Aurora's Gambit: Defying Destiny

Chapter 16

Law

Aurora's POV

Hindi ko na alam kung ano ang  ginawa ni Lucian pagkatapos kong tumalon sa malamig na karagatan. 

The ocean swallowed me whole.

I plunged into the icy waters, my lungs burning as I propelled myself toward the unseen vessel below. The Nightshade wasn't docked. It was submerged, waiting like a predator beneath the waves. 

Narating ko ang kinaroroonan ng submarine. Agad kong ini-abot ang access hatch at pinindot ang emergency button. Ilang saglit lang, bumukas ito nang may matinis na tunog, at isang mechanical arm ang pumalibot sa bewang ko at marahas akong hinila papasok.

The moment my feet hit the steel floor, the chamber sealed. Water drained rapidly, and the decompression cycle engaged.

I made it. I made it out alive! You made it, Aurora! 

As soon as the inner doors unlocked, Philip stood there, his face lined with tension.

"God, Miss Ara!" He exhaled. "You really did it."

I shook the excess water from my hair. "I said I would."

Philip didn't waste time with pleasantries. "We're clear of the island's perimeter, but we need to dive deeper. Cassius won't let you go that easily," saad niya at tamna nga siya doon. Lucian will never let me go that easily. For sure ay pinaghahanap  na ako ng mga tauhan niya ngayon. 

I moved to the control panel and scanned the sonar feeds. 

"Take us down. Deep." I ordered the sub. This is a voice activated vehicle. Hindi na kailangan pang may magmaneho dahil kaya na ito ng AI System na kumu-kontrol dito.

"Dive to 1200 feet. Switch to silent running," dagdag ko.

The Nightshade responded like a living beast, descending rapidly, its propulsion system emitting no detectable sound.

Ang Nightshade ay hindi tulad ng anumang submarine na nilikha noong kapanahunan pa ng mga magulang ni Kinara. May mga submarine na noon pa man pero ang mga ito ay nilikha para sa siyentipikong imbestigasyon sa ilalim ng karagatan. 

It has a sleek, matte-black vessel, designed for absolute stealth and speed. It was smaller than traditional submarines, built for precision rather than combat. The hull was coated with a non-reflective polymer, kaya invisible ito at hindi made-detect ng radar at sonar detection.

Sa loob, ang control room ay napapalibutan ng mga holographic display—ipinapakita ang real-time na navigation, thermal imaging, at mga naka-encrypt na communication feeds. Ang interior naman ay hindi gaanong kalakihan but it is efficient. Kokonti lang din ang ang magkakasya dito sa loob.

Sa tulong ng AI-assisted piloting system, nagagawa nitong magbago ng direksyon sa isang iglap, habang ang adaptive cloaking technology nito ay ang siyang nagtatago mula sa init ng mga scanner. This vessel wasn't just a means of escape. It was a phantom, a weapon of infiltration.

I exhaled slowly, feeling the weight of true freedom for the first time in weeks.

Lucian Cassius was behind me.

Now, it was time to move forward and shift things.

Philip tapped on the display, showing our trajectory. "We'll surface near Rasmon within the next four hours."

I nodded, settling into my seat. "Good. That gives us time to go over the plan."

Philip crossed his arms. "And what exactly is the plan?"