The Foundation

Cold Planning

The Antarctic lattice still glowed on the tactical table when I shifted the map, zooming on the Insurgency's forward bastion — a fortress half-buried in ice and anchored directly above the leyline nodes.

"I'll need a strike team inside," I began, tracing a line through their defenses. "If we breach the surface here and thread through their barracks, we can cut to the first node before their thaumaturges seal it off." Before I could finish, Ji-hu's hand slammed the table. Her tail lashed violently behind her, eyes wide, voice trembling with barely restrained anger. "No. Not again. Not through their corridors, not into their blood pits. Do you remember what happened last time? I do. I remember the walls breathing. I remember choking on Yaltz's blood while it dripped off me in strings." Her breath hitched, sharp and ragged. "I almost didn't make it out."

Hoya's voice joined hers, low but tight, her ears pressed flat, her hands clenching the edge of the table. "She's right. You won't send us in there again, Meda. I tore apart their mutant Yaltz with my own hands, and I was still left bleeding in a pile of his bone shards. That was one raid. One." She shook her head furiously, golden eyes flashing with a mixture of defiance and pain. "Never again. Not into their cages." The chamber was silent, the weight of their protest falling heavy. Even Cain leaned forward slightly, watching me with that quiet, ancient sympathy. I couldn't help it — I chuckled. Not cruel, not dismissive, but warm. I reached across the table, brushing Ji-hu's hand with my fingertips, then glanced toward Hoya. "I won't ask that of you. Not this time."

Both froze, their protests caught in their throats. I let the silence hold just long enough, then grinned faintly. "Because I don't plan on opening their doors from the inside. I plan on blowing the roof off." With a gesture, Jocasta shifted the map again, pulling the view skyward until the globe spun in the holoprojection. The orbiting silhouette of H.E.C.O.R. hung above the Earth, a spear of black against the stars. Its new railgun array glittered faintly in the glow. "This is our hammer," I said. "The upgraded H.E.C.O.R. railgun. The old system is gone. This one runs with Adamantium–Irilite alloy rails, and Arc Reactor power at five hundred gigajoules." That caught them — even the O5s stirred. The Kid's terminal flared in a quick burst of light; the Accountant stilled, his abacus fingers pausing in mid-shift.

"With one shot," I continued, "we breach three kilometers of Antarctic ice. The Insurgency's fortress above the cavern won't survive the shockwave. We won't sneak in — we'll fall from orbit into the heart of their storm." Chao let out a low whistle, grinning like a fox. "Subtlety isn't your strong suit, Meda."

"Not here," I agreed, smiling sharply. "Every time we've played infiltration, we've bled for it. Ji-hu nearly died, and Hoya nearly broke. I won't repeat that. This time, we let the railgun punch our doorway."

"But," Al Fine interjected, her tone cautious, "you understand what this means. The moment you fire that cannon, the Insurgency will know. You'll lose the element of surprise. They'll be ready with everything they have."

"Yes," I said, unflinching. "And that's exactly what I want." The American bristled. "You want to trigger their entire arsenal on top of you?"

"Yes." I leaned forward, voice low and deliberate. "Because if they throw everything at us, then everything is above ground. That leaves the cage below unguarded. And Huracán is our real objective." Cain's lips curled in the faintest of smiles. "A storm meets a storm." Hoya and Ji-hu had quieted, but their eyes were still on me. I softened my tone as I looked to them. "You won't walk their halls again. You won't bleed in their traps. This time, you'll stand under the open sky. Your fight won't be against shadows and cages — it'll be against soldiers who can actually fall when you strike them." Ji-hu's shoulders eased, just a fraction. Hoya's hands unclenched. Neither spoke, but I caught the tiniest flicker of relief in their eyes. I turned back to the Council, to the Triskelion, to the chamber itself. "The H.E.C.O.R. railgun is our opening act. It breaks the ice, breaks their fortress, and draws their fury upward. Then Alpha-9 descends into the cavern to decide Huracán's fate. The Insurgency thinks the cage is unbreakable. They're wrong. We'll prove it."