"He who fights monsters should be careful lest he thereby become a monster. And if you gaze long into an abyss, the abyss also gazes into you."

  — Friedrich Nietzsche

  His heads-up-display flared, screaming proximity alerts too late. He couldn't see his attacker, except for faint edges and a blur of motion. He was stronger, faster and better trained.

  I'm dead.

  The blade pressed deeper, and he clawed desperately at the invisible arm around his throat. His vision started to blur as his air supply cut off.

  A blur shot past his shoulder followed by sickening crunch. The weight vanished and Luca hit the floor hard, gasping.

  Zoe stood over him, dagger dripping, her camo rippling off. The covert-ops Varnathi was twitching on the floor, a smear of violet-black blood across its neck.

  [+17,145 XP]

  [+6750 credits]

  "Thanks," he said, his voice hoarse.

  She offered a hand and pulled him to his feet. "Watch your six. They're hunting us now."

  [Item acquired: Centauri Phantom PB-64 Silencer]

  [Item acquired: Centauri Phantom Mk-64 Shin Guards]

  He crouched beside the body, pulling the items from the loot box. A suppressor for the new plasma blaster and another piece of the Phantom armor set. "They're well-equipped," he said, handing her the shin guard.

  The corridor stretched ahead into a wide chamber. Cool air poured out. The reactor room. In the center, a glowing core throbbed with a dull blue pulse. Two guards in reinforced armor paced near the control interface. These were heavier than Skirmishers.

  They split up without a word. Zoe took the left catwalk while he ghosted between coolant tanks on the right. She dropped behind one of the heavy guards, her dagger sinking in clean. The second one heard the muffled thud and turned. Too late. Luca slammed his tomahawk into the joint between its shoulder and neck. The guard collapsed.

  [+22,860 XP]

  [+9000 credits]

  Zoe was already at the terminal. "I can cut the main feed from here," she said. "Emergency backups will last about twenty seconds, then total darkness."

  He nodded. "How long until it reboots?"

  "Five minutes. It's a failover protocol."

  "Good. Once the power is out, they'll be blind, but only if we lock those doors first."

  She met his gaze, her expression serious. "You better move fast."

  "I will," he said. "Cut the lights on my signal. Not a second before."

  "Understood."

  He turned and sprinted for the stairwell, taking the steps two at a time. He hit the upper level, moving fast toward the first blast door.

  His comms crackled with Ryan's voice. "Luca? We lost your signal."

  "Handling it," he clipped, his focus on the panel ahead.

  He reached the first panel and switched to Zoe's private channel. "In position."

  Her reply was instant. "Ready."

  He placed his hand on the panel. "Three. Two. One. Now."

  The heavy bolts on the command center doors slammed shut. He heard a distant thrum as the reactor powered down. The lights went out. Everything went dark.

  They reached the vent that overlooked the command center. He carefully removed the grate, peering down. It was dark, the only light from flickering emergency strobes and glowing consoles. The guards were still inside, their silhouettes moving restlessly.

  "We have two minutes before the reactor reboots," he murmured, drawing his tomahawk.

  Zoe rejoined him by the command center moments later.

  Luca activated [Ghost Protocol], forgoing the short burst of Active Camouflage for the long-haul invisibility this would require. Five minutes. It had to be enough, because the hour-long cooldown meant this was a one-way trip.

  Zoe did the same, their armor's light-bending mesh engaging with a subtle shimmer. Because they were both in the same squad, his HUD showed him a slight outline of where she was, but that was it. They had five minutes.

  Darkness was no obstacle now.

  They dropped silently from the ventilation shaft into the pitch-black command center. The air was oppressive, thick with chemical haze and raw fear.

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  A burst of static filled his helmet, followed by Ryan's distorted voice. "-e losing -round here!-"

  Luca activated [Heightened Awareness]. His interface now flooded with data, detecting dozens of panicked bodies trapped in the room with them. Officers and guards were stumbling blindly, their frantic, rasping breaths mingling with terrified curses.

  Fifteen seconds. That's all he had to process it. Every angle and every threat.

  A frantic burst of chittering erupted nearby. It was silenced by the wet, choking gurgle of Zoe's dagger finding its mark.

  Time to work.

  A guard stumbled past, waving his plasma rifle wildly. Luca moved, a silent rush of motion. He swung the tomahawk in an overhead arc. There was a sickening thud of steel meeting bone, a choked gasp, and a body hit the floor. No wasted energy or flashy moves.

  Twelve seconds.

  Panic erupted. The Varnathi scattered, bumping into consoles, walls, and each other in a frantic attempt to escape the unseen threat.

  Another guard bumped into a console, cursing as he fumbled for a weapon. Zoe was there before he could even raise his rifle. A flash of her dagger, a gurgled scream cut short, and another body joined the growing pile.

  Luca gripped his tomahawk tighter, muscles coiling as adrenaline surged. [Heightened Awareness] was still active, flooding his senses with brutal clarity. Every scream, every sob, every stumbling footstep echoed in his mind. His heartbeat thundered in his ears urging him forward.

  The darkness amplified the sounds of the slaughter. The wet thwacks of their weapons connecting, the ragged gasps of the dying, the sickening splatter of blood. They moved through the violence, conducting the slaughter.

