AN:Yoooo we back again , I just started this series House of cards and godddamn I never new politics could be this fun to watch and i know politics isn't everyone's cup of tea but it's a good series and that motherfucker Frank Underwood is so goddamn badass this shit had me wanting to add a political element to the fanfic but we'll see I'm still binging it so till I finish it then we'll see ???♂?

  Chapter 20

  Following Olin’s Trail

  Aloy moved carefully along the ridges of a dry canyon, her boots crunching lightly against the sunbaked stone. The coordinates Adal had provided led her deeper into the Carja Sundom, where the nd gave way to massive craters—wounds left from ancient battles.

  Through her Focus, she scanned ahead, picking up movement below. Eclipse scouts patrolled in small groups, their armor glinting under the sun. But they weren’t alone. Machines moved beside them—Watchers with strange attachments fused to their heads, cables trailing back toward the dig site.

  Aloy frowned. The Eclipse were modifying their machines again.

  She pressed on, keeping to the higher ground until she reached a cliff overlooking the excavation site. What she saw made her grip the ledge tighter.

  The Eclipse’s Operation – Digging for Corruptors

  Beneath her, massive cranes dug deep into the earth, lifting what remained of the past. Half-buried in the sand, surrounded by Eclipse workers, y the skeletal form of a Corruptor. Its sleek metal body was scarred with age, its arms half-broken. And yet, the Eclipse were treating it like a treasure.

  Aloy activated her Focus and scanned the area. The old war machine wasn’t dead. Cables connected its dormant systems to a nearby control station, and Eclipse soldiers were working to repair it.

  She tapped the side of her Focus.

  "Sylens, I’m looking at an active excavation. They’re digging up Corruptors. Why?"

  A brief silence. Then, Sylens' voice crackled in her ear.

  "Because they have no choice. Corruptors were never built in the present day. They’re remnants of the old world, sealed underground for centuries. The Eclipse has no way to manufacture them—so instead, they scavenge. Reviving ancient death machines for their war."

  Aloy watched as an Eclipse officer barked orders, directing workers to attach more cables. The Corruptor’s body twitched as its systems flickered back to life.

  "They’re using old-world tech to rewire them," Aloy muttered. "That expins the modified Watchers."

  Sylens sounded unimpressed. "They’re trying to recover what they don’t understand. But their Focus network is the real problem. It allows them to coordinate everything—their forces, their machines, their operations."

  A Secret Transmission – Sylens & Adal’s Pn

  A chime echoed in Aloy’s ear, signaling another incoming transmission. This time, two holograms flickered to life beside her.

  Sylens and Adal.

  Adal leaned against an unseen surface, arms crossed, his green Focus gleaming under his hood. Sylens, as always, stood with his usual analytical stare.

  "We have a way to disrupt their operation," Sylens said. "But it requires precision."

  Adal smirked. "We’re taking out their Focus network. Sever their connection before they realize what’s happening."

  Aloy raised an eyebrow. "And how exactly am I supposed to do that?"

  Sylens zoomed in on her Focus dispy, highlighting a rey tower at the edge of the site.

  "That’s their communications hub," he expined. "It links every Focus in the dig site to their command center. Take it out, and they lose everything—coordination, remote commands, even machine control."

  Adal added, "We need you to pnt an override spike at the base of the tower. Once it’s in, we overload their network remotely."

  Aloy studied the map. "And let me guess—once I do this, the Eclipse will notice?"

  Adal gave a mock-sympathetic shrug. "Oh, definitely."

  She sighed. "Fine. Just tell me where to go."

  "Follow the power cables," Sylens instructed. "They lead straight to the rey tower. And Aloy? Try not to get caught."

  Aloy smirked. "No promises."

  Sneaking into the Dig Site

  Aloy descended from the ridge, her movements swift and silent. She stuck to the shadows of ruined structures, watching the patrols closely.

  Near one of the workstations, Eclipse engineers were busy decrypting old-world data. Aloy eavesdropped as an officer paced in frustration.

  "Olin, work faster. These glyphs need to be transted—now."

  Aloy’s breath caught. Olin.

  She inched closer and spotted him—his hands bound, a terminal in front of him, a grim expression on his face.

  Nearby, a woman with a Focus stood watching, her eyes narrowing at the glyphs he was deciphering.

  Olin hesitated, then deliberately dropped a glyph disk to the floor. A silent message.

  He knew she was here.

  The Attack – Corruptor Awakens

  Aloy reached the base of the rey tower, gripping the override spike Sylens had given her.

  She set it against the network node, about to activate it—

  When a loud mechanical shriek split the air.

  The Eclipse had triggered something.

  Aloy spun just in time to see one of the buried Corruptors jolt to life.

  "Damn it," she muttered.

  Eclipse soldiers raised their weapons, scrambling for control as the Corruptor’s systems came online. But something was wrong—it moved erratically, its Focus-linked commands failing.

  Aloy didn’t wait. She dashed toward the rey tower, dodging incoming fire. The Corruptor’s cws smashed through a crane, sending Eclipse soldiers scattering.

  She reached the network node and smmed the override spike into pce.

  "Sylens, now!"

  Electricity surged through the cables as the Focus network overloaded. One by one, Eclipse Focuses shorted out, their connections severed.

  The Corruptor staggered, its command signals failing. In the confusion, Aloy used the chaos to take it down, firing a series of well-pced arrows at its weak joints.

  Aftermath – Olin’s Confession & Another Transmission

  With the battle over, Aloy freed Olin.

  He looked shaken but determined. "We need to move. I know where they’re going next."

  Before they could leave, another Focus signal came through.

  Sylens and Adal appeared again, their expressions unreadable.

  Aloy wiped the sweat from her brow. "You could’ve warned me about the Corruptor."

  Adal grinned. "Wouldn’t have been as fun."

  She crossed her arms. "Alright. You got what you wanted. What’s next?"

  Sylens was already pulling up new coordinates. "There’s another dig site. A rger one. And from what we’ve gathered… it’s not just Corruptors they’re after."

  Aloy frowned. "Then I guess I’d better stop them."

  As the transmission ended, she gnced at Olin. "Let’s go."