The pouring rain fell like a corrosive blessing on Neo-Lux, a city whose soul seemed to have been replaced by circuitry and holograms. The streets, covered in a thin layer of iridescent oil, reflected garish neon lights displaying looping advertisements. Surveillance drones moved silently through the air, their beams of light scanning every alleyway for irregularities.
Eliot Kane, hidden under the hood of his reinforced coat, walked among the dense crowd. He was almost invisible, a specter among hundreds of augmented individuals, each more connected than the other. His optical implants allowed him to scan the crowd, detecting signals emitted by personal identification chips.
“No suspicious movement,” he whispered through his built-in communicator.
Rhea's voice, soft but tinged with tension, answered him immediately:
— Drone patrols are closing in on your position. You have less than three minutes before they sweep the area.
Eliot paused for a moment, peering into the entrance to an anonymous raw concrete building. It was there that the Dissidents had arranged to meet. He entered quickly, avoiding the rotating cameras at the entrance.
---
Inside, the air was saturated with the metallic smell of overheated circuits. Cables snaked across the floor, connecting dozens of makeshift computers. The screens flashed red and green lights, casting shadows on the tense faces of the Dissidents.
Rhea, seated in the center, was immersed in a series of lines of code scrolling quickly on a screen. She turned to Eliot, removing her augmented reality headset.
— You're late.
“I had to bypass two patrols,” he replied, removing his hood. Where are we?
Lya, standing near a table filled with holographic plans, interjected:
— Synapse is planning something big. Rhea intercepted fragments of communications. They call it "Awakening."
Eliot frowned.
—A mind control program?
“Worse,” Rhea replied. It's not just mind control. It’s a total overhaul of consciousness. Once activated, individuals will become nothing more than extensions of Synapse.
Malik, leaning against the wall, groaned.
—We have to stop them.Lya nodded.
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— Our target is a local branch in the Eastern district. If we can access their network, we can extract the full plans of the Awakening and figure out how to deactivate it.
A heavy silence settled. Eliot crossed his arms.
- Alright. We'll set off in an hour. Get ready.
---
Crossing Neo-Lux was a balancing act between stealth and speed. The Dissidents, equipped with black anti-detection clothing, weaved through the alleys, dodging drones and automated guards.
Eliot walked in the lead, his handheld scanner constantly scanning the surroundings.
“Rhea, where are the patrols?
— Two drones 200 meters to the north. They are not heading towards you, but be careful.
They finally reached a metal walkway giving a clear view of their target: a massive antenna rising above an anonymous building. Red lights pulsed at regular intervals, synchronized with the security cameras.
— Malik, are you ready? asked Eliot.
- Always.
Malik placed a magnetic charge on a side door, triggering a series of thuds. The door opened with a whoosh, and the team rushed inside.
---
Inside, the corridors were cold and bathed in artificial white light. The silence was oppressive, broken only by the hum of the servers. Rhea stopped in front of a wall console and began to work.
“Give me two minutes,” she said, concentrating.
Eliot watched the surroundings, while Malik and Lya stood guard. The seconds seemed to stretch into infinity.
Suddenly, a metallic noise echoed at the end of the corridor. Malik raised his gun.
— We have company.
Automated guards, their imposing silhouettes illuminated by red LEDs, appeared. Without waiting, Malik opened fire, his armor-piercing bullets shattering the circuits of the first units.
“Rhea, hurry up!” cried Eliot.
— Almost… done! she replied, snatching a data stick from the console.The team fell back quickly, but when they left, an alarm sounded. The cameras light up at the same time as holographic panels broadcasting a disturbing message:
"Awakening starts in 24 hours. Prepare yourself for a better world."
RHEA quickly analyzed the data key.
- It's a partial plan, but there is something weird. Synapse knew we would come.
Eliot turned to cover their rear.
- That means they are waiting for us.
They dispersed in the alleys, using separate roads to return to their base.
Back at the base, Eliot and his team analyzed the stolen data. A holographic card appeared, showing the various strategic points of Synapse.
"Their central network is here," said Rhea, appointing a skyscraper in the center of the city.
Lya nodded.
- If we want to stop them, that's where we have to hit.
Eliot fixed the card, his eyes shiny with a new determination.
- So we will hit.