The room was thick with quiet urgency. Holo-screens flickered around them, casting an eerie blue glow on faces etched with determination and fatigue. Maps, schematics, and encrypted files floated in midair — a digital war room carved from shadows.
Aeris traced a line on the map, fingers steady despite the storm raging outside. "The syndicate's main data hub is here," she said, eyes locked on the pulsing node deep in the city's underbelly. "That's where NeuroNet's core resides."
Kael leaned in, voice low and measured. "Infiltration will be tight. Security drones, biometric locks, patrols every five minutes. We don't have the luxury of errors."
Vex flicked through layers of data. "Lira's intel says the core has a fail-safe — a self-destruct that could wipe the entire system if triggered."
Lira nodded grimly. "We have to disable it first — from the inside."
Aeris clenched her jaw. "One slip, and it's over for all of us. No second chances."
The rain outside intensified, a relentless percussion against the windows, mirroring the pounding of their hearts.
Kael's voice broke the silence. "We move at midnight. Under the cover of the city's chaos."
Aeris looked around the room — her team, her allies — the last line between the city's salvation and its descent into darkness.
"This is more than a mission," she said. "It's a fight for freedom."