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Strange Encounters

  The night hung thick, saturated with the metallic tang of oil and ozone, each breath heavy as if the air itself resisted their presence. Kael crouched behind a rusted pipeline, his eyes fixed on the sprawling complex ahead. Facility 12-B was bathed in an eerie mix of floodlights and shadow, its silhouette sleek against the darkened skyline. Above, Concord drones hovered, their faint hum blending with the low whir of machinery.

  Kael shifted his weight, his hand brushing the edge of the binocular-like device Ayla had rigged for enhanced night vision. Beside him, Ayla adjusted her portable terminal as she monitored the feeds from her stealth drones. The glow of the screen painted faint highlights across her sharp features.

  "Four patrols every ten minutes," Ayla murmured. "They overlap just enough to cover most of the blind spots."

  Kael adjusted his position. "It's tighter than I expected. Even for Concord."

  Ayla huffed. "Look at the shipment routes. They're using dedicated convoys with their heaviest escorts. This isn't standard procedure. Whatever's inside that facility, they're guarding it like their lives depend on it."

  Kael's jaw tightened. The facility was a fortress. Yet the heightened security only confirmed what they suspected: Facility 12-B wasn't just another cog in The Concord's vast machine. It was something more, something worth guarding at all costs.

  The pair fell into silence, their breaths shallow as they observed the patterns of movement below. Enforcers patrolled in pairs, their uniforms pristine, their faces expressionless. Kael watched them, the sight filled him with a strange, simmering anger.

  "They're everywhere," Ayla whispered, her gaze following the enforcers' synchronized steps. "Whatever they're doing here, The Concord isn't taking any chances."

  She glanced at Kael, her eyes probing. "You were an enforcer. Did you ever handle anything like this?"

  Kael hesitated, his eyes narrowing at the memory. "Not exactly. I've seen high-security convoys. Always marked with encryption codes only high-level commanders could access. And even then, the guards didn't know what they were transporting."

  Ayla leaned back slightly, her expression unreadable. "Does it bother you? Knowing you were part of it?"

  Kael's lips pressed into a thin line.

  Ayla didn't press him, but the tension in the air thickened. Kael felt her watching him, a flicker of curiosity mingling with the guarded distance she maintained.

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  After a moment, Kael broke the silence. "Why are you doing this alone?"

  Ayla's fingers paused, her focus flickering. "What do you mean?"

  "You're going after one of the most secure facilities I've ever seen," Kael said. "This isn't a one-person mission. So why not work with the rest of the Feelers? Or... anyone?"

  A faint shadow crossed Ayla's face before she masked it with a wry smile. "Let's just say teamwork's not my strong suit."

  "That's not an answer."

  Ayla sighed. "I have my reasons."

  Kael raised an eyebrow. "Which are?"

  She hesitated, her guarded expression cracking just enough for a hint of vulnerability to show. "Most of them don't get it. They'd rather focus on smaller wins. Sabotage a supply convoy here, hack a surveillance node there... things that are less risky."

  "And you disagree," Kael pressed.

  "Obviously." Ayla's tone was clipped, but there was a fire behind it. "This place is the key, Kael. If we can expose what's happening here, we can finally show people what The Concord really is."

  Kael studied her, noting the tension in her shoulders, the way her hands gripped the terminal a little too tightly. "You still haven't answered my question. Why do it alone?"

  Her gaze dropped. "Because sometimes it's easier that way."

  "Easier?" Kael frowned. "This doesn't look easy."

  "When you trust people, rely on them, they let you down. Or worse, they get hurt. I'm not taking that risk again," Ayla's words cut like glass. Whatever she wasn't saying, it was clear she carried it like a scar—something too painful to reveal outright.

  Kael opened his mouth to reply, but a soft chime from the terminal interrupted him.

  "Shipment's moving," she said, her tone shifting back to business. She pointed toward the facility, where a convoy of armored trucks rolled out through a heavily guarded gate.

  Kael raised the modified binoculars, tracking the convoy's path. The trucks moved in tight formation, flanked by drones and enforcers on hoverbikes. "They're heading west. Toward Sector 8."

  "That's the old industrial zone," Ayla said. "Mostly abandoned. Perfect for setting up secondary operations."

  Kael's focus sharpened as his gaze caught something unusual—a shadow darting between the facility and the convoy. It darted through the darkness with a fluidity that defied reason, its movement warping the air around it, as though the shadows themselves bent to its will. He froze, scanning the area again, but the figure was gone.

  "What was that?" Kael muttered, lowering the binoculars.

  "What was what?" Ayla asked, glancing at him.

  "There." He pointed toward the edge of the facility. "I saw someone—or something. Moving fast. Too fast."

  Ayla frowned, pulling up the drone feed. "Nothing's showing. Are you sure?"

  Kael's grip tightened on the binoculars. "I'm sure."

  "If Concord's experimenting with something new..." Ayla's voice trailed off. "They've done it before. It never ends well."

  Kael nodded, the unease in his chest deepening. Whatever Facility 12-B was hiding, it wasn't just technology or Emotion Cells. There was something darker at play, something they hadn't accounted for.

  As the convoy disappeared into the distance, Ayla powered down her terminal. "We've seen enough for now. Tomorrow, we continue."

  Kael glanced back at the facility, his gaze lingering on the spot where the shadowy figure had vanished. The questions swirling in his mind felt heavier now, the weight of the unknown pressing down on him.

  "Tomorrow," he echoed.

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