Alex

Ridgewood

The Ridgewood Complex loomed ahead like a fortress, its stark metallic exterior illuminated by faint moonlight. My newly enhanced vision scanned the perimeter, picking up heat signatures of guards patrolling the entrances. Dr. Meyers' voice buzzed in my ear through a secure comm link.

"Alex, you're nearing the west side of the facility. There's a blind spot between security cameras. Use it to scale the wall."

"Got it," I whispered, crouching low as I approached. My enhanced sensors hummed, painting a clear path forward.

Scaling the wall was almost effortless with my upgraded agility. My fingers found purchase on the slightest ridges, and within seconds, I was perched on a ledge overlooking the courtyard. Guards moved below, their routes predictable.

"ALPHA," I murmured. "How many heat signatures inside?"

"Sixty-seven personnel detected," ALPHA replied. "Three ACE soldiers confirmed on the premises. Engaging analysis mode to identify vulnerabilities."

I clenched my fists. "Three? Great. Just my kind of odds."

Slipping through a ventilation shaft, I entered the main facility. The hum of machinery and faint voices echoed through the stark corridors. My target was clear: the central control hub. If I could destroy it, Ridgewood's operations would crumble, and the Consortium would lose a vital stronghold.

I moved like a shadow, neutralizing guards silently as I approached the hub. The air inside the facility was thick with tension, every sound amplified by my enhanced hearing. Just as I reached the steel doors of the control room, the atmosphere shifted. My sensors pinged an alert, the telltale sign of an imminent threat.

"ACE unit approaching," ALPHA warned in my ear.

The first ACE soldier emerged from the shadows, a hulking figure with a bald head, cybernetic arms gleaming under the fluorescent lights. His smirk was menacing as he cracked his knuckles, the sound reverberating down the hall.

"Well, if it isn't Alex," he sneered, his voice dripping with mockery. "The prodigal daughter returns."

I didn't waste time with words. Lunging forward, I aimed a powerful kick at his chest, but he was faster than I anticipated. He caught my leg mid-strike, his grip like a vice.

"You'll have to do better than that," he growled.

I twisted, leveraging his momentum to flip him into the wall. The impact cracked the concrete, but he recovered quickly, roaring as he charged at me. His cybernetic fist swung toward my head, the force behind it enough to crush bone. I ducked just in time, the air whooshing past my face.

The fight was brutal, his blows heavy and relentless. Each punch he threw was calculated to incapacitate, but my speed and precision kept me one step ahead. Ducking under a wide swing, I countered with a devastating palm strike to his throat. He staggered, coughing, but still came at me.

I sidestepped his next charge and drove my elbow into his kidney. He grunted in pain, giving me the opening I needed. Grabbing a combat knife from my thigh holster, I plunged it into the exposed seam of his cybernetic arm. Sparks erupted as the limb malfunctioned, his punches now erratic.

"You think this will stop me?" he snarled, blood dripping from his lips.

"No," I said coldly, flipping the knife in my hand. "But this will."

With a swift motion, I drove the blade deep into the base of his skull. His body convulsed before collapsing lifelessly to the ground.

"One down," I muttered, catching my breath.