The Safe Zone - Ascension (Book 5)

Chapter 15: Breaching the Defenses

The air was thick with dust and the smell of burnt metal, which clung to my skin and made every breath feel heavier. The Ascendants' stronghold loomed before us, an imposing structure of dark steel and glass wrapped in layers of defensive fortifications, energy shields, and surveillance drones. Even from a distance, it radiated power—an embodiment of the control they craved, their vision of a world free from chaos but enslaved to their will.

We had made it through the alley, but the real challenge came. Ahead of us was a battlefield—a vast open area of rubble, craters, and debris leading up to the massive fortress walls. The Ascendants knew we were coming, and they were prepared.

Carter crouched next to me, his face grim and streaked with dirt. His breathing was heavy, and I could see the tension in his posture, the way his fingers gripped the rifle, as though he were holding onto it for dear life. Marian was at my other side, furiously typing on her tablet as she worked to disrupt the fortress's security systems.

"How much longer?" I asked, my voice barely audible over the distant rumble of approaching drones.

Marian didn't look up from the screen. "I'm working as fast as I can, Lena. Their system is layered, and another one pops up whenever I break one layer. They've prepared for this."

I nodded, my chest tightening. "Do what you can. We don't have time to waste."

I peeked over the edge of the crumbling wall behind us, surveying the battlefield. The drones were already gathering overhead, their sharp whine growing louder with each passing second. And in the distance, I could see the telltale shimmer of energy shields rippling over the stronghold's surface.

We needed to move, to breach the defenses. But the moment we stepped into the open, we'd be picked off like sitting ducks.

"Everyone listen up," I said into my comm unit, my voice steady despite my heart pounding. "We've got drones overhead, automated turrets along the perimeter, and energy shields protecting the structure. We need to split into two groups. Carter, you lead the first group and head for the left flank. Draw their fire. I'll take the second group and move toward the main gate. Marian's working on disrupting their systems, but we need to keep them off her back."

Carter gave me a curt nod, his eyes locked on mine. "We'll give you the opening. Just don't get yourself killed, Lena."

I cracked a faint smile, even though there was little to smile about. "Same goes for you."

With a quick motion, I signaled the others, and we moved out. Carter's group broke off to the left, slipping between the shattered remains of what had once been buildings. They kept low, moving fast, their figures disappearing into the dust and debris. My group—smaller but just as determined—followed close behind me as we crept toward the front of the fortress.

The ground beneath our feet was uneven, littered with concrete and twisted metal chunks. Every step felt like a calculated risk as if the world could collapse beneath us at any moment. My fingers tightened around the grip of my rifle, my senses heightened, every nerve on edge.

"Ready?" I whispered into the comm as we reached the edge of the battlefield.

Marian's voice crackled through the earpiece. "I'm cutting through the last layer of encryption now... almost there."

I glanced over my shoulder at the others—faces hardened by years of fighting, by the endless weight of war. Each of them carried the same expression I had seen too many times before. Fear, determination, and acceptance that not all of us would make it out alive. But there was also something else—hope. Faint, fragile, but there nonetheless. The belief that maybe, just maybe, we could end this once and for all.