  Ten seconds.

  He surged through the chaos, his tomahawk sweeping in savage arcs. He felt each impact ripple up his arm, the blade biting through fabric, flesh, and bone. Blood sprayed warm across his armor. Each kill demanded exertion, his muscles burning with effort, his breath ragged as he pressed forward.

  This is too easy. It's a slaughter.

  A young officer stumbled directly into his path, eyes wide with unseeing terror. Without hesitation, Luca swung the weapon sideways, right into his collarbone, feeling bone crunch under the blow. He screamed briefly and collapsed, convulsing weakly before falling still.

  Eight seconds.

  Even blind, they were dangerous. Plasma bolts lit up the room as they zipped through the dark. One hissed past his cheek. A Varnathi guard lashed out wildly, his clawed hands locking around Zoe's arm. He yanked her backward, bigger and stronger, raising an arm to strike.

  No time to think.

  Luca activated [Target Lock Assist]. The guard's heat signature flared, locking him in. Then, [Trajectory Focus]. His interface snapped the perfect throwing arc into place. He drew a sharp breath and released. The tomahawk tore through the air, burying itself into the guard's faceplate with a brutal, bone-crunching crack. The Varnathi crumpled.

  Six seconds.

  Zoe gave him a quick, almost imperceptible nod before turning to the next threat.

  The Varnathi were lost in their own fear, firing blindly. In the brief flashes of plasma, he saw the horror on their faces. This was a massacre. Nearby, Zoe moved with lethal grace, her face a dark mask of intensity, utterly merciless. Each motion was seamless, deliberate, deadly.

  "-u- -oe, -atus!" The comms crackled, barely audible. He ignored it, his focus was absolute. Keep moving. Don't stop. Don't think. The two of them against a room full of enemies.

  His tomahawk cleaved through armor joints into bone and flesh. Blood splattered against his suit, marking him.

  Two seconds.

  His muscles screamed with exhaustion even as they moved. [Heightened Awareness] ran its course and started its cooldown. His HUD still had infrared and night vision. It was enough to finish this. He had to keep moving, for Ryan, Emily, Chris, Danny, and Joey, fighting for their lives outside and waiting for an opening.

  A senior officer barked a command. Zoe silenced him swiftly, her dagger buried deep beneath his ribs. The guards' screams were deafening. From the corner, he heard frantic, pleading whimpers. A last burst of desperate chittering escaped one before his tomahawk silenced it forever.

  There was no honor in it, only raw slaughter. They were terrified prey trapped with predators they couldn't see. His heart hammered painfully, each breath raw in his throat, his body aching yet driven onward by the grim necessity of the mission.

  Finally, as the last cries faded, the reality settled with crushing weight. His chest heaved, lungs burning.

  He stood amid the carnage, blood dripping from his weapon.

  He flicked on his flashlight.

  Bodies were strewn across the floor, twisted at unnatural angles. It was a butcher's shop. And they were the butchers.

  Command center secured. Forty-three hostiles down.

  Zoe stood across the room, breathing hard, her armor soaked. She met his eyes and gave a quick nod.

  Shake it off. Shake it off. Deal with it later.

  "Status?" he asked.

  "Good to go." Her voice was steady.

  He checked his gear. Tomahawk intact. Suit holding. The mission wasn't done. "Let's get the others in here."

  [+194,310 XP]

  [+76,500 Credits]

  [Skill Level up! Ambush Tactics Proficiency Level 8 -> Level 9]

  [Skill Level up! Close Quarters Proficiency Level 8 -> Level 9]

  [Skill Level up! Silent Movement Proficiency Level 9 -> Level 10]

  [Ability Unlocked: Silent Step]

  Effect: Temporarily increases stealth by suppressing movement noise completely for 10 seconds.

  Cooldown: 5 minutes, reduced by 10% per level after Level 10

  Shit.

  Emily's voice came through comms. "You guys okay? We got a lot of shared XP."

  "Command center secured," he reported on the general channel. "Get in here and lock this place down."

  The reactor timer expired. The main lights flickered back on with a loud thud, revealing the full extent of the carnage.

  Don't look at it. Mission first. Process later.

  He moved to the terminal, working the override. The armored door locks blinked green. The doors slid open with a hiss.

  Ryan's team pushed in, weapons up. They took in the scene: the bodies, the blood.

  Ryan moved immediately to the nearest console. "Good work. Let's secure this position."

  Emily crossed to Luca, her eyes sweeping over the blood covering his armor. A flicker of concern crossed her face.

  "You hit?" she asked on their private channel.

  "I'm okay," he said. He wasn't sure if that was true, but it would have to be. For now.

  She held his gaze for a moment, searching his face. Then nodded. "We'll talk later."

  Later. Yeah. Process it later. Keep moving now.

  Danny, Chris, and Joey took up positions at the inner doors, covering the approaches.

  Luca checked a monitor and saw the power levels stabilizing. Then he spotted the signal. "Shit," he muttered. "They got a distress beacon out. We don't have much time."

  The words had barely left his mouth when a shrill alarm began to wail. Red emergency lights pulsed, and the low hum of machinery ramped up.