Beyond the Celestial Boundaries

The emergency lights bathed the lab in a pulsing red glow as alarms blared through the AeroGallacianSpace headquarters. Cynthia's heart pounded as she instinctively reached for the nearest control panel, her fingers flying over the touchscreen in an attempt to override the lockdown.

"System override denied," Lena muttered in frustration, her eyes wide with panic as she struggled against the security restrictions.

Dr. Adrian stood frozen in place, his expression tense but resigned. "You don't understand—"

"Then make us understand!" Cynthia snapped, her patience worn thin by the weeks of deception, the constant second-guessing, and now, the very real threat surrounding them.

The speakers crackled again, the voice distorted but unmistakably calm. "You were warned. And yet, you kept digging."

Marla drew her weapon, scanning the room for any sign of movement. "Who the hell are we dealing with, Adrian?"

Adrian exhaled slowly. "You think Vincent Kane is your biggest enemy? You're wrong. There are others—ones who have been watching from the start. Ones who don't want this technology in your hands or his."

Cynthia's fingers curled into fists. "Then why sabotage us? Why leak our data?"

Adrian shook his head. "I wasn't sabotaging you—I was trying to control the damage. Every breakthrough you made was flagged the moment it entered the system. You were never working in secret."

A chill ran down Cynthia's spine. "Then that means…"

"They're already inside."

The words barely left Adrian's mouth before the security doors slammed open.

A squad of figures in tactical gear stormed into the lab, their weapons raised. Marla reacted instantly, shoving Lena behind cover while Prometheus stepped protectively in front of Cynthia.

"Hands where we can see them," one of the masked intruders barked, his voice distorted through a voice modulator.

Dr. Adrian sighed, then raised his hands. "They were never supposed to find out this way."

Cynthia clenched her jaw, her mind racing. If Adrian had been trying to control the leaks, then these weren't just random mercenaries—these were the real players behind the game.

And they had just walked straight into their hands.

"You should've stopped," the lead figure said, taking a slow step forward. "You should've let the system work as it was designed to. But now, you've forced us to intervene."

Marla tightened her grip on her weapon. "Who sent you?"

The masked figure tilted his head slightly, as if considering whether to answer. Then, without warning, he raised his gun—not at Marla, but at Adrian.

A single gunshot echoed through the lab.

Adrian gasped as the bullet struck his shoulder, his body jerking backward. He collapsed against the console, blood splattering across the screens.

Lena screamed. Cynthia lunged forward instinctively, catching Adrian before he hit the ground. "Stay with me!" she pleaded.

"Enough talking," the masked leader declared. "We take the asset and destroy the rest."

Cynthia's breath hitched. The asset.

They weren't here to kill them all.

They were here for one thing.

The propulsion technology.

Marla didn't hesitate. She fired first, her shot taking out the closest mercenary before the rest of the room erupted into chaos.

Prometheus tackled another intruder, wrestling the gun from his hands, while Lena grabbed a nearby wrench and swung it at the one approaching her. Cynthia pulled Adrian behind cover, pressing her hands against his wound as he struggled to stay conscious.

"W-we have to destroy the data," Adrian coughed. "They can't get it."

Cynthia's mind raced. If Adrian was right, then even if they fought their way out, the data would still be compromised.

There was only one choice.

She locked eyes with Lena. "Initiate the purge."

Lena hesitated for only a second before nodding. She scrambled toward the terminal, her fingers racing over the keys. "Thirty seconds until complete system wipe."

The mercenaries must have realized what was happening because suddenly, all their firepower was aimed at Lena.

Cynthia threw herself into the fight, grabbing a fallen weapon and firing blindly toward the masked attackers. Marla had already taken down two, but more were flooding into the lab.

Prometheus shoved one into a console, the screen sparking on impact. "We're outnumbered!" he shouted.

Cynthia grit her teeth. "We just need thirty seconds!"

The lead mercenary snarled. "Enough."

Before anyone could react, he pulled a small detonator from his belt and pressed the trigger.

A deafening explosion rocked the lab.

The shockwave sent Cynthia crashing against a terminal, her vision blurring as alarms screamed around her. Smoke filled the air, and the scent of burning circuits stung her nose.

Through the chaos, she barely registered Lena's voice.

"System purge… complete."

They had won.

But at what cost?