The Thorton Galena’s engine growled as it followed the quiet roads along the outskirts of North Oak.
Unlike the crowded commercial districts, this part of Westbrook felt almost deserted.
The lights of North Oak’s luxury estates remained visible in the distance, shining from behind private walls and corporate security checkpoints.
Beyond a rust-covered perimeter fence stood Impala Automatics.
Despite its abandoned appearance, the factory was still operating.
Enormous mechanical arms moved behind reinforced glass, assembling unknown components with precise, repetitive motions.
Automated transport vehicles traveled along magnetic tracks, carrying crates between the production buildings.
Workers in white overalls occasionally passed beneath the industrial lights.
Lena parked the Galena near the entrance.
Before leaving the vehicle, her Kiroshi Stalker Optics identified several moving targets.
[R2 SECURITY ROBOT]
Two humanoid security machines guarded the gate, their weapons held in standby positions.
Several drones patrolled above the walls, following fixed routes without deviation.
Unlike human guards, the machines did not become bored or distracted.
They simply observed, recorded, and obeyed.
“Wait,” Jackie said.
He pointed toward the roadside.
Three bodies lay near a drainage ditch beside the entrance.
All three wore light combat equipment and specialized neural-interface gear.
Portable cyberdecks remained connected to the ports behind their heads.
Valerie studied them through her optics.
“Wakako’s netrunner team.”
Lena looked beyond the gate.
A white AV rested on a private landing pad inside the factory.
It was nothing like the industrial transports moving between the warehouses.
The streamlined hull, concealed propulsion system, and reinforced armor indicated an expensive executive model.
Jackie frowned.
“An abandoned factory with a private AV parked inside.
That’s not suspicious at all.”
“I’ll check the interior.”
Lena connected to an external network node.
[EXTERNAL NETWORK NODE DETECTED]
[ESTABLISHING CONNECTION]
[SURVEILLANCE SYSTEM LOCATED]
[INITIATING TAKEOVER]
The Arasaka Mk.III Cyberdeck responded almost instantly.
Camera feeds from across the factory appeared in Lena’s vision.
She moved through them one by one—the entrance, production floor, maintenance workshop, storage area, and core research facility.
The layout of Impala Automatics gradually unfolded before her.
“How does it look?” Valerie asked.
Lena remained silent and continued switching between the feeds.
Inside the core laboratory, three armed guards surrounded a man in a white coat.
The doctor held a datapad and reviewed the information displayed on a large terminal.
“That must be Koch.”
The three guards were not ordinary factory security.
Their positions allowed them to watch every entrance to the laboratory, and each moved with the controlled discipline of someone who had received professional combat training.
Lena scanned them through the camera system.
[PRIVATE SECURITY OPERATIVE]
[AFFILIATION: ZETATECH]
[GORILLA ARMS]
[REINFORCED SKELETAL SYSTEM]
[SUBDERMAL ARMOR]
[ZETATECH SANDEVISTAN]
The first guard was built for high-speed close combat.
Lena shifted to the second.
[PRIVATE SECURITY OPERATIVE]
[AFFILIATION: ZETATECH]
[SUBDERMAL ARMOR]
[SELF-ICE]
[TETRATRONIC RIPPLER MK.III]
[RAM UPGRADE]
A netrunner specializing in network defense.
The final guard stood near the laboratory entrance.
[PRIVATE SECURITY OPERATIVE]
[AFFILIATION: ZETATECH]
[SUBDERMAL ARMOR]
[SMART LINK]
[KIROSHI STALKER OPTICS]
[KANG TAO SMART-WEAPON JAMMER]
The third was equipped specifically to disrupt smart weapons such as Valerie’s Yinglong.
Lena disconnected from the camera feed and shared the information with Valerie and Jackie.
“This is going to be harder than Wakako suggested.”
Jackie studied the profiles.
“A doctor with three chromed-out Zetatech operatives?”
He shook his head.
“Is he researching a robot or preparing to invade a country?”
Valerie focused on the security markers.
“The Sandevistan user can close the distance before we have time to react.
The netrunner can interfere with our cyberware, and that jammer might make the Yinglong useless.”
Lena considered their options.
Taking down the Sandevistan user would require Cyberware Malfunction, which meant reserving enough RAM to disable the implant during combat.
She would also need processing capacity to neutralize the netrunner and interfere with the factory’s automated defenses.
