Tera's goggles fogged as she leaned over a terminal in Lisven University's quantum lab, the faint hum of processors a stark contrast to the lower sectors' deafening silence. The lab's clean steel and soft lighting felt like a lie, a bubble of privilege floating above the world where her sister, Luna, was trapped in Li Xinyu's digital Pit. Tera's fingers brushed her grandfather's data chip in her pocket, this was their last resort to make a dent in this twisted empire. If she and Professor Chen could coax it to talk to Zenith's limited server, they might reach Luna, maybe crack Li's premium paradise wide open.
Professor Chen, all sharp angles and restless energy, tweaked a quantum processor beside her, his eyes flicking between the terminal and a holo-panel. "Your chip's early neural era tech," he said, voice low, focused. "It's fighting Zenith's encryption like a beast, but we need a high-grade relay to boost the signal. Your team got anything?"
"Should," Tera said, her tone monotone, biting back impatience. She and Eliot had been at this for days, their alliance forged in shared stakes, his dad, Marcus Chen, exiled to the Pit; her sister, Luna, locked there for defying Li's board. They weren't pals, but they were a team, and Tera trusted his tech smarts about as much as she trusted anyone. Which wasn't much.
Her comms buzzed, Omega's voice crackling through. "Tera, black market run's half-baked. Got most of the gear, but the quantum relay's a bust, seller backed out, spooked by Zenith's patrols. We'll need a covert grab to get one."
Tera's jaw tightened, her goggles fogging again. "Great," she muttered. "Find a target, Omega. Something clean, no screw-ups." She cut the comms, her hands clenching. The Returners were her lifeline, scavenging scrap to fund this shot, but a failed buy meant delays. Luna was waiting, and every day in the Pit was heavier than the previous.
The lab's quiet hum was a far cry from her parents' apartment, where cracked walls and rationed air defined survival. A ping from her neighbor had come this morning: Oxygen's low, but we're managing. Tera had sent credits for meds, but it was a far cry from a solution. Her fight was for Luna, for the Pit, for a world where her parents didn't choke on dust.
She handed Eliot the chip, its weight a reminder of a bygone era, when neural tech was a dream, not Li's walled garden. "Run it again," she said. "We're close, right?"
Eliot slotted the chip, the terminal flaring with jagged code, her grandfather's protocols, a skeleton key to Zenith's underbelly. A glitch spiked, a faint flicker across the screen, gone fast. Tera's skin prickled, but she ignored it, just the university's old grid, not some ghost.
"Close, but the signal's weak without that relay," Eliot said, his voice taut. "Your grandpa's code is slipping past their firewalls, but it's like shooting through a storm. We need more juice. We need more accuracy."
Tera nodded, her mind racing. She pictured Luna's face, not the perfect avatar but the sister who'd fought beside her. The Pit was Li's prison, but it held rebels: Luna, Marcus, Zac, and many others. Her plan was clear: link up, leak Zenith's tiers, force Li to share. Save the Pit, save the world her parents lived in. But a missing relay meant a covert mission, and that meant risk.
She helped Eliot reroute power to the processor, its low growl vibrating her boots. The lab's lights dimmed, casting shadows across his face. Students milled outside, their chatter a faint drone through the walls—oblivious, privileged, nothing like the lower sectors' grind. Tera had dodged a curious undergrad earlier, who got a little too interested in Tera's and Chen's little project.
Her comms buzzed again, Omega spoke. "Got a lead on a relay. Private lab, we'll have to infriltate it. It's guarded, but we can hit it tomorrow night. Rivera's scouting, says it's tight."
Tera's chest tightened, but she kept her voice steady. "Set it up. I want details by morning." She cut the comms, her resolve a burning coal. The Returners had pulled off worse—raids, hacks, scrap runs through flooded streets. But a covert mission meant planning, and planning meant time. Luna was out there, and Tera wasn't stopping.
Eliot met her eyes, his gaze fierce. "We get that relay, we're in. My dad, your sister, they're counting on us."
Tera smirked, a bitter edge. "Then don't screw it up, Chen." She turned to the terminal, its glow carving her scars. The chip was ready, the code was close, but the relay was the key. Tomorrow night, they'd steal it, and Li wouldn't see it coming.
Omega's final ping cut through: Mission's a go. East lab, 2300 hours. We're short-handed—hope you're ready. Tera's heart thumped. The covert grab was their shot, and failure wasn't an option.