Core is in my hands.”

The door clicked open, revealing Caleb’s cautious face. “Close call?” he asked dryly, stepping aside to let them enter.

“Close doesn’t even cover it,” Evan muttered as he brushed past Caleb, irritation evident in his tone. “We nearly lost our lives back there. The place was crawling with drones.”

Caleb shut the door behind them, glancing at Evan and Skylar with a mixture of curiosity and mild exasperation. Liam, sitting at a makeshift table in the dimly lit room, watched them closely.

As Evan and Skylar entered, Evan held up a small USB drive.

“So,” Evan said, raising an eyebrow, “can we trust each other now? I assume you’ll be telling us what we need to know.”

Skylar didn’t answer. Instead, she whipped out her gun in one smooth motion, aiming it straight at Caleb and Liam. “You sent us into that Core with almost nothing,” she said coldly, her voice tense. “Why should we trust anything you say now?”

Caleb and Liam raised their hands, exchanging wary glances. “There’s no need for this,” Liam said, his tone calm but guarded. “It’s not like we could stop EVE on our own.”

Caleb shot a look at Liam, eyebrows raised. “You dragged me into this mess, and now look where we are,” he muttered under his breath. “Just great.”

Liam glanced at him sideways. “I saved your life once from those maintenance drones. You owe me that much at least.”

Turning back to Evan and Skylar, Liam nodded toward the far end of the room. “Behind you. The third tile near the bottom corner—pull it.”

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Evan kept his gaze on them as he moved to where Liam directed, crouching to pull back the tile. Beneath it was a small metal box. He opened it and found an old, worn map of New Dawn with four marked locations, each one marked with a bold red X.

“These,” Liam explained, “are EVE’s core nodes. The multi-layered protection means her core functions are split across multiple sectors. Destroying one node isn’t enough—her influence will just re-route through the others and keep the system going.”

Evan studied the map, his mind already racing. “So we’re supposed to hit all four nodes at once?”

Liam nodded. “Precisely. Destroying all the nodes simultaneously would destabilize her system just long enough to disrupt her controls. But you can’t do this alone. That’s where we come in.”

Skylar narrowed her eyes, lowering her gun but keeping it at her side, still wary. “Convenient timing,” she said, glancing at Liam. “But let’s be clear, we’re still not thrilled about you sending us in with incomplete information.”

Liam held his hands up in a gesture of peace. “Point taken. But now, we’re all here for the same reason. If we’re going to break EVE’s control, we need each other.” He motioned to the map on the table. “These are the most secure nodes in New Dawn. Getting close to them won’t be easy. Destroying them will loosen the security system, giving us a chance to infiltrate her mainframe either physically or through the system and destroy it forever.”

Caleb nodded, looking between Evan and Skylar. “But this isn’t just about charging in and blowing things up. EVE’s system is adaptive. If we’re too obvious, she’ll figure it out and lock us out before we reach the last node.”

“So we need allies,” Liam added. His eyes met Evan’s, a thoughtful expression on his face. “I think you have access to people who might be willing to join our cause.”

Evan was silent as he looked at Liam, weighing his reaction. "Why me? Aren't you one of the engineers who helped design EVE's core systems? Don't you have a network of personal connections that could help?"

Liam shrugged, a wry smile creeping onto his face. “I’m just a data scientist. And Caleb here… well, he’s more of a sewer rat than a networker.”

“Hey!” Caleb protested, shooting Liam an annoyed glare. “I’ve done my fair share of networking down here. I just don’t schmooze with corporate types like you.”

Liam ignored him, turning back to Evan. “Unlike you, a corporate assassin with all the connections in the world. Don’t tell me you don’t know someone who can help us with this.”

Evan went silent for a moment, his face unreadable. Skylar looked at him, eyebrow raised. “Really? You have someone in mind?”

Evan let out a sigh. “Yeah… but it’ll be annoying as hell.” He rubbed his temples, as if already bracing for a headache.

Skylar gave a small, mischievous smile. “Oh, now I’m interested. This should be fun.”

Liam laid the map flat on the table. “So, here’s the plan: we find people who can help us hit these nodes at the same time. We’ll need stealth, firepower, and a damn good sense of timing. Each group will have to reach a node, plant the disruptor, and get out before EVE has a chance to retaliate.”

Caleb frowned, tapping his finger on one of the marked locations. “But what happens if one of the groups fails? She could just reroute everything through the other nodes and tighten her defenses. This has to be precise.”

Evan nodded, his eyes on the map. “Which is why we’re not rushing into this. We plan, we gather allies, and we hit these nodes without leaving room for error.”

Evan looked at each of them , his gaze steady and resolute. “Let’s get to work.”