Chapter 147: Chapter 146
The city loomed ahead, a glittering monolith of steel and glass, a world away from the broken-down slums. Cole and his crew crouched low, just outside the perimeter fence. The hum of drones patrolling the area was faint but constant, the glow of their searchlights sweeping lazily across the darkened streets.
"Drones make this tricky," Maria muttered, her sniper rifle slung across her back as she kept a watchful eye on the skies. "One wrong move, and we'll be lit up like a carnival."
Cole gave a tight nod. "We'll stay in the shadows. Once we're past the drones, it's all about getting into the command center before anyone realizes we're there."
Ty, crouched beside a small cluster of debris, smirked as he fiddled with the detonator in his hand. "Once I blow that decoy on the other side of the city, they won't be thinking about us. They'll be too busy dealing with fireworks."
Lina checked the magazine on her pistol, her face expressionless but her eyes sharp with determination. "We go fast and quiet. No screw-ups."
Cole glanced at Zack, who was busy attaching a small device to the fence in front of them—a signal jammer that would temporarily disable the drones in their sector. Zack looked up and met Cole's gaze. "We're good to go. Just need the word."
Cole took a deep breath, his hand resting on the hilt of his blade. The plan was risky, and the margin for error was thin, but they had no other choice. This was the only way to hit the city's elite where it hurt—by taking down their command structure, the very heart of their control.
"Do it," Cole said quietly.
Zack flipped the switch, and the device hummed to life, sending out a pulse that scrambled the drone's communications. The nearest drone shuddered, its searchlight flickering before it powered down and drifted off course, giving them the opening they needed.
"Let's move," Cole ordered, leading the way as they slipped through the hole in the fence.
The crew moved swiftly and silently, their movements rehearsed and precise. The narrow alleys and back streets of the slums had trained them well for this kind of operation. They knew how to stay hidden, how to move without being seen. But as they got closer to the towering command center, the tension in the air thickened.
"This place is a fortress," Zack whispered, his voice low as they crouched behind a wall, scanning the compound. "Armed guards, motion sensors, reinforced walls… We're going to need more than stealth to get inside."
Ty chuckled softly. "That's where I come in."
Cole gave him a glance. "No explosives yet. We need to get inside without raising the alarm."
Ty feigned a pout. "You're no fun, Cole."
Ignoring him, Cole turned to Lina, who was studying the building's layout on a small handheld device. "There," she said, pointing to a service entrance on the far side of the building. "That's our way in. It's the least guarded, but it'll still be tight."
"We'll make it work," Cole said. "Zack, take out the cameras. Maria, keep an eye on the perimeter. Ty, be ready with the explosives once we're inside."
Everyone nodded, the seriousness of the mission weighing on them. This wasn't just another raid. This was their shot at turning the tide of the entire revolution.
Zack moved first, slipping toward the nearest security camera with practiced ease. Within moments, he had disabled it, the red light on the device flickering off. The rest of the crew followed him toward the service entrance, moving as one cohesive unit.
The door was locked, but Zack quickly bypassed the electronic security with a handheld tool. The door clicked open, and they slipped inside the building's dimly lit corridors.
"We're in," Lina whispered, her eyes scanning the empty hallway. "Now we find the control room."
The interior of the command center was cold and sterile, a stark contrast to the chaotic streets they had just left behind. The walls were lined with security feeds, maps, and data displays—all focused on monitoring the city's districts, including the slums.
"This place makes my skin crawl," Ty muttered under his breath as they moved deeper into the building. "All this tech, and it's all used to keep people under control."
"That's why we're here," Cole replied, his voice low and hard. "We're going to shut them down."
They continued through the maze of corridors, keeping their footsteps light and their voices hushed. Every turn felt like a risk, every shadow a potential threat. The command center was quiet, almost too quiet, and it only added to the tension.
"Should be up ahead," Zack said, checking the map on his device. "The main control room is on the top floor, but we need to disable the security systems first."
They reached a small room filled with terminals and security monitors. Zack and Ty quickly went to work, bypassing firewalls and rerouting security feeds to cover their tracks. Maria took up position by the door, her sniper rifle ready in case anyone stumbled upon them.
Cole stood behind Zack, his arms crossed as he watched the screen flicker. "How long?"
"Almost there," Zack muttered, his fingers flying across the keyboard. "Just need to—got it."
The security feeds blinked out, replaced by a looping video of an empty hallway. The alarm systems were deactivated, and the motion sensors went offline.
"We're clear," Zack said, looking up with a satisfied grin. "For now."
Cole gave him a nod. "Let's finish this."
---
They moved quickly to the upper floors, their path now clear of security measures. The command center was eerily quiet, and Cole couldn't shake the feeling that they were walking into a trap. But they had come too far to turn back now.
When they reached the top floor, they found themselves in front of a massive steel door—the entrance to the main control room. Behind that door was the nerve center of the city's operations, the place where every decision was made, where every order to suppress the people of the slums had been given.
"This is it," Cole said quietly.
Ty grinned as he pulled out a small explosive charge. "Now can I blow something up?"
Cole rolled his eyes but nodded. "Do it."
Ty placed the charge on the door and stepped back, giving Cole a wink before pressing the detonator. The explosion was small but powerful, enough to blast the door off its hinges without drawing too much attention.
As the smoke cleared, Cole led the way inside.
The control room was a stark contrast to the rest of the building. It was sleek and modern, filled with rows of terminals, holographic displays, and data feeds. A handful of operators sat at their stations, their eyes widening in shock as Cole and his crew burst into the room.
"Hands up!" Lina shouted, her weapon trained on the nearest operator. "Nobody move!"
The operators froze, their hands slowly rising as the rebels took control of the room.
"Zack, shut it all down," Cole ordered, his eyes scanning the room. "Take down every system, every feed, every line of communication."
Zack moved quickly, his fingers flying across the control panel as he accessed the city's systems. "On it. Just give me a minute."
Ty, ever the opportunist, wandered over to one of the terminals, peering at the holographic displays with a smirk. "Look at all this fancy tech. Shame it's about to go to waste."
Lina kept her gun trained on the operators, her eyes cold and unyielding. "You think you can control us?" she said, her voice filled with quiet fury. "You think you can keep us down forever?"
One of the operators, a middle-aged man with graying hair, stammered a response. "We—we were just following orders. It wasn't—"
"Save it," Cole cut him off, his voice icy. "You knew exactly what you were doing. You chose this."
The man fell silent, his face pale as he realized the gravity of the situation.
"Systems are going offline," Zack called out, his voice tense but focused. "We're taking down the entire grid."
Cole felt a surge of satisfaction as he watched the lights on the terminals flicker and die. They had done it. They had taken control of the city's command center, and now the city's rulers would feel the full weight of their defiance.
But even as the systems shut down, Cole couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. The quiet, the ease with which they had taken the control room—it didn't sit right.
And then he heard it. A faint beeping sound, barely audible but unmistakable.
"Zack," Cole said, his voice tense. "What is that?"
Zack's eyes widened as he scanned the terminal. "It's… It's a backup system. An automated alert. They know we're here."
The sound of heavy footsteps echoed down the hallway, followed by the unmistakable click of guns being loaded.
"We've got company," Maria said, her voice deadly calm as she trained her sniper rifle on the door.
Cole's jaw clenched. "Hold the line. We're not leaving until we've finished the job."
Weekly Power Status
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Ranking 
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