The risk was considerable.
So was the reward.
The security operatives carried high-grade cyberware, and the factory contained enough machinery to provide a massive supply of components.
Lena released a slow breath.
“It’s dangerous, but the salvage alone makes it worthwhile.”
“We’re doing it.”
The team quickly finalized their approach and moved toward the entrance.
Two R2 security robots remained beside the gate.
Their mechanical lenses rotated steadily while overhead cameras monitored the road.
Lena accessed the first robot.
[SHORT CIRCUIT UPLOADED]
Its body stiffened.
The machine’s internal power lines overloaded, and its joints stopped responding.
Before it could fall, Lena targeted the second unit.
[SHORT CIRCUIT UPLOADED]
Both robots lost power simultaneously.
Jackie and Valerie rushed from opposite sides of the gate.
They caught the heavy machines before they struck the ground and carefully lowered them without producing more than a faint scrape.
The surveillance footage had already been replaced with a clean loop.
They dragged the robots into the shadows beneath the nearby bushes.
The factory’s outer gate had been breached without triggering a single alarm.
Lena entered behind them and removed three EMP grenades from her equipment belt.
“Let’s prepare a surprise in case our quiet approach doesn’t last.”
They advanced deeper into the industrial complex.
A map continuously updated inside Lena’s vision.
Two red markers appeared ahead.
[AUTOMATED DEFENSE TURRET]
[DISTANCE: 45 METERS]
“Hold here.”
Lena connected to the factory network.
The concealed turrets stopped rotating.
Their barrels retracted, and the targeting lights faded.
[ALERT STATUS: CLEARED]
[ATTACK AUTHORIZATION: DISABLED]
Once she confirmed that the system had accepted the false commands, Lena led the others past the defensive line.
They soon reached the maintenance area.
Several workers in white overalls inspected machinery and replaced damaged industrial parts.
None appeared armed, and none seemed aware of the illegal research taking place deeper inside the factory.
“We keep them alive,” Lena whispered.
“But we can’t let them reach an alarm.”
Valerie nodded.
Two maintenance workers stood near their path.
One studied a datapad while the other examined an open control panel.
Jackie approached the first from behind, covered his mouth, and applied a chokehold.
The worker struggled briefly before losing consciousness.
The second man heard the movement and turned.
Valerie was already behind him.
She seized his arm, twisted him off balance, and struck a precise point along the side of his neck.
His body went limp.
Jackie dragged both workers behind a row of disposal containers.
Over the next five minutes, the maintenance area appeared unchanged.
In reality, its defenses were being dismantled piece by piece.
Lena marked every patrol and camera in advance.
Jackie and Valerie moved between the blind spots, incapacitating isolated employees and hiding them inside storage rooms or behind machinery.
No one was killed.
No one reached an alarm.
Lena reopened the factory map.
Most of the personnel markers along their planned route had disappeared, but two approaching machines remained highlighted in red.
“Two R2 units,” she whispered.
“Jackie, I’ll use Short Circuit on the left one and disable the other unit’s communications.
Destroy it before it can activate a physical alarm.”
Jackie crouched behind an industrial press.
“Ready.”
Lena focused on the first machine.
[TARGET: R2 SECURITY ROBOT]
[QUICKHACK: SHORT CIRCUIT]
The data stream entered its operating system.
The robot stopped mid-step.
Electricity snapped through its internal circuitry, and its rotating sensor immediately went dark.
The second unit recognized the malfunction.
A red warning light flashed above its faceplate, but Lena had already severed its network connection.
[COMMUNICATION MODULE: DISABLED]
The machine attempted to contact the central security system.
Nothing happened.
Jackie charged from the shadows.
His Gorilla Arms closed around the robot’s armored head.
Reinforced muscles tightened as he twisted with his entire body.
Metal shrieked.
The R2 unit’s alloy casing collapsed beneath his grip as if caught inside an industrial press.
Jackie continued applying pressure until the central processor shattered.
The machine went limp.
Another patrol had vanished from the network before the factory realized it was under attack.
Lena looked toward the roof.
Several aerial targets moved above the production buildings.
[MILITECH WYVERN DRONE]
[SHORT CIRCUIT COST: 3 RAM]
She checked her available processing capacity.
[CURRENT RAM: 7]
Using Short Circuit on all six drones would be wasteful.
Three elite security operatives still waited inside the research facility, including a netrunner equipped with a Tetratronic Rippler Mk.III.
