"You realize this is suicide, right?" Max muttered, his gaze darting between Nia and Leo. "They'll kill us before we even get close."
Leo didn't respond immediately. His eyes stayed on the map, but his mind wandered. Memories of his childhood surfaced—his father's laughter at the dinner table, his mother's warm hands setting a plate before him. They'd lost everything. Home, family, hope. But this… this could be their chance to take something back.
"For too long, we've been hiding, surviving," Leo said quietly, his voice steady but sharp. He looked up, his eyes locking with Max's. "I can't do it anymore."
Max groaned, dragging a hand down his face. "Lexi won't forgive us if this goes south."
"Then it doesn't go south," Leo snapped, his jaw tightening. "We do it smart, fast, and quietly."
Nia grinned, her playful dimple flashing. "Now, that's the spirit." She tapped the map with a finger. "I've got a plan."
They discussed the plan late into the night, poring over every possible route, every potential threat. Nia laid out the details with a fiery confidence that only half-concealed her own nerves. Max grumbled and questioned every point, his tone sharp with doubt, but he didn't back down.
By the time they returned to the small room he and Max shared, Leo's head buzzed with the weight of what they were about to do.
Max threw himself onto his bunk with a heavy sigh. The creak of the worn metal frame seemed louder in the quiet room. "So, are you going to tell me?"
Leo pulled off his boots, glancing at him. "Tell you what?"
"Don't play dumb." Max sat up, his eyes narrowing. "This isn't about the shipment, is it? It's about the girl."
Leo froze for a moment before sitting on the edge of his bunk. "I don't know what you're talking about."
"Bullshit!" Max leaned forward, pointing a finger at him. "I know you, Leo. You've been restless ever since we got back. You think this is your chance to fix something, to be the hero."
"She's just a kid, Max," Leo said, his voice low. "No one else cares if she lives or dies."
"And what about us?" Max snapped. "Do we not count? I don't want to see you get killed because you're chasing ghosts, man."
Leo didn't answer, staring at the floor. Max sighed and leaned back, running a hand through his hair.
*TWO DAYS LATER*
The next few days passed in tense silence. Lexi assigned them a routine supply mission, one they'd done a dozen times before. They were to scout an abandoned settlement and bring back anything useful—food, tools, or parts they could salvage.
Leo and Nia exchanged a knowing look as she handed out their orders. Neither of them mentioned the shipment, but the unspoken agreement hung between them. This was their chance.
The settlement was eerily quiet, its crumbling buildings standing like skeletons in the twilight. They gathered what they could—half-rusted tools, some canned goods, and a small stash of batteries.
Max winced as he adjusted the weight of his pack, his limp more pronounced with every step. "We've got enough," he said through gritted teeth, slinging the pack over his good shoulder. "Let's head back before my leg gives out."
Nia smirked, her expression betraying none of the exhaustion they all felt. "Not quite."
Max groaned, pausing to lean against a half-collapsed wall. "I knew it. I freaking knew it."
Leo stepped forward, glancing at Max's leg. "You okay to keep going?"
"I'll live," Max muttered, though his face told a different story.
"The shipment's supposed to be nearby," Leo pressed, his tone resolute.
"You're going to get us killed," Max muttered, shifting his weight to test his leg. "But if I stay here alone, I'm dead anyway, so lead the way."
He didn't argue further, though each step was slower and more labored as they adjusted their path.
It wasn't hard to find. The convoy stood out against the desolation—two armored vehicles parked near a cluster of supply crates. Sentinels patrolled the area, their movements sharp and mechanical.
"They're guarding something big," Nia whispered, her eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Yeah, and I'd like to stay alive to find out what," Max hissed.
Leo scanned the scene, his gaze landing on a peculiar box being carried by two Sentinels. It was sleek and metallic, with faint blue lights pulsing along its surface.
"That's it," Leo said, his voice barely audible.
They waited, their breaths held, until an opening appeared—one of the Sentinels strayed too far from the group, its mechanical footsteps fading into the distance. This was their chance.
Nia moved like a shadow, every muscle coiled tight, her senses razor-sharp. The wind worked in her favor, muffling the faint crunch of her boots against the ground. Her heart pounded, but her hands stayed steady. Closer. Just a little more.
The Sentinel paused, as if sensing her presence. Her instincts screamed: Now!
She struck before the machine could turn. With a catlike leap, Nia slammed into its back, her left arm hooking around its metallic neck in a swift chokehold. Its systems emitted a warning—a sharp beep that nearly made her flinch. Nearly.
Her right hand was already moving, yanking the taser from her belt in one fluid motion. The Sentinel thrashed, its robotic limbs twisting with brute force, almost throwing her into a wall. She gritted her teeth, muscles burning, but didn't let go. No noise. No time.
The taser jammed into the exposed wiring at its neck. A click, then—ZZZT!—blue current surged through the machine's systems, sparks spitting from its armor. Its body convulsed, glowing eyes flickering wildly before going dark.
Nia didn't hesitate. With a grunt, she lowered the lifeless husk to the ground, controlling every inch of its fall to avoid even the slightest sound. Dust kicked up in a faint swirl, then settled. Silence.
For a heartbeat, everything froze—until Leo's tense whisper cut through: "Move."
They advanced.
The box was heavier than it looked. Max groaned as he and Leo lifted it into the shadows. "This better be worth it."
As they turned to leave, the faint whirring of machinery froze them in place. "Move!" Nia hissed.