Chapter 233 233: Rust in the links

Academy 8's base rose from the darkness like a fortress of light, its eastern sector glowing with the familiar blue-white illumination that marked all EDF facilities. The skycraft descended silently, its stealth systems rendering it nearly invisible against the night sky. "Approaching maintenance bay," Kelvin announced, his fingers dancing across the controls. "Security scan in progress... and we're good. Their systems think we're one of their regular supply drops." Lucas nodded appreciatively. "Not bad for a guy who failed his first flight simulation." "That was a calibration error and you know it," Kelvin shot back with a grin. Lucas being the number proved that multiple things could be done. He did his homework on any and everyone he thought was interesting. Noah remained focused on the holographic display, mentally reviewing their entry points and escape routes. He could feel Sophie's gaze on him occasionally—sharp, questioning, hurt. The weight of what had happened with Lila pressed against his conscience, but he pushed it aside. The mission had to come first. The craft touched down with barely a whisper, settling into a darkened corner of the maintenance bay. "No alarms," Kelvin confirmed, scanning his wristband display. "Their systems are running on automated protocols. Skeleton crew, just like we thought." Noah stood, adjusting his tactical gear. "Comms check." They each tapped their ear devices in sequence. "Clear," Lucas confirmed. "Five by five," Kelvin added. Sophie's response was clipped. "Functional." Noah reached for the hatch controls, but Sophie caught his arm. For a moment, something flickered in her eyes—concern, perhaps, or something more—before her expression hardened again. "Don't get caught," she said simply, then released him. A tiny, almost imperceptible spark, not metaphorical but literal actual spark danced across her fingertip where she'd touched him. Neither of them noticed this. Noah nodded once. "We won't." He turned to the others. "Let's move." The three young men slipped from the craft, leaving Sophie to secure their exit. The maintenance bay was dimly lit and mostly automated—perfect cover for their infiltration. "Security cameras on a fixed rotation," Kelvin whispered, consulting his wristband. "Three... two... one... now." They moved in perfect synchronization, crossing the open space during the cameras' blind spot. Just months of Academy 12 training had made them a seamless unit, their movements precise and coordinated. At the first security door, Lucas placed his palm against the scanner. The small device in his hand emitted a soft pulse, overriding the system. The door slid open with a soft hiss. "Senior clearance codes," Lucas smirked. "Sometimes it pays to be the headmaster's favorite." "I thought I was the headmaster's favorite," Kelvin quipped as they slipped through. "You're everyone's favorite, Kelvin," Noah replied dryly. "It's your winning personality." They moved through the corridors silently, avoiding the occasional patrol drone. The interior of Academy 8's base was remarkably similar to their own—same EDF architectural style, same layout logic. The familiarity made navigation easier, but it also served as a reminder of how interconnected the academies truly were, despite their rivalries. As they approached the central sectors, the security increased. More cameras, more sensors, more potential for detection. "Time for the distraction," Noah signaled to Lucas. Lucas nodded, taking the cylindrical EMP device from his pocket. "Eastern junction box is fifty meters ahead. I'll plant it and meet you at the command center. Three-minute window, remember." "We'll be quick," Noah assured him. Lucas disappeared down a side corridor, moving with the fluid grace that had made him Academy 12's top combatant among the senior cadets. Noah and Kelvin continued toward the command center, pausing at each intersection to check for patrols. "You know," Kelvin whispered as they waited for a drone to pass, "I've been thinking about upgrading my neural implant. Something with better processing capabilities for situations like this." Noah shot him a look. "You're discussing tech upgrades now?" "Just making conversation," Kelvin grinned. "Keeps my heart rate down. Besides, a technopath with outdated tech is just embarrassing." Before Noah could respond, Lucas's voice came through their comms. "EMP in position. Activating in three... two... one..." A distant power fluctuation rippled through the corridor. Lights dimmed momentarily, then emergency systems kicked in. Alarms began blaring from the eastern sector. "That's our cue," Noah said, already moving. They sprinted the final distance to the command center, their window of opportunity rapidly closing. As expected, the