Targeting Pack -

“Now,” Kael whispered.

The pack responded. Firefly detached a single, pencil-thin tendril of explosive. Cicada’s manipulator arms snatched it and, with insectile delicacy, glued it to the center of the maintenance hatch. The Archivist, focused on his work, didn’t notice. targeting pack

“Firefly, repurpose. Do not deploy flash-bang. Detach one of your demo-limbs. Set it to minimum yield. We’re talking a firecracker, not a bomb. Cicada, you have the tethers. Hornet, prepare to scream on all EM frequencies the second I give the word.” “Now,” Kael whispered

The Archivist’s last known signal was three levels down, in the old geothermal substation. The air grew warmer, wetter. Condensation dripped from pipes as thick as a man’s torso. Peaseblossom’s thermal lens showed a maze of heat signatures: rodents, fungal blooms, and then… a single, faint human-shaped glow, hunched over a console. Cicada’s manipulator arms snatched it and, with insectile

“Wasp to Nest. Target acquired. Requesting final authorization.”