The dawn light filtered through the towering trees of the forest, casting dappled shadows across the ground. Kai was out for his morning jog, the familiar rhythm of his feet hitting the soft earth grounding him. He wore a fitted black tank top that clung to his muscular frame and dark running shorts that allowed for easy movement. The chill of early morning air filled his lungs, refreshing and invigorating, as he lost himself in the peaceful sounds of nature.

  As he approached the bunker, he slowed his pace to a walk, taking a moment to catch his breath. Did we cover all angles? he thought, his brow furrowing in concentration. What did we miss? Memories of their last mission flooded back, each detail playing out like a scene from a film in his mind. The echoes of gunfire, the tension of evasion, and the adrenaline coursing through his veins made him hyper-aware of the stakes they faced.

  His internal monologue turned serious. Zoryn’s recent movements worried him. Reports indicated that Zoryn had been shifting cargo up north near the Wastelands—rumors of rebuilding efforts in the decaying remnants of that once-thriving area. What was he planning? The thought nagged at him as he continued toward the entrance of their sanctuary. We can’t let him bring his refined Essentia energy here, no matter how many perks it promises. This is our home. We can’t let him have it.

  The bunker came into view, its weathered fa?ade a stark reminder of their sanctuary amidst chaos. As he stepped inside, the familiar scent of metal and damp earth welcomed him. The faint hum of machinery buzzed in the background, a reassuring reminder that this was their home base, their fortress.

  Inside the bunker, the atmosphere buzzed with a mix of energy and anticipation. Kara and Jade were already seated at the table, their presence lighting up the room. Kara, still dressed in her shorts and a fitted tank top, was animatedly recounting a story, her hands gesturing wildly as she spoke.

  “And then, out of nowhere, a giant flying squid just swoops down and—boom! Snatched me right off my feet. It was wild!”

  Jade, on the other hand, was the picture of calm, wearing her tactical pants and combat boots, paired with a snug sports bra. She sat casually at the table, a steaming cup of coffee cradled in her hands. Her long hair, still slightly damp, flowed freely around her shoulders, framing her striking features. She rolled her eyes, a smirk creeping onto her lips. “Sounds like you had too much of that questionable canned meat for dinner.”

  Kai chuckled, leaning against the doorframe as he took in the scene. “Pretty sure it’s your subconscious telling you to take a break from explosives, Kara.” He stepped further into the room, inhaling the rich aroma of freshly brewed coffee mingled with the faint metallic scent of the bunker.

  Kara shot him a grin, unfazed. “Never. You know I thrive on chaos!”

  “Okay, okay,” Jade interjected, shifting her focus to Kai. “You look like you’ve been through the wringer. Long night?”

  “Just a jog to clear my head,” Kai replied, shaking off the remnants of the morning run. “But I couldn’t stop thinking about our upcoming mission.”

  “Same,” Jade said, her expression turning serious. “Zoryn’s not going to let us walk into this one unnoticed. We need to plan carefully.”

  Jade’s gaze lingered briefly on the table, where her data pad sat tucked under a notebook. The faint glow of Essentia energy simulations still tugged at her thoughts. Just a few more tweaks, she thought. But she quickly shoved the thought aside. There would be time for that later.

  Kara leaned closer, her excitement returning. “What do you think Zoryn is really up to? He’s been moving assets like crazy since he took over New Volaris. I mean, the place has transformed from a wreck into a tech hub in no time.”

  “I saw the reports,” Jade chimed in, her brows furrowing as she tapped the edge of her cup thoughtfully. “It’s incredible how fast it’s become a hotspot. But there’s a cost to that kind of progress.”

  Kai nodded, crossing his arms as he contemplated their words. “Celestra may look amazing now, but people are living under the thumb of Zoryn’s regime. They have wealth, sure, but their freedoms are all but gone. If he’s expanding into the Free Territories, we need to be ready to push back.”

  “But how do we do that?” Kara asked, her curiosity piqued, her excitement waning slightly. “Zoryn’s forces are better equipped than we are. We’ve seen that firsthand.”

  “By staying smart and organized,” Kai replied firmly. “We can’t afford to underestimate him. Every move we make needs to be calculated.”

  “Speaking of which,” Jade interjected, her tone shifting to a more urgent note. “There are other rebel groups trying to keep Zoryn at bay. I’ve heard whispers of factions forming, but we don’t know who they are yet or how they plan to fight back.”

