Chapter 7: Surface Lies
The team resurfaced near the mangled ruins of Bugis, just east of what used to be Marina Bay. Above them, the sky was an eerie shade of rust, choked by layers of particulate smoke and electronic interference. The silence of the Undercity was replaced by the occasional drone buzz and the distant thunder of crumbling buildings.
Jax led the way across a skeletal skybridge, boots crunching glass beneath his weight. “If she’s serious about activating the core under the strait,” he muttered, “she’ll need more than just a terminal. She’ll need a relay. And there’s only one place in range with that kind of capability.”
Nathan raised an eyebrow. “Changi Station.”
Lina nodded. “The old satellite uplink, before the Eyes were centralized. It’s still tied to the orbital system—barely functional, but enough.”
As they moved across the dead cityscape, Nathan’s mind lingered on Serena’s final words before they departed the Undercity: If you face her again, don’t underestimate what she’s willing to sacrifice.
He could still see Serena’s eyes—resigned, but burning with warning.
They reached Changi by nightfall, creeping through layers of collapsed infrastructure. Jax bypassed an old security fence with ease. Once inside, the group split up—Lina toward the control tower, Nathan and Jax securing the perimeter.
As Nathan scanned the ruined bay, he saw the lights before he heard the boots.
“They’re here,” he said.
“Enforcers?”
“No,” Nathan said, lowering his scope. “Civilians. A lot of them.”
Jax climbed up beside him. “Scavengers?”
“No. Refugees.”
A line of families trudged slowly along the expressway, carrying sacks, tools, infants in cradles strapped to their backs. Their faces were gray with ash and exhaustion.
From behind them, another rumble. Not thunder. Engines.
Drones.
Nathan’s pulse spiked. “They’re being herded.”
Jax raised his rifle. “Vera’s not just activating the core. She’s drawing them in. Sacrifices.”
They moved fast. Jax fired warning shots to break the drone formation. Lina activated a crude jamming pulse from the tower, disrupting the drone’s locators. But it wouldn’t last long.
Down below, Nathan intercepted a woman with a baby. “Where are you coming from?” he asked.
“From the west,” she said, gasping. “From the lake. From… Jakarta.”
Nathan froze. “You crossed the Strait?”
She nodded. “It’s not a city anymore. Just water. Endless water.”
The words chilled him more than the wind off the sea.
“Jax!” Nathan called. “We can’t let her activate this core. If she does—Kuala Lumpur is next.”
Jax reloaded. “Then we bring this whole place down.”
Lina’s voice buzzed in their earpieces. “I’ve got a lock on the relay uplink. But I need five minutes.”
Nathan turned to the crowd. “Get everyone underground. Now!”
The final stand hadn’t begun yet—but the pieces were in motion.
And somewhere beneath them, the core hummed, waiting.
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