Taren, Uncle Tyson, and Serin moved quickly from behind the bushes. Two guards stood casually outside the base, unaware of what was coming.
Taren took a deep breath and grinned as he said, "Man, it's been a while since I had a workout."
With a quick toss of a small rock to distract them, Serin crept behind one of the guards and silently took him down. At the same time, Tyson slammed his fist into the back of the other guard's neck, knocking him out cold.
Taren sat casually in front of the base, unwrapping an emergency food pack and chewing lazily, "I've been starving. Might as well enjoy a snack before the chaos."
Elsewhere, Exter and Nyssa were moving through a narrow corridor inside the base. They were close to the data room when the sound of footsteps echoed from around the corner.
A soldier was heading straight toward them. Exter froze, hand slowly reaching for his weapon.
But before he could act, Nyssa stepped forward and smacked the soldier in the head with the butt of her rifle. He collapsed instantly.
Nyssa whispered, "Good thing I'm faster than you."
Exter gave a quick nod, "Stay sharp. We're almost there."
Back with Lirael and Riven, they crawled through a narrow passage revealed by Peterson. The air was damp, filled with the hum of machines nearby.
Riven muttered, "This place feels like an insect hive. Creeps me out."
Lirael clutched the pendant Peterson had just handed her, her eyes full of worry and questions.
Suddenly, the sound of a heavy door slamming shut echoed behind them.
Riven turned sharply, "Move, now. If this path seals too, we're done for."
Lirael nodded, "I don't want to leave him, but if we get caught, it's all over."
They sprinted down the tightening passage, heading for the rendezvous point outside the base.
Elsewhere, Peterson stood over the two fallen soldiers he just took down. His breath was heavy, a small cut on his temple, but his eyes sharp and focused.
He grabbed one soldier's uniform and quickly put it on. After making sure his face was hidden by the helmet and his identity disguised, he slipped out of the room, sneaking through the corridors of the base that were starting to stir from a silent alarm.
Peterson thought to himself, "Soon, we're out of this nightmare."
Meanwhile, Lirael and Riven ran down the eastern hallway. Their steps were quiet but swift. Suddenly, two shadows appeared at the intersection.
Riven immediately raised his weapon, "Who's there?!"
But a familiar voice answered, "Hold on, bro! It's us!"
Exter stepped out from the shadows, hands raised, followed by Nyssa. Nyssa had a small bruise on her temple but still managed a faint smile.
Lirael quickly approached and checked, "Are you okay?"
Nyssa replied softly, "Just a little roughhousing, nothing serious."
Riven nodded, "Good. We need to move fast. Peterson already opened the escape route. We just need to catch up."
Exter took a deep breath, "There's a safe path through the back ventilation tunnel, but we have to hurry. The main patrol will circle back soon."
Lirael nodded, "Then let's go. We can't fail now."
The four of them moved quickly, silently weaving through the dark hallways toward where Peterson waited at the extraction point. But something felt off... and time was running out.
Outside the base, Taren, Serin, and Uncle Tyson cautiously searched for the others. The night air was cold, thick with tension and uncertainty.
Suddenly, from the distance, a small spacecraft with dim green lights slowly approached, hovering low above the ground. The ship landed with a soft rumble, catching them off guard.
The ship's door opened, and a tall man with a stern face stepped out. He wore a uniform bearing the same strange symbol often seen around the base.
The man fixed his gaze on Taren and called out in a deep voice, "Taren."
Taren froze for a moment, then walked steadily toward the man.
Serin and Uncle Tyson exchanged wary yet curious glances.
Taren looked up at the man — it was his father.
"Father," Taren said quietly, but with deep emotion.
His father stared sharply, then said, "We need to talk. There's much you need to know, my son."
Suddenly, the air was ripped by the sound of gunfire from above—a warning shot. All eyes turned as Peterson emerged from behind the outer wall, walking steadily toward Taren and the man in front of him—his father.
Peterson's expression was hard and cold. As he reached closer, he pulled off his face covering, revealing himself.
With a firm, commanding voice, he shouted,
"Don't! Are you seriously about to sacrifice your own son for this twisted plan of yours?!"
His father's face twitched—just for a second—as if caught off guard. But then he composed himself. Around them, soldiers raised their weapons in response.
But before anyone could fire, the man raised his hand sharply.
"Stand down," he said. The soldiers hesitated, then obeyed.
At that moment, Lirael, Riven, Nyssa, Exter, and Serin arrived on the opposite end of the courtyard. They froze when they saw Peterson standing between the man and Taren—defiant, fearless.
Peterson's father looked at them, his eyes narrowing when they landed on Lirael.
"You don't understand. This isn't about sacrifice—it's about survival. Our civilization depends on it. And the key..." he pointed slowly, "...lies in Taren. And her." He looked straight at Lirael.
Peterson stepped forward again, anger rising in his voice.
"I don't care about your so-called civilization. I care about people. About those who choose to live free, not controlled." He turned to Taren. "Whatever happens, we face it together."
Taren nodded, emotion in his eyes.
Lirael gripped her pendant, which suddenly began to glow faintly in her hand…
The atmosphere turned tense in an instant. The sky darkened as a massive Zytherion ship loomed above, casting a shadow over everything. Taren and Lirael, both handcuffed, were dragged toward the transport shuttle. Their faces remained stern, but their eyes met—each silently telling the other: This isn't over.
Peterson, cuffed separately, gritted his teeth. Rage and helplessness mixed in his eyes as he watched his sibling and friend being taken.
"I won't let this stand," he muttered under his breath.
Meanwhile, Exter, Uncle Tyson, Nyssa, Riven, and Serin were also being restrained. The soldiers quickly clamped cuffs on their wrists—but just as they were secured—
TAT TAT TAT!
Gunfire cracked through the air like thunder. One by one, the soldiers guarding them collapsed, shot clean through by precise sniper fire. Blood and dust erupted into chaos.
Everyone froze—confused. Where were the shots coming from?
From the edge of the forest, familiar silhouettes emerged. Veyra stepped forward first, dressed in tactical gear, a heavy rifle in her hands. Elior followed behind her in body armor and a helmet, and Saria flanked them, holding two compact pistols with deadly focus. Behind them—more than a dozen armed allies.
They brought a full resistance unit.
Veyra shouted across the battlefield, "Drop your weapons! We're taking back what's ours!"
Panic spread among the remaining enemy troops. Some ran. Others attempted to hold the line—but were quickly overwhelmed. Explosions erupted near the western side of the facility. One building caught fire, smoke rising into the blackening sky.
Elior rushed to free Riven and Exter.
"Hurry—before they launch Taren and Lirael into orbit!"
Peterson slammed one guard with his cuffed fists. Veyra tossed him a key. With quick movements, he unlocked himself, grabbed a fallen soldier's rifle, and stood ready.
"Where's the ship?" he demanded.
Saria pointed to the sky.
"They've taken off—but they're still within atmosphere! We can still reach them!"
Peterson raised his weapon, eyes blazing.
"Then let's go get them."