  “Yeah, we can’t be the only ones feeling the heat from Zoryn’s expansion,” Kara added, her brow furrowing. “He’s moving too quickly. We can’t let him encroach on our territory while we sit idly by.”

  The trio continued to strategize, throwing out ideas and possibilities, but uncertainty lingered in the air. They were all too aware of Zoryn’s capabilities, his penchant for manipulation and control. Each word spoken was an acknowledgment of the stakes they faced—a battle not just for survival but for the very essence of freedom in their territory.

  As they finalized the details of their plan, the camaraderie in the room lightened the mood, weaving a tapestry of shared history and unspoken bonds.

  Hours later, the bunker had fallen quiet. The hum of the generator buzzed softly as Jade sat hunched at her workstation, bathed in the faint glow of her data pad. Energy readings swirled on the screen, pulsing like waves.

  She ran her fingers through her hair, her breathing shallow. If I could harness this energy... we wouldn’t have to keep fighting like this.

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  The door creaked softly behind her. She spun, dimming the screen as Kai’s silhouette filled the doorway.

  “You’re still up?” His voice was low, calm.

  Jade turned quickly. “Couldn’t sleep. I was checking loadouts.”

  Kai studied her for a long moment, his crimson eyes searching. “You’ve been off tonight.”

  Jade froze under his gaze. “I’m fine,” she replied, though her voice felt too sharp.

  Kai didn’t press. “Get some rest. Tomorrow’s a big day.”

  As he left, Jade powered the data pad back on, the Essentia numbers glowing again. They wouldn’t understand. But they’ll thank me one day.

  The forest was dead silent, a suffocating kind of stillness that smothered every breath and step. The moon hung low, its pale glow carving jagged shadows through the dense canopy. Kai crouched at the treeline, his crimson eyes sharp as he surveyed the narrow dirt road ahead. His katana was strapped across his back, the blade sheathed but ready. Beside him, Kara shifted restlessly, her fingers dancing across the detonator as if she could barely contain her energy.

  “Convoy’s late,” Kara whispered, her voice low but tinged with impatience.

  Kai’s response was a simple flick of his eyes. “Quiet.”

  Jade was perched high above them, lying prone against the jagged rocks of a natural ridge that overlooked the road. Her sniper rifle was anchored to her shoulder, the scope perfectly aligned with the bend in the path. She slowed her breathing, her body motionless, her pulse a steady rhythm in her ears.

  Her eyes flicked from the dark road to the treeline where Kai and Kara waited. Even in the pitch black, Kai looked unshakable—calm, steady, as though the weight of their mission barely touched him. Jade hated how much that steadiness anchored her, how it made her want to be better.

  But the numbers on her screen flashed behind her eyes. The simulations. The potential.

  Essentia energy could change everything.

  A faint rumble stirred the silence.

  Jade adjusted the rifle’s scope, her finger brushing the trigger. “Convoy’s coming. Two trucks, twelve guards, one lead vehicle.”

  Kara grinned in the darkness. “Showtime.”

  Kai didn’t smile. “Jade, take the driver. Don’t miss.”

  Jade rolled her eyes against the scope. “I never miss.”

  The headlights appeared first—distant pinpricks of light that grew larger as the convoy rolled into view. The lead truck moved slowly, its heavy tires grinding through the dirt and gravel. Guards sat on the sides of the vehicles, rifles slung lazily over their shoulders, unaware of what waited in the shadows.

  Jade’s breath slowed to a crawl. Through the scope, she tracked the driver’s head bobbing faintly as the vehicle bumped along the uneven road. The red dot of her reticle hovered over his temple.

  Kai’s voice was a whisper in her ear. “On my mark.”

  The moment stretched.

  “Three… two… one—go.”

  The rifle barked, the silenced shot snapping through the air. The driver’s head snapped back, a spray of crimson splattering the cracked windshield. The truck swerved violently, tires screeching as the vehicle slammed into a tree with a shuddering crash. Guards shouted, scrambling for cover as the convoy screeched to a halt.

  “Go loud!” Kai’s voice cut through the chaos.

  Kara surged forward with an animalistic grin, her twin pistols already blazing. “Let’s dance, boys!”

