Location: Tavara – Perimeter Drop Zone, 10 km from Capital Core
The night sky erupted in flame as Nora and Damien parachuted into the combat zone. Anti-air turrets lit up the horizon, sending streaks of fire through the clouds. Their stealth gear barely held back the targeting systems, but they touched down hard—alive, winded, and bruised.
Damien rolled up, drawing his weapon as Nora triggered the Disruptor's briefcase shield to absorb minor shockwaves. Behind them, Victor's elite strike force began landing in waves, forming a perimeter under the cover of smoke and chaos.
"We have one hour before Dominion wipes out everything from this side of the river to the citadel walls," Victor barked through their earpieces. "Make it count."
Nora led the advance, Damien beside her, cutting through rubble and resistance. Her mind flashed with calculations, each second closer to her activation window. As they moved, explosions rippled through the air—Dominion's tactical bots had arrived.
Three of them emerged from the smoke, spider-like machines with plasma cores humming inside their armored carapaces. Damien ducked as one fired, the plasma bolt tearing into a crumbled wall.
"I've got the left!" he shouted.
Nora rolled into cover, then darted out, a charge grenade in hand. It pulsed once—twice—then she hurled it straight under the middle bot. A concussive blast flipped the machine on its side, leaving it sparking.
"Clear path!" she yelled, taking down the last with a pulse-shot to the reactor.
They pressed forward, edging closer to the power grid tower—the activation point for the Aether Disruptor.
---
Location: Dominion Command Vessel
Caine stood still, arms behind his back, eyes closed.
"They're in place," Requiem said beside him, tapping into the surveillance feeds. "Shall I trigger the retaliation?"
"No," Caine murmured. "Let them believe this is their moment. The taste of victory before despair is always sweeter."
He opened his eyes, watching the silent march of red markers converge around the power grid.
"Once the girl activates the weapon... she'll become part of it."
---
Location: Power Grid Tower – Tavara Capital Outskirts
Inside the tower, alarms screamed. Dominion agents fell one by one as Victor's team pushed toward the control core. Nora reached the mainframe terminal, cracked the firewall in seconds, and slid the Disruptor into its cradle.
The room darkened. A surge of energy burst from the cables as the weapon synced with the city's central conduits.
"Beginning phase one of suppression," she muttered.
Damien stood guard, exchanging fire with incoming agents. "Nora—behind you!"
She turned just in time to see a Dominion operative lunging at her. A shot rang out—Victor had arrived, dropping the attacker in an instant.
"You've got 45 seconds!" he shouted. "Once this thing starts, there's no turning back!"
Nora took a breath, fingers trembling over the final override key. Damien looked at her, voice low and intense.
"You press that key… we win this war. But I might lose you."
She leaned close, forehead against his. "If I don't… we both lose everything."
With a soft, resolute motion, she pressed the final key.