security personnel had responded to the distraction, leaving only two guards at the command center. Noah assessed the situation in seconds. "Kelvin, you're up." Kelvin's eyes took on a distant look as he tapped into his technopath abilities. The security panel beside the command center doors flickered, its display scrambling before turning green. Both guards reached for their comms simultaneously, then froze as the devices malfunctioned in their hands. "What the—" one began, before Noah appeared behind him. "Sorry about this," Noah said, striking precisely at the pressure point on the guard's neck. The man crumpled instantly. The second guard turned, reaching for his weapon, but Kelvin had already remotely activated the emergency lockdown protocols on the man's armor. It seized up, rendering him immobile. "Overriding your suit's mobility functions," Kelvin explained cheerfully as he approached. "Don't worry, it's temporary. Mostly." "You won't get away with—" the guard started, before Kelvin tapped another command on his wristband, and the guard's helmet visor darkened, the visor began to leak out a feint greenish tint. "BOOM! Hacked your suit, cranked up the halothane—yeah, that's old-school knockout gas, look it up. Straight through your visor! Battlefield nap time! Hope you like anesthesia, 'cause you're about to meet the dream fairy!" Kelvin announced. "Man, I love EDF tech. So hackable." They dragged both unconscious guards inside the command center and secured the doors. The room was empty—exactly as they'd hoped. "Lucas, we're in," Noah reported through the comms. "Status?" "Eastern sector is in chaos," Lucas replied, satisfaction evident in his voice. "EMP worked perfectly. They think they've had a critical power failure. I'm on my way to you now." Kelvin was already at the main terminal, his fingers flying across the interface. His eyes glowed green with the neural connection he was establishing with the system. "Security firewalls are impressive," he mumbled, his consciousness partly merged with the digital architecture. "But not impressive enough. Academy 8 always focuses too much on physical security, not enough on their cyber defenses." Noah kept watch at the door, monitoring the security feeds Kelvin had rerouted to a side screen. "How long?" "Two minutes, tops," Kelvin replied, his voice distant. "I'm in their prisoner database now. Searching for Purge-related entries..." Lucas slipped into the command center a moment later, slightly winded but looking pleased with himself. "Eastern sector will be occupied for at least another ten minutes. Did a little extra sabotage on my way out." "Good," Noah acknowledged. "Kelvin's almost—" "Found something," Kelvin interrupted, his eyes widening. "Oh, this is... interesting." "What?" Noah moved to his side, studying the files now displayed across the main screen. The prisoner file showed a stern-faced man in his sixties, with military-cropped silver hair and cold eyes that seemed to stare through the camera. The name at the top of the file read: "HEADMASTER Antoine Gregor." "Wait," Lucas said, leaning closer. "Gregor? As in Academy 8's former headmaster?" "The very same," Kelvin confirmed, scrolling through the file. "Arrested six months ago on charges of treason, conspiracy, and... get this... 'collaboration with non-state hostile entities.'" "The Purge," Noah breathed. "Exactly," Kelvin nodded. "They've been keeping him here, in their own detention facility, to avoid any publicity. Minister Reigns ordered a complete information blackout." Lucas whistled low. "A headmaster working with the Purge? That's..." "A nightmare scenario," Noah finished. "If the Purge has infiltrated academy leadership..." "It gets worse," Kelvin said, still scanning through the files. "According to his interrogation logs,Gregor claims he's not the only one. Says there are Purge sympathizers in every academy." Noah felt a chill run down his spine. Lila's warning suddenly made more sense. If the Purge had people inside all the academies, and they were planning something during the tournament when everyone was gathered in one place... "Download everything," he ordered. "Especially anything about their plans for the tournament." Kelvin nodded, initiating the data transfer. "Already on it. Thirty seconds." Noah's comm crackled suddenly. "Noah," Sophie's voice came through, urgent. "Security patterns are changing. Something's happening at the detention level. I can see it from here." "What do you mean?" Noah asked, glancing at the security feeds. The detention level cameras appeared normal. "I don't know," Sophie replied, tension evident in her voice. "Just a feeling. But something's wrong." Noah had learned not to question Sophie's "feelings." Her luck ability manifested in strange ways, sometimes as