The server corridor hummed like a beehive of angry spirits. White-blue conduits pulsed under the floor grates, guiding Jack, Lyra, and Patch toward the main data vault. Red emergency lights flashed—courtesy of the flood Jack had unleashed.
Zara's voice buzzed in their earcomms. "You're fifty meters from the core. Security protocols are frizzing out, but there's still a guardian listed—codename Aegis-Class Golem. Heads up."
"I always wanted to meet a golem," Jack quipped, flexing his frost‑coated fingers. "Hope it likes icebreakers."
Lyra rolled her eyes. "Focus. We plant the tap, grab intel, and ghost out. No extra chaos."
"That's subjective," Jack whispered, pushing open the vault door.
---
Crystal Servers
Inside, a cathedral of data loomed: towering spires of crystal lattice shot ceiling‑high, each shard etched with streaming runes. Holographic sigils floated like stained glass, bathing the chamber in shifting auroras.
"Pretty," Patch murmured. "Also worth several small countries."
Lyra approached the central pylon—a transparent obelisk thrumming with compressed soul‑data. She pressed Zara's tap device against it; nano‑threads unfolded, knitting into the crystal.
"Tap engaged," Zara confirmed. "Downloading guild archives now. Ninety seconds."
Jack wandered between pylons, eyes scanning filenames projected in mid‑air: CHAOS_PULSE, PROJECT NULL, SIGIL_GENE_MAPPING.
Curiosity itched. He swiped to open PROJECT NULL.
Lyra hissed, "Wilson!"
Too late. Data cascaded—schematics for weaponized hybrids, forced sigil grafts on captives.
Jack's grin faded. "They're experimenting on people like lab rats."
His heartbeat drummed. The sigil glowed brighter, reacting to his anger.
---
Aegis‑Class Arrival
Metal ground behind them. A nine‑foot iron golem emerged from the wall plating, runes burning red across its chest. Arcane rotary blades extended from its arms.
"Unauthorized access detected," it boomed.
Lyra's eyes widened. "Zara, speed that download!"
Jack stepped forward, frost aura crackling. "I'll stall our metal friend."
The golem charged. Jack dodged, sliding under a sweeping blade. He slammed frost‑laden palms into its knee joint. Ice spider‑webbed the alloy; Jack snapped his elbow forward—shattering frozen metal.
The golem stumbled but pivoted, backhanding Jack across the chamber. He smacked into a pylon, ribs cracking—then instantly reknitting.
"Ow," Jack coughed, "Worth it."
He exhaled, unleashing a burst of chilled sigil energy. Frost coated the golem's torso, seizing gears. Jack dashed in, delivering a piledriver punch that drove cracks through the creature. One final kick and the construct exploded into shards.
---
Moral Fork
Zara's timer hit 5 seconds. Lyra yanked the tap free. "Package secured. Move!"
Jack's gaze flicked to a nearby containment door flashing LIVE TEST SUBJECTS. Screams echoed faintly inside.
Lyra grabbed his arm. "We don't have time."
Jack's jaw clenched. He slammed the manual override; mag‑locks disengaged. Cages slid open, releasing half‑conscious prisoners marked with experimental sigils.
Pandemonium erupted—guards shouting, alarms wailing anew.
Lyra stared, horrified. "You just turned victims into liabilities!"
"Or distractions," Jack shot back. "They deserve a fighting chance."
Patch flapped overhead. "Exit, now!"
---
Blackout
Jack yanked a power conduit from the floor and overloaded it with sigil energy. Lights died; crystal pylons dimmed. The warehouse plunged into darkness punctuated by emergency strobes.
He flashed Lyra a grin visible in the pulsating red glow. "Extra cover on the way out."
Lyra cursed but followed as they bolted for an auxiliary elevator shaft, climbing cables hand‑over‑hand while water and freed captives flooded the lower levels.
---
Draven's Arrival
On a nearby rooftop, Elias Draven watched power die inside Warehouse 17. Shadows pooled around him like living ink.
"Wilson," he whispered, leaping toward the chaos below, "every step you take leads you closer to me."
---
To be continued…