Chapter 22 (Part 2)

"I thought the shaft would be bigger," Vincent remarked, casting a brief glance downward as he leisurely descended to the bottom.

"Don't clog the internal channel," I said, rolling my eyes. Without wasting any more time, I grabbed hold of the ladder. "We go down one at a time, only after the previous person gives the all-clear. I'll go first."

The descent turned out to be much longer than I anticipated. The height of the shaft was around thirty meters, which was considerable. Over the years, they must have spruced this place up, but the real question remained: how much of the free space was utilized in what was once a mine? Though, thinking about it now is pointless. And if you think about it, an underground complex can't be too large. Maintaining such a massive structure discreetly would be costly, not to mention the other issues that come with such facilities.

By the time everyone had descended, I had already managed to mechanically unlock the doors of the lower elevator shaft. My own strength, amplified by the capabilities of the power suit, made it relatively easy. As I was opening it, Vega preemptively activated jammers, preventing any potential surprises for unwelcome guests, of which there were quite a few. After carefully neutralizing the electronic traps, I mentally sighed and finally looked around.

"Vega, keep the jammers on for now," I said, scrutinizing the hangar filled with various containers and boxes. Each had a specific marker, and it seemed the place was actively used.

"Should I activate the quantum transmitter?" Vega added a questioning note to her voice, trying to mimic human speech patterns.

"Not yet. We should take a look around first and avoid drawing unnecessary attention unless absolutely necessary. I don't know if the local AI running the complex can detect such a signal, but it's better not to risk it."

While I was talking with Vega, the rest of the team didn't waste any time and began inspecting the area, carefully studying the space we found ourselves in. Han and Shiro managed to spot cameras set up around the perimeter, currently disabled. Apparently, no one expected anyone to infiltrate this place. People rely too much on electronics, not realizing how reckless that decision can be. At some point, I felt a wave of nostalgia. It was because of such security oversights that Militech lost Vega, allowing me to stealthily steal her away.

"Guys, did you find anything?" I asked, turning my attention to the brothers returning from their reconnaissance. I turned off the jammer. We had disarmed everything we could, and it wasn't wise to keep the jammers on for too long.

"A couple of mines and some motion sensors," Han reported. "We checked a few containers, but aside from frozen goods in cryo chambers, we didn't find anything. The cameras are off, but just in case, we short-circuited the contacts in case anyone tries to check up on this place. By the way," Han pointed to the large doors, "there are only two entrances to this room besides the elevator we came down. Both were locked, and we decided not to try opening them to avoid potential problems."

"Good call," I said, nodding in approval as I heaved myself off the crate I was sitting on. "First, let's check the storage room, then we'll decide our next move."

Han and Shiro shrugged and headed toward the door they had wisely left alone. After scanning it and finding nothing unusual, I pried open a nearby panel and, with a bit of tinkering, unlocked the door. Peeking out, I scanned the corridor, activating a few functions on my helmet to check for any unusual noises or objects. Finding nothing suspicious, I ducked back inside and gestured to the guys to activate their mimicry and sound suppression modes.

Emerging into the corridor again, our group split into two without needing to discuss it, each team exploring a different direction. If we found anything, we would signal each other with a beacon, indicating we had discovered something interesting. If the beacon blinked twice, it meant the group was engaged in a fight. A simple yet effective emergency communication method. There was also a third signal, meant for Inga. If we had a severely injured member, she would rush to help and evacuate them, providing first aid. Roosevelt had equipped us with several powerful regenerators he recently acquired through contacts at Trauma Corp. Extremely potent stuff, but best not to overuse it. It could even bring someone back from the dead, though the backlash would be severe.

"I hear movement ahead," I said, gently holding Vi back as we pressed against the wall.

"Judging by the number of implants, these are full-fledged Geminis," O'Brien said, clear surprise in his voice.

"If the entire security detail here consists of cyborgs and androids, we better avoid unnecessary confrontations. Taking them down quickly is unlikely, and even if we manage, the others will immediately notice the loss of two signals and trigger an alarm," I said, watching the departing cyborgs with frustration, mentally formulating our next move.

"In any case, we haven't been detected yet, so let's focus on the rescue mission."

"Don't rush; haste will only make things worse," I said, sighing heavily as we continued to move slowly down the corridor.

After a few seconds, we finally reached the end of the corridor, encountering a small fork. Fortunately, there were markers on the wall that helped us choose the right path. The route to the right led to the barracks, where we might find the children. I doubted they'd be kept in a separate area; it would be inefficient and more challenging to control them if soldiers lived nearby.

For now, I hesitated to break into the living quarters. First, we needed to connect Reich to the internal network to gain control over the complex. While he held off the AI, Vega and I could scan the entire facility to find the children. Attempting to connect through remote access points was pointless; we needed to access the main server directly. Otherwise, the AI would immediately detect us, forcing us to fight our way out.

"Alex, Shiro's beacon signaled. Judging by the number of blinks, they found something. Should I establish a connection with them?" Vega inquired, waiting for my decision.

"Not yet. If they found something, they'll stay there and wait for us regardless. We need to hurry."

I tugged Vi along, and we quickly retraced our steps toward the brothers. On the way, I remembered that the Geminis had passed in their direction, meaning we might encounter them again. If Han and Shiro found something significant, we needed to discreetly deal with any witnesses. The multitude of tasks to handle in real-time made my head ache. Smart people focus on one thing at a time, but here I was, trying to juggle multiple tasks, chasing two hares at once.

As we reached the entrance, we noticed the door we had left closed was now open. I held Vi back, carefully deactivated my camouflage, and pointed to the entrance. The Geminis might be in the warehouse. Listening closely, I could only hear the heavy footsteps and indistinct chatter of a few people. I decided not to eavesdrop, opting to avoid lingering here unnecessarily...