  The forest erupted into gunfire. Bullets carved through bark and metal, and the air filled with the acrid stench of smoke and gunpowder. Jade’s heart hammered as she pulled the bolt of her rifle and realigned the scope.

  “Left flank,” Kai’s voice came again, calm even in the storm.

  “I see it,” Jade replied. Her next shot punched cleanly through a guard’s helmet, his body crumpling to the dirt.

  From her high vantage point, she could see everything—the way Kara moved with reckless energy, darting between trees and gunfire, her laughter cutting through the chaos like broken glass.

  And then there was Kai. He was precision incarnate, moving through the battlefield with a lethal grace that sent chills down Jade’s spine. His katana flashed in the moonlight, slicing clean through armor and flesh. He ducked, parried, struck—each movement fluid, controlled.

  Jade’s focus wavered for a split second, her scope lingering on him as he spun, his blade catching an enemy rifle and splitting it in half before driving into the guard’s chest. How does he stay so steady?

  “Jade!” Kai’s shout snapped her back. “Sniper, ridge to the south!”

  Jade jolted, swinging the rifle around. The glint of a rival scope caught her eye. One breath. She steadied her aim, her finger brushing the trigger. One shot.

  The sniper fell, his weapon tumbling noiselessly into the underbrush.

  “Got him,” Jade whispered, though her voice felt small.

  “Good work,” Kai replied, the faintest edge of trust in his tone.

  Something tightened in her chest. That trust felt heavier than it should.

  “More incoming!” Kara shouted, reloading her pistols as the faint rumble of engines grew louder.

  Jade glanced through the scope and her stomach dropped. Reinforcements. A second transport barreled down the road, its mounted turret sweeping the treeline with explosive force.

  “Kai—”

  “I see it.” Kai grabbed Kara, yanking her behind cover as the turret spat fire, ripping through the forest and sending splinters flying. “Jade, take out the driver!”

  Jade’s hands trembled slightly as she swung her aim. Through the smoke and chaos, the transport’s windshield glared back at her. The driver was armored, the glass reinforced.

  “Jade!” Kai’s voice rose above the roar.

  Her hands steadied. You can’t miss.

  She fired. The bullet cracked through the windshield, splintering the glass. The driver slumped forward, and the transport veered violently to the left, skidding into the first wrecked truck with an earth-shaking impact.

  Kara whooped, peeking out from cover. “Hell yeah! That’s my girl!”

  “Focus,” Kai snapped. He turned to Jade through the comms. “We need to move. Now.”

  The silence that followed was deafening. The convoy was destroyed, the forest smothered in smoke and the coppery tang of blood. Bodies lay strewn across the road, their rifles abandoned beside them.

  Jade climbed down from her perch, her legs unsteady as she rejoined the others. Kai stood in the center of the wreckage, his katana still streaked with blood, his face unreadable.

  “We need to search the trucks,” he said quietly.

  Jade nodded, her hands still tingling. She avoided looking at the bodies as she moved toward the cargo hold. Kara, despite her earlier enthusiasm, was quiet now as she pulled open the doors.

  Inside, the crates glowed faintly, the Essentia energy pulsing like a heartbeat.

  Jade froze. The glow was almost beautiful, surreal against the carnage surrounding them. She reached out instinctively, her fingers hovering over the canisters.

  “What do you think?” Kai’s voice came from behind her.

  Jade flinched slightly, pulling her hand back. “It’s cleaner. More refined.” Her voice was soft. “He’s perfecting it.”

  Kai’s eyes narrowed as he stared at the cargo. “Then we’ll need to hit him harder next time.”

  Jade turned away, her chest aching. We’re fighting a war we can’t win, she thought bitterly. Not like this.

  She glanced back at Kai, standing tall and unshaken amidst the destruction. That steadiness was a comfort, but it also felt like a knife twisting deeper.

  I can’t let you carry this alone, she thought. But the part she didn’t say—the part she buried deep—was, And I can’t let you stop me.

  Back at the bunker, Kai stood beside Jade as they secured the gear. He glanced at her, his voice soft. “You did good today.”

  Jade forced a small smile. “Thanks. Just doing my job.”

  As Kai turned to leave, Jade’s gaze lingered on him, her chest aching with a mix of admiration and guilt. You trust me. I hope you’re right to.

  She looked down at her data pad one last time before shutting it off, the numbers still glowing faintly in her mind.