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The city had never felt more like a cage. Hayamei crouched atop the crumbling fire escape, the rain plastering her hair to her forehead, fingers slick against the metal railing. Na'Nami clung to her side, shivering but quiet, as if she understood that making a sound could mean death.
Aiyana leaned against the wall of the building, scanning the alley below. "This isn't a trap," she muttered, though her voice lacked conviction. "It's worse. It's a gauntlet."
Hayamei's eyes darted toward the street where distant headlights cut through the night fog. Every shadow could be an enemy, every ripple of sound a threat. Ghost was out there somewhere, but she didn't know if he was still an ally—or if he'd fallen completely under her father's control.
"Malik said the facility's perimeter is stronger than ever," Hayamei whispered, brushing Na'Nami's damp hair from her face. "We can't just walk in. We need a way to get inside without being seen."
Aiyana frowned. "And you think crawling through the sewers is going to do it?"
Hayamei didn't answer. She already had a plan in motion—a network of abandoned maintenance tunnels she had mapped weeks ago. Each twist and turn was familiar, each exit a potential escape route if the plan went south.
The problem wasn't getting in. It was what waited inside. The tunnel stank of rust and mildew, water dripping from the low ceiling in irregular plinks. Hayamei led the way, Na'Nami clutching her side, and Aiyana trailing behind, gun ready. Every step echoed against the concrete walls, a sound she prayed wouldn't carry.
"This way," Hayamei whispered, tracing a route along the cracked tunnel wall. Her fingers brushed over faded paint marks she'd left during earlier reconnaissance—silent breadcrumbs only she could follow.
They emerged in a service corridor behind the facility, a series of doors that had long been abandoned. The main compound loomed ahead, bathed in harsh floodlights and guarded by men with automatic rifles. Hayamei pressed herself against the wall, her mind calculating every angle.
"Look at the patterns," she muttered, noting the guards' movements. "Three steps forward, one step back. Rotation every four minutes. There." She pointed toward a gap in the fencing, partially hidden by an overgrown hedge. "We slip through there."
Aiyana nodded, her jaw tight. "If we get caught, it's over."
Hayamei inhaled sharply, adrenaline surging. "Then we don't get caught."
⸻
They moved like shadows, slipping past the patrols, timing each step with the precision of predators. Every second was a gamble. Every heartbeat reminded her that one mistake could cost Na'Nami her life.
They reached a service entrance, its padlock rusted and brittle. Hayamei pried it open with a crowbar, careful to avoid the creak that might echo down the corridor. The door groaned but didn't alert the guards.
