Part II: Interception
An hour earlier, deep in the maintenance wing below Aegis HQ, Neo's projection flickered across layers of firewalls—his expression sharpened as encrypted logs spilled open like infected wounds.
Lines of military code scrolled before him.
> *OPERATION SILENCER – Initiated by Obsidian Guardian Command.*
> *Unit Assigned: Iron Barricade.*
> *Objective: Clean-up and Containment. Retrieve Data from Neon Starlight Wreckage. Neutralize compromised asset (Reika).*
Neo's glow dimmed as he parsed the full thread.
They had known.
Even before she was brought in, someone in Obsidian command had given the order to **clean up** what remained of Neon Starlight. They wanted whatever was left of her team—and they wanted it buried.
He transmitted the data directly to Tasmia's private neural link.
The silence on the other end lasted five seconds longer than usual.
Then—
> "Understood."
---
Tasmia stood in front of her squad—*Aegis Requiem*, her own brand of chaos.
Each of them had scars where medals should have gone. Soldiers who followed no orders except hers. Wild cards, weapon freaks, and rebels with too much blood on their hands and not enough sleep in their veins.
And they trusted her more than command.
"Listen up," Tasmia said, arms crossed. "There's a retrieval mission being given to Iron Barricade. Obsidian Command wants them to 'clean up' what remains of Neon Starlight."
She paused. Let the tension build.
"They're lying to us. Again."
A low grunt came from a giant of a man in exo-armor. A smaller woman popped her neck, her fingers twitching toward her pulse rifle.
Tasmia smirked.
"We're stealing that mission."
One of the younger soldiers raised a brow. "Wait, is this another off-the-record op?"
"Worse," she said. "It's an act of war against our own command."
The room went still for a beat.
Then, one by one, grins spread across their faces. That same unhinged glint in every eye.
"Finally."
"About damn time."
Tasmia nodded once. "Neo's cutting through security now. When the lockdown drops, I'm retrieving Reika. We'll gear up and head for the last logged coordinates from Neon Starlight's blackbox."
They didn't ask questions.
They didn't need to.
Because when Tasmia Ari gave that tone—*"trust me"*—they knew it was going to be worth the bloodbath.
---
Now, back in the sterile holding cell, Reika blinked up through blurry eyes—
—and Tasmia was crouched beside her.
"I'm getting you out of here."
And this time, she wouldn't be late