City-21 “Kyiv,” UNSA Protectorate, Avril Dominion
Consulting Company “Consultant M,” Underground Storage Complex
Miroslav Gorich and his Team, August 13, 2049, 10:00 PM
By nightfall, the tension in the air was so thick it seemed one could cut it with a knife.
Since the previous day’s curfew, the Factory had been sealed off, with no one allowed in or out. Cellular stations were physically disabled, jammers and signal suppressors operated across all major radio frequencies. Offices within were emptied; not a soul was in sight. The holographic advertisements had long since gone dark, and even the lighting seemed to function at only a quarter of its usual power.
But this silence was deceiving.
It was the calm before the storm.
Only six hours remained until Operation “Breakthrough” commenced.
* * *
The underground complex beneath the Factory’s grounds was far from resembling a mere warehouse. In fact, it never truly was one, except on paper.
Right now, this vast space looked more like a military staging area, where nine heavy off-road trucks were ready for departure, with active loading operations underway. The engineering team had completed their maintenance tasks, just as prepping the vehicles for the installation of TACTA generators and stealth modules.
Clad in tactical armor, Miro surveyed the bustling activity with satisfaction. The hours of meticulous planning were over; now it was time to act. Everything had to go like clockwork!
Along the long rows of crates and containers, his men were finishing their weapon checks. Ammunition and additional gear were neatly packed and ready for loading, despite working with a very limited crew — most of the people were busy preparing escape routes, territory mining, drone setup, and other critical tasks.
“Here I am, One-Eye. What did you want to show me?”
“Ho-ho, bro, you ain’t gonna believe this. Get over here,” rasped Jovan’s voice from behind one of the trucks.
Miro turned sharply and walked over to a platform, where he was met by two wheeled carts designed for transporting heavy loads.
“You really did it...” the former professor smirked, nodding appreciatively. “Color me impressed.”
“Hell yeah! The Protectorate’s gonna love this, I swear!” Jovan laughed, patting the casing of an aviation fuel-air explosive bomb with the concise label Intelli-Fury OFE-98/B. “This old lady dates back to the war with the Russian Empire. Still packs a punch, ha-ha-ha. Ten thousand pounds of high-explosive fury in her warhead.”
“How did you solve the software issue?” Miro asked, pulling out a hand-rolled cigarette.
“Actually, I didn’t. But I convinced Maksim to lend a few threads of his AI. So, we just rewrote the whole part responsible for dispersing the mix according to the given parameters.”
“Are you sure it will work?”
“Yeah, we ran a few simulations. Gonna disperse it on detonation to create a directed blast effect. So, it’ll give us an edge against the Towers if they put up their protective shields, like they did in that fight with Shaiszu.”
“Very well. The EMP bombs’re ready too?” Miro nodded toward the second cart.
“In top shape, boss. Not sure they’ll work against the Protectorate’s drones, but we’ll give it a shot. Lemme finish up here, and I’ll get all this to the roof.”
“Good. I’ll check on the loading preparations in the meantime.”
* * *
City-21 “Kyiv,” UNSA Protectorate, Avril Dominion
Industrial Zone “NES Factory,” Medical Center “Lizard’s Tail”
Maksim Chernykh’s Team, August 14, 2049, 02:31 AM
Maksim leaned back in his chair and let out a heavy sigh. His right hand, clutching an autoinjector, almost released it, as fatigue was already strongly clouding his mind. He still mustered the remaining strength to reach out and carefully place the precious tool on the table beside him.
The previous day was grueling, given the monumental amount of work they had to get through. He needed to wait a few minutes now, for Dasha’s stimulant to finally kick in...
The most challenging part, of course, was preparing the truck. Driving it over the inspection pit, Maksim took CaTZ as his “Engineer Assistant.” For this, it was enough to replace the cargo basket on top of the robot with a set of universal manipulators.
After running the truck through self-tests and inspecting the chassis, Max ended up satisfied — the vehicle was in excellent condition and required no additional maintenance.
“Alright, let’s get started!”
As planned, he first removed most of the battery packs, creating more storage space for additional cargo.
Preparing the power connections for Moira wasn’t too difficult, since the aliens had ensured compatibility of their equipment with Earth standards. Furthermore, detailed documentation for the reactor became available immediately after the TACTA order confirmation. However, he also had to set up a secondary power line to use the Factory’s electrical network until the reactor was installed.
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It was even harder as Maksim had to work alone at first; there was simply no one available to assist him. It took Alisa a full four hours to complete the final, most delicate part of Zoran’s operation, which involved installing a cybernetic heart and configuring implants. Exactly at that time, the most complicated cyborg cases were handled at the maintenance station, since their treatment was prioritized by the deal. Later, only the simpler service remained, which Alisa could manage remotely.
The crucial moment the team both eagerly anticipated and feared had finally arrived. Dasha began her diving into Deep VR, using pre-prepared drugs and pharma. Max struggled to keep working on the truck when all he wanted was to be there for WonderKid, holding her hand through the procedure. He knew it would really help her. But, alas, each team member had their own role and responsibilities.
As soon as Nika was free, she rushed over to join Maksim. With her arrival, things sped up. By that time, the guy was already deeply involved in constructing the system to install the quantum core and all the AI modules in the truck’s cargo hold. The framework and supports were made from composite materials reinforced with nanotubes, while the panels were carbon fiber with an inner layer of vibration-absorbing material for shock and vibration protection.
“Oh, working hard like a busy bee, aren’t you?” The cheerful red head peeked into the cargo hold just as Maksim, bent over, was backing out while laying power cables inside the frame.