She needed to reserve enough RAM for the real fight.
“Watch the workers we knocked out.
Make sure none of them wake up.”
Jackie nodded.
“Leave it to us.”
Valerie examined the map.
“What about the remaining ground robots?”
“The units capable of entering this maintenance sector are already down.
The others are patrolling the rear section of the factory.”
Lena sat behind a row of inactive machinery and closed her eyes.
“We don’t need complete control of the drones.
I’ll interrupt their communications, and we’ll bring them down manually.”
The maintenance workshop became quiet once more.
Outside, the Wyvern drones continued following their patrol routes, unaware that several ground units had disappeared.
Ten minutes later, Lena’s cyberdeck finished recovering its available RAM.
She opened her eyes.
“Let’s deal with the drones.”
Taking full control of a machine required breaking through its permissions and command architecture.
That consumed a significant amount of processing power.
Temporarily blocking its ability to transmit footage or alarms was much cheaper.
After that, a blade through the correct component would be enough.
Four drones patrolled between the maintenance and production areas.
The remaining two guarded the research wing.
Lena disabled the research area’s access to the relevant surveillance feeds, then calculated the flight paths of the nearest patrol.
“The first pair will cross the maintenance zone in ten seconds.”
Jackie flexed his Gorilla Arms.
“Ready.”
Valerie drew two throwing knives.
“When they approach, target the sensors and power modules,” Lena instructed.
“Don’t destroy the main bodies.
I want the components intact.”
The three separated and concealed themselves among the equipment.
Two Wyvern drones descended over the maintenance zone.
Their turbines produced a faint mechanical hum as blue scanning beams swept across the floor.
The first drone passed above their position.
Lena accessed its communication node.
[COMMUNICATION INTERFERENCE]
[DATA UPLOAD INTERRUPTED]
Its movement stuttered.
Valerie’s knife flashed through the air and pierced the primary sensor.
Jackie threw his own blade a fraction of a second later.
It struck the exposed power rotor.
The drone tilted sharply and dropped.
Lena stepped forward, activated the reinforced strength in her arms, and caught the machine before it struck the floor.
She lowered it silently.
The second drone immediately recognized the abnormal movement and changed direction.
Lena’s optics tracked its speed and turning angle.
Her Arasaka Mk.III Cyberdeck calculated the most likely escape route and synchronized the trajectory with Valerie and Jackie.
A red dotted line appeared in their vision.
“Right side,” Lena warned.
Valerie and Jackie threw simultaneously.
One knife severed the drone’s communication antenna.
The other buried itself inside its power module.
The drone shook violently as its lights flickered.
Jackie moved beneath it and caught the damaged fuselage with his Gorilla Arms.
He carefully placed it on the floor.
Valerie crouched beside the machine, retrieved her blade, and severed the backup power circuit.
The lights went dark.
Both Wyvern drones had been neutralized in seconds, and no warning reached the central network.
Inside the core research facility, technicians continued working around a massive platform.
Precision machinery surrounded the laboratory.
Data screens displayed power consumption, armor tolerances, targeting parameters, and weapon-interface diagnostics.
At the center stood a Militech heavy combat robot.
Its enormous body was covered in thick armor, and its internal structure was far more sophisticated than that of the R2 security units.
Reinforced limbs rested beside integrated weapon mounts, while cables connected its neural-control systems to the surrounding terminals.
“Left-side power feedback is stable,” one technician reported.
“Weapon-interface test complete,” said another.
“Continue testing the neural-control module.”
Dr.
Koch stood beside the platform and studied the data.
“Militech’s design philosophy remains years ahead of the competition,” he said.
“If we can improve the autonomous combat logic, this machine’s value will increase several times over.”
Near the laboratory entrance, the Zetatech netrunner suddenly raised his head.
A self-test report had appeared in his Kiroshi optics.
According to the factory network, everything was operating normally.
The turrets remained active.
The security robots were patrolling.
The drones were following their assigned routes.
Yet something felt wrong.
The data was too perfect.
There were no signal fluctuations, no minor mechanical failures, and no variations in the patrol routes.
Even the drones’ reported flight paths matched the programmed routes down to a fraction of a second.
Real machines were never that precise.
The netrunner’s expression slowly changed.
Someone had not disabled the factory’s surveillance system.
Someone had replaced reality with a flawless lie.
]”
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