***
Jake and Emma moved through the slums with practiced ease as if it were their playground.
A statent that wouldn't be so false: they had trained in simulated slums quite a lot, for better or for worse, since that nightmarish day, never wanting a repeat of what happened. Though their being faster wouldn't have mattered back then, a part of them still blad themselves.
The place hadn't changed much since they last saw it; the buildings, if they could even be called that, leaned over one another, crumbling, their walls barely holding together.
Narrow alleyways dotted the place, littered with debris, broken tech, and remnants of life.
Makeshift shanties, a new addition, were spotted within a few of the safer buildings, supporting holess encampnts.
That might've been a result of the fake war going on between Templar and the Liberation Army, forcing those scared into forming groups.
The two didn't look at such things for long as they neared their first target.
It was an old, dilapidated building that had once been a factory.
Now, it was nothing more than a shell, its windows broken and its walls cracked. But it was strategically located, sitting at the intersection of two main roads.
It was the perfect place to set up one of the comm disruptors.
Jake knelt by the entrance, pulling out a small device from his pack. It was compact, almost unnoticeable, but its effect would be anything but.
Though it looked like a harmless piece of scrap tech, it wasn't an issue but a perk, as it would easily blend with the background.
He began attaching it to a rusted support beam, its magnetic clamps securing it in place. Emma stood watch, her eyes scanning the shadows for any signs of movent.
The slums were quiet tonight, more so than usual, and that made her uneasy.
While most skirmishes between the two factions took place before sundown, a few fights had occurred without fail here and there at night, so this certainly was unnatural.
But she didn't think about that for long.
She trusted Emir.
He was thodical, careful, almost to an insane degree, and he knew what he was doing.
There were much better things that she could do instead of doubting him.
[How's it looking?]
Her question ca telepathically over their open channel.
[Almost done.]
Jake replied in a few seconds, his fingers tapping a few commands into his terminal, linking the device to their private network.
[This should knock out their communications for at least a few blocks. Man, they won't even know what hit them.]
He finished securing the device and stood up, giving it a final check.
The green light on the side blinked once, then went dark, entering ghost mode, signaling that it was ready.
[Let's move.]
Jake said, nodding toward the next location.
Their next stop was a cluster of shacks that had been cobbled together from scrap tal and old wood.
It was a place where no less than a hundred of the slum's residents had gathered, a hub of activity that would be perfect for planting another comm disruptor.
Jake handed the device to Emma this ti, letting her take the lead, her smaller stature proving a better fit.
She crouched low, carefully placing the disruptor beneath a stack of old abandoned crates that once housed high-tech goods, now repurposed as makeshift furniture.
It was a perfect hiding spot, out of sight but close enough to disrupt any signals in the area.
As she secured the device, Jake checked his terminal, making sure the network was still clear. The last thing they needed was for their signal to be intercepted.
[Ready.]
She whispered, standing up and dusting off her hands.
[Nice. We've got one more to visit.]
Jake replied and led her to their final location.
The last site was one of the narrow alleys that cut through the heart of the slums, leading to the black market itself.
It was a chokepoint, a place where many trying to escape the attack would have to pass
through.
The buildings here were even more unstable, their walls leaning in so close that the fake stars above were barely visible.
Here, they would set up not just a comm disruptor, but also a series of traps that would annihilate their enemies.
Jake pulled out a bundle of tripwires, carefully stringing them across the alley at different
heights.
Each strand was embedded with micro-explosives designed to send out a shockwave once touched.
All were directly connected to small, but powerful, explosive charges.
They were virtually invisible, designed to blend seamlessly with the decaying environnt.
It wasn't enough to kill sub-rank two Awakened, but it would certainly hurt.
Not that any of them would be up here tomorrow.
Emma, anwhile, was setting up the final comm disruptor at the far end of the alley, a specialized model equipped with a signal jamr and an EMP burst, costing them quite the
penny.
This one was slightly larger in size, able to cover a wider range.
It would not only cut off communications, ensuring that no one could call for reinforcents or alert others to what was happening, but also temporarily disable any nearby electronics, rendering the enemy's tech useless.
With the traps and disruptors in place, they stepped back, taking a mont to survey their
work.
Everything was set.
The stage was ready.
The only thing they had left to do was wait.
"Let's get out of here, we gotta regroup with the others, make sure those dumbasses are in
position for tomorrow."
Emma nodded, and they went back into the shadows.
***
As the two returned to their Elite but not so Elite Cohort, Kiera and her platoon were off deep
in the ruin, tro's Heart.
Their access ca from Amon directly, as they were stated to be under Emir's command, earning them his trust.
The main hub where all the tro lines connected was a place that needed guaranteed protection, as monsters near the frontlines constantly funneled inside the ruin in fear, coming from all different tro lines in the north.
They took over most maglev trains as their hos, scaring a few within the platoon every
ti they passed one, as so of the technology inside the train remained active, flickering in and out of life, blocking their information-gathering device from detecting them.
Ambushes were pri in locations like these.
It was nerve-racking.
But that wasn't the only thing that scared them.
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