“Thanks for trying to lighten the mood,” he smiled sadly. “But I doubt it’ll help. I can’t shake this feeling of unease... It’s too big of a risk. What if Dasha doesn’t make it through the night?”
“Stop dwelling on depressing thoughts,” Nika waved dismissively. “She’ll make it, I believe. And you should believe it, too. It works. I’ve tested it, trust me. Anyway, let’s focus on the task at hand. Show me what you’ve got here.”
“Sure thing. You’ll have to crawl around too,” Max said, straightening up and wiping the sweat from his forehead. “Check out this beauty of a truck. Miro really came through!”
Nikola climbed into the cabin and whistled.
“Wow! Quite impressive, indeed. So, I guess your threat of putting us in diapers isn’t relevant anymore?”
“Well, at least Alisa’s safe. As for us, I’m still considering it,” he laughed. “But having a small sleeping area and a tiny bathroom with a shower and sink is a strategic advantage. It’s like having a full-fledged semi-truck cabin, but on a smaller scale, so we’ll be traveling in comfort. Now, enough chit-chat, come in here, and let’s get to work!”
There was no way to bring the vehicle closer to the clinic for loading; it was massive and couldn’t fit through the narrow “streets” inside the Factory. They had to coordinate with Miro for a suitable loading area and start hauling the accumulated team’s “cargo” with Nikola and robotic platforms. To facilitate this, Redhead managed to get five micro communication modules from the Linkers, which were used for the loader and four transport platforms.
As expected, space in the cargo hold was insufficient. They had to improvise with mounts on top, on the sides, and even on the roof. Nika was firm – nothing should be left behind! Thus, they even had to place some things in the driver’s cabin, occupying the only bunk, the area around it and between the seats. But everything fit in the end!
After loading, they moved the truck to the designated tunnel. Maksim connected power cables from the Factory, preparing everything for the final moment when Moira would be loaded into the cargo hold and connected.
For cooling, they temporarily used a couple of industrial coolers, which they could later discard and replace with a module purchased from TACTA.
* * *
By around 9 PM, Dasha finished her hardcore trip, adding a few gray hairs to Max’s head. The thing is, Vasilevskaya’s body, severely weakened by the previous days, took the drugs very poorly.
Her first cardiac arrest occurred at the forty-ninth minute of the procedure, but Alisa was prepared and reacted immediately. During the second hour of the “flight,” the situation worsened rapidly, necessitating Dasha’s connection to a hemodialysis machine to prevent acute blood poisoning. This helped, though the “doctor” cursed herself for not thinking of it earlier.
Meanwhile, Moira’s core evolution was progressing successfully, making it clear — they could breathe easier — the worst was over, and Daria would certainly pull through.
Currently, Vasilevskaya was in a coma, induced through her sub-brain implants, while Alisa worked on further detoxifying her system from the effects of the synth, both from this operation and the previous few days, with the prepared pharma. They would wake her two hours before the main action, once everything else was completed, allowing WonderKid to regain her strength as much as possible.
Buoyed by this success, Maksim and Nikola headed to the roof to prepare the area for calling the Drone and setting up the escape route. They lucked out with an excellent spot, almost perfect: a large open space with an opaque roof overhead. Max checked using the “Informatorium” and confirmed that the site was marked suitable for summoning, as TACTA’s rules prohibited Drone from entering buildings.
It only remained to ensure that they could get as far as possible within the ten-minute of the Drone’s delay, with all the heavy and bulky cargo. As they climbed, Moira constructed a 3D model of the entire route from the extraction point to the truck.
Max ran a dozen simulations, before he and Redhead chose the best one. However, a mere simulation wasn’t enough for the guy, so he insisted on a practice run. Especially since he and Nika would be doing the heavy lifting. They conducted several rehearsals using loaders and volume-weight mockups borrowed from the Factory, perfecting every second of the descent.
At the same time, Maksim sketched out the mining scheme to hinder the Protectorate's pursuit. The struggle over the explosives with Miro had been titanic, involving both Nika and even Alisa. Miro was adamant about not selling them, arguing that they needed the explosives for their own purposes.
During the mining process, Max and Redhead also ensured that their entire path was free from surveillance. The summoning point would have optical camouflage, which was great. But they didn’t want to be spotted through a window or by a nearby passing drone. They harbored no illusions that their escape would go unnoticed.
When all preparations were complete, there were just over three hours left until the main action.
They needed to hurry!
Dasha was brought out of her coma, allowed to regain her senses, and even persuaded to eat a little, knowing there would soon be no time for snacks.
After notifying Miro, they disconnected Moira and Alisa for transporting to the truck. WonderKid ran along to immediately begin installing the “Combat Moira” upgrade, aka “The System, Version 0.0.2,” after rebooting.
Maksim spent the remaining time gathering items, data, and necessary raw materials per Alisa’s list. Rare earth elements, platinum, a bit of organics, and so on. The list was quite extensive, and it was better to gather a surplus because otherwise, the cost of installing the special upgrade for the android could nearly double, a luxury the team couldn’t afford.
So, the descent was ready, passages were mined. Everything valuable that could be taken was taken!
Max reminded everyone once more — upon the escape, everyone must wear military uniforms with fully enclosed helmets. For Nika, gloves and shoes were also mandatory. And still, they would avoid unnecessary risks and steer clear of open areas whenever possible.
“Communicate must be only through the network to prevent voice identification,” he continued somewhat persistently. “We won’t make it easy for the Protectorate to identify us. It doesn’t matter who might detect us — satellites, reconnaissance micro-drones, or a random surveillance camera.”
“I see, I see. No sweat, we’ll go ‘MAXimum paranoia’ mode,” laughed Redhead, lightening the mood.
Now, the team was READY!
Summoning the Drone – was already in ten minutes!