Veyra moved through the new tunnel, her body humming with the Echo of Power. Her senses were sharper than ever—she could feel the Sanctum's energy, the gene-seeds' pulses, even the distant movements of the Gene Lords. They were closer now, their drones scouring the labyrinth, their enforcers following the trail she'd left. She'd hoped the tunnels would hide her, but the Gene Lords were relentless. They wanted the gene-seeds—and they wanted her dead.
The tunnel began to slope upward, the air growing warmer. A thin mist clung to the walls, swirling slightly as she passed. Her enhanced senses picked up a faint vibration—footsteps, heavy and deliberate, coming from ahead. She slowed, pressing herself against the rough stone, her hand on her knife, her glowing hands ready. Her heartbeat was steady, but tension coiled within her muscles. The tunnel widened, revealing a larger chamber, its walls jagged and unadorned, the flickering light from a distant crack casting eerie shadows across the ground.
Three Gene Lord enforcers stood in the center, their rifles raised, their visors glowing red. Behind them, a scout drone hovered, its legs clicking as it scanned the chamber. Its optics flickered as it registered her presence. The sharp screech of its alarm shattered the silence.
Veyra didn't hesitate. She fired a burst of light, her aim precise. The beam struck the drone directly, shattering it into a dozen smoking fragments. The enforcers reacted instantly, raising their weapons. Plasma bolts seared the air, streaking toward her with deadly precision.
She twisted, dodging the first shot, feeling the heat of another pass dangerously close to her cheek. Her reflexes, honed by the Echo of Power, carried her into a roll behind a jagged rock formation just as another bolt struck where she had stood moments before. The sharp scent of scorched stone filled the air.
Veyra pivoted, emerging from cover and countering with another burst of light. The beam struck one enforcer in the chest. His armor cracked, a fissure of molten metal splitting down the center as he staggered backward before collapsing. The other two adjusted instantly, spreading out, their movements precise, coordinated.
One enforcer charged while the other laid down suppressing fire. She leapt aside, narrowly avoiding another plasma bolt, and dropped low as the charging enforcer swung a blade-like attachment from his gauntlet. The weapon slashed through empty air where she had been.
She retaliated, her fist igniting with light as she struck out, her glowing knuckles connecting with the enforcer's side. The impact sent him staggering, but his armor held. He twisted, swinging again. She ducked, then lunged forward, driving her knee into his abdomen. The force cracked his plating, and she followed through, slamming the heel of her hand under his visor. His head snapped back, and he crumpled.
The last enforcer wasted no time. He fired point-blank. Veyra barely managed to summon a shield of light, the bolt ricocheting off the energy barrier. The impact sent her skidding back. The enforcer switched tactics, lunging at her with brutal efficiency. She met him head-on, catching his arm mid-strike and twisting. Bone snapped beneath his armor. He let out a strangled cry, and she didn't hesitate. She drove her knife into the exposed gap under his arm.
He shuddered, then collapsed. Veyra exhaled sharply, scanning the chamber, her muscles still tense. The Gene Lords were closing in. She couldn't stay here.
She searched the fallen enforcers, her fingers brushing against a data shard embedded in the leader's gauntlet. It pulsed faintly in her grip. Whatever was on it, it could be useful. She'd have to decrypt it later.
A tunnel opened at the far side of the chamber. Without hesitation, she ran, her senses on high alert. The Gene Lords wouldn't stop. But neither would she. She had the Echo of Power now, and she'd use it to survive—to fight back.