inexplicable intuition. "Kelvin, check the detention level," he ordered. Kelvin diverted some of his attention, pulling up the detention level systems. "Everything looks norm—wait." His expression changed. "There's an anomaly in cell block D. System shows a door malfunction." "Gregor's cell?" Lucas asked. Kelvin nodded slowly. "Yeah. And the guard assigned to that block... his biosignature shows he's unconscious." "How is that possible?" Noah demanded. "The alert systems should be—" "They're offline," Kelvin interrupted, his fingers flying across the interface. "Someone's disabled them locally. This wasn't remote." A chill ran down Noah's spine. "Sophie's right. Something's happening." "This is bad," Lucas muttered. "Data download complete," Kelvin announced. "We've got everything." "We need to go," Noah decided. "Now." As they prepared to exit, Kelvin paused, staring at another security feed. "Uh, guys? Look at this." The screen showed the unconscious guard in cell block D. He wasn't alone. Another guard was slumped beside him, having apparently tripped over his own feet and fallen against the cell release controls. "Did he just... accidentally free Gregor?" Lucas asked incredulously. "That's..." Noah began, then shook his head. "Never mind. Let's move." They exited the command center carefully, resetting the systems to cover their tracks. The corridors were still relatively clear, most security personnel still dealing with the eastern sector distraction. "Sophie," Noah called through the comms. "Prep for immediate departure. We've got what we came for, and there's a complication." "Define 'complication,'" she replied tensely. "The Purge prisoner is loose," he explained as they moved swiftly through the corridors. "Looks like a guard accidentally released him." There was a beat of silence. "Accidentally?" "Yeah," Noah confirmed. "Most convenient accident ever." Something in Sophie's tone changed subtly. "How long ago?" "Just now. Why?" Another pause. "No reason. Hurry back." They made it to the maintenance bay without incident, finding Sophie already running pre-flight checks on the skycraft. "Everyone on board," she ordered as they approached. "I'd like to be gone before they realize what's happened." As they settled into the craft, Kelvin began examining the downloaded data on his tablet. His eyes widened as he scrolled through the files. "Noah," he said quietly. "According to these logs, Gregor was scheduled for transfer tomorrow. To the Nexus Arena, for further questioning by Minister Reigns himself." Noah met his gaze, understanding the implications immediately. "So whoever freed him..." "Prevented him from being taken to exactly where the Purge is planning their attack," Kelvin finished. The skycraft lifted off silently, Sophie piloting them away from Academy 8's base with expert precision. As they gained altitude, Lucas noticed something on the ground below. "Look," he pointed to a small figure moving rapidly away from the base. "Is that...?" Noah leaned closer to the viewport. A single figure was making its way toward what appeared to be a waiting vehicle in the distance. "Gregor," he confirmed grimly. "And it looks like he's got transportation arranged." "Should we pursue?" Sophie asked, her hands hovering over the controls. Noah considered it briefly, then shook his head. "No. Our mission was reconnaissance, not capture. We've got what we came for." As they accelerated away from Academy 8's base, the first alarms began to sound behind them—the base finally discovering both their intrusion and Gregor's escape. "Perfect timing," Kelvin remarked with a grin. "I'd call that a successful mission." "We're not successful until we're back at the Nexus Arena," Noah reminded him. "And until we figure out what the Purge is planning." The skycraft soared through the night, carrying them and their newly acquired intelligence back toward the Nexus Arena. Noah stared at the data displayed on Kelvin's tablet, his mind racing with implications. A headmaster working with the Purge. Infiltration at all academies. An attack planned during the tournament. And now Gregor, free again, likely headed straight back to his Purge allies. What had started as a simple reconnaissance mission had uncovered something far more dangerous than any of them had anticipated. And somewhere in the back of Noah's mind, a question lingered: How had that guard managed to trip and hit exactly the right controls to free Gregor at precisely the right moment? Some coincidences were too perfect, even for luck. He glanced at Sophie, who was focused intently on piloting the craft, her expression unreadable. For a brief moment, he thought he saw a tiny spark dance across her fingertips on the controls. But it was gone so quickly, he convinced himself he'd imagined it.