The sound of boots rushing toward her was all Zara needed to hear. She darted behind a crumbled statue, pressing her back to the cold stone as guards stormed into the chamber, weapons drawn.
"She couldn't have gotten far!" one barked.
Zara's pulse quickened, but her face remained calm—she'd survived worse odds. Slowly, she reached for her smoke grenade, clipped to her tactical harness. Timing was everything.
She smirked. Perfect. With a swift pull of the pin, Zara lobbed the grenade toward the center of the room. It clattered against the ground, and within seconds, a plume of dense smoke erupted, spreading like a storm cloud.
Zara didn't wait. She moved through the haze, her movements precise, like a predator stalking prey. She aimed for the exit beyond the monolith, where a narrow hallway led deeper into the compound.
Her eyes darted to the Core as she passed it. The dark structure pulsed with life, its red sigils glowing brighter now, almost as though it sensed her. A chill crept up her spine. What the hell are they activating?
"Over here!" a voice shouted.
Zara sprinted, weaving through the shadows of the ruined cathedral. Bullets pinged off stone as she dove into the hallway, rolling to her feet just as guards came crashing after her. She fired two quick shots, striking the nearest one in the shoulder, sending him sprawling.
Reaching a heavy door at the end of the corridor, Zara shoved it open and slammed it behind her, locking it with a metal bar. She exhaled sharply, glancing around.
The room was small and cluttered—likely a surveillance hub. Screens mounted on the walls flickered with live footage of the compound, including the Core chamber she'd just escaped.
Zara approached the control panel, her fingers working fast to override the system. "Come on… give me something."
One screen caught her attention. A schematic of the Core flashed on it, showing layers of intricate machinery and, at its center, a glowing red orb. Zara's brow furrowed.
"The Core isn't a machine… it's a weapon."
A voice crackled from the speakers. "You're too late, Kincaid."
Zara stiffened. The Warden's voice. She looked up at the nearest camera, locking eyes with its blinking red light.
"You can't stop what's coming," he taunted. "And when the Core awakens, this world will belong to us."
"Not if I bury you first," Zara muttered, slamming her fist into the panel, shorting out the surveillance feed.
The door behind her shook violently as the guards tried to break through. Zara grabbed a flash drive from her belt and jammed it into the console, downloading as much data as she could. The progress bar crawled, but she had no choice—this intel was her only edge.
The door cracked. Zara drew her pistol, preparing for the fight ahead.
"Time to make you bleed, Warden."