The Underdistrict was Neo-Shanra's rotting underbelly, a warren of tunnels and jury rigged habs where the city's rejects scraped by. Kael led the way through a narrow passage, the air heavy with the tang of rust and recycled water. Flickering holo-ads sputtered on the walls, their colors washed out, casting jagged shadows across the trio. The shard in his chest hummed, quieter now but still restless, like a dog sniffing the wind.
Rhea was on point, her cybernetic implants glowing faintly as she scanned for traps. "Two lefts, then a dead-end," she muttered, checking the burner comms unit. "My guy's place is behind a false wall. Don't touch anything place is rigged to fry idiots."
"Comforting," Kael said, his shard-blade strapped tight against his thigh. His ribs still burned from the lab fight, and every step jolted the wound. He glanced back at Mira, who clutched the shard-case like it was her kid. Her face was pale, eyes darting to every shadow. "You holding up, Doc?"
"I'm fine," Mira snapped, but her voice cracked. "Just… keep moving."
Kael didn't push. Mira was out of her element down here, away from her sterile labs and Protocol escorts. Hell, he wasn't exactly cozy either. The Underdistrict had a way of chewing up outsiders, and with the Protocol's drones circling the Wards, they were running out of places to hide.
The passage opened into a wider tunnel, its ceiling a tangle of exposed conduits spitting sparks. A low buzz filled the air, like a swarm of metal bees. Kael's skin prickled not just from the static. The shard was reacting again, its hum syncing with something nearby. He froze, hand on his blade.
"Rhea," he said, voice low. "You feel that?"
She paused, implants flickering as she scanned. "Yeah. Aether trace, close. Not ours." Her eyes narrowed. "We're not alone."
Mira's grip on the case tightened. "Harbingers?"
"Or worse," Kael muttered. The Protocol's shard hunters were just as bad, and twice as sneaky. He gestured to a rusted alcove. "Hide. Now."
They ducked into the shadows, the alcove's damp walls slick against Kael's back. Footsteps echoed slow, deliberate. A figure emerged into the tunnel's faint glow, their silhouette bulky with tactical gear. No violet eyes, no Harbinger glow. But the shard-rifle in their hands was Protocol issue, its barrel pulsing with contained Aether.
Kael's comms crackled softly. Rhea's voice, barely a whisper: "One scout. I can jam their comms, but it'll light us up on the grid."
"Do it," Kael hissed. "We can't let them report back."
Rhea's fingers moved, implants flaring as she hacked the scout's signal. The figure stiffened, tapping their earpiece, then cursed under their breath. Kael seized the moment. He lunged, kinetic energy coiling in his fist, and slammed the scout against the wall. The shard-rifle clattered free, and Kael's blade was at their throat before they could blink.
"Talk," Kael growled. "Why's the Protocol locking down the Wards?"
The scout a wiry man with a scar across his jaw glared back. "You're Varn, right? You're screwed. They know you've got the shard. Orders are to bring you in. Dead or alive."
Kael pressed the blade harder, drawing a bead of blood. "Who's 'they'? And don't bullshit me."
The scout's eyes flicked to the case in Mira's hands, then back to Kael. "You think the Protocol's just UN grunts? Higher ups want that shard. People you don't cross."
Kael's shard pulsed, and a vision hit *a shadowed room, voices whispering about a gate, the woman's voice: The key is waking.* He staggered, the blade slipping. The scout seized the chance, kicking Kael's wounded ribs. Pain exploded, and Kael hit the ground, gasping.
Rhea was on the scout in a flash, her cybernetic arm delivering a shock that dropped him twitching. "Dumb move," she said, kicking the shard-rifle away. "You good, Varn?"
Kael spat blood, hauling himself up. "Peachy." He glared at the unconscious scout. "Tie him up. We need answers."
Mira stepped forward, her voice urgent. "Kael, the shard it reacted when you touched him. It's not just broadcasting. It's… searching for something. Or someone."
"Great," Kael said, wiping sweat from his brow. "So we're carrying a cosmic snitch."
Rhea dragged the scout into the alcove, binding his wrists with wire. "We're five minutes from the safehouse. Move fast, or we'll have more of these assholes on us."
Kael nodded, but his eyes lingered on the shard-case. Mira's words gnawed at him. A shard that was alive, searching, tied to his visions. He didn't trust it or her, not fully. But Toren was still out there, and the Protocol was closing in. No time to second-guess.
The tunnel's buzz grew louder, and Kael's shard hummed in response. Whatever was coming, it was close. He tightened his grip on the blade and led the way into the dark.