The city never slept. Even now, long past midnight, the neon veins pulsed with restless energy — advertising holograms flickering like restless phantoms, casting fractured light on rain-slick streets below.
Aeris and Kael slipped through the labyrinthine back alleys of the industrial district, their footsteps muffled by layers of grime and discarded tech. The air tasted of burnt ozone and rust, a reminder of the city's relentless decay beneath its glitzy façade.
Kael's gaze was sharp, cutting through the dimness as he scanned for threats. But it was Aeris who suddenly stopped, her breath catching.
"Wait," she whispered, pointing toward a flickering holo-ad that distorted into static — a subtle glitch, but one she knew well. A NeuroNet signal.
Kael's eyes narrowed. "They're tracking us."
Aeris knelt, pulling a small device from her pack — a compact jammer she'd cobbled together from old parts. Her fingers danced over the controls, eyes locked on the pulsing light of the holo-ad. Sparks of electric blue flared as the signal wavered, then died.
A quiet victory, but temporary.
Suddenly, the hum of the city was broken by a sharp, mechanical whirr — drones, dozens of them, descending like locusts from the sky, their red sensors locking onto them.
Kael grabbed Aeris's hand, pulling her toward a massive, rusted shipping container. "Inside. Now!"
They slipped through a narrow gap, the world outside reduced to a chorus of metallic wings and digital beeps.
Inside, shadows pooled like ink. Aeris's pulse hammered in her ears as she scanned the dim space — crates stacked high, flickering lights revealing glimpses of graffiti and faded logos.
Kael's voice was a low growl. "We need to find the source of this NeuroNet interference. If we don't, they'll track us straight to the resistance."
Aeris nodded, pulling up schematics of the city's old underground tunnels on her holo-pad. "There's a sub-level beneath here — abandoned for years but probably still connected to the city's grid. If we can get there, maybe we can plant a virus — something to cripple NeuroNet's core."
The sound of a door creaking echoed through the container. Kael raised his gun, eyes hardening.
A figure stepped through the shadows — familiar, and impossibly dangerous.
"I wouldn't do that if I were you," the figure said, voice smooth but edged with menace.
Aeris's heart skipped — it was someone she thought long gone. Someone with a key to secrets deeper than she dared imagine.
Kael's protective stance tightened around her. "This just got a lot more complicated."