The Crimson Coil pressed deeper into the Cerberus warehouse, the silence of the service corridor now broken only by their own cautious movements. Kai, Breaker, and Zip moved as a tight unit, with Zip taking point again, his Dragonfly Anima allowing him to scout ahead in short, silent bursts, his multifaceted eyes piercing the gloom. Kai's "Claws of the Shadow Drake" remained retracted, conserving Anima, but the memory of their wicked sharpness was a fresh, unsettling reassurance. His Anima Core Stability was a worrying 47%.
"Next checkpoint ahead, Leader," Zip's hushed voice came over the comms after a few minutes of tense progress. "Heavy plasteel door, reinforced frame. Looks like a standard security lock, no keypad visible from this side. Two guards, stationed in alcoves just before it. They look more alert than the last pair. Better gear, too – heavier body armor." [Zip – Dragonfly Anima: Recon successful. Identified: 2x Hostiles (Heavy Armor) at fortified checkpoint. Anima Core (Zip): Depleted by 8%. Remaining bursts: Very Limited.]
"Can we bypass them, Zip?" Kai asked. "Any side passages, ventilation shafts?" "Negative, Leader. This corridor is a straight shot to that door. Walls are solid ferrocrete here. No obvious workarounds."
Kai relayed the information to Roric and Shift. "A hardened checkpoint before their high-value storage is to be expected," Roric commented. "They won't be as easily surprised as the last pair. Shift, any electronic countermeasures you can detect around that door?" "Picking up faint energy signatures consistent with an internal mag-lock system and possibly pressure sensors on the floor immediately in front of the door," Shift reported. "No active surveillance cameras visible on my current feeds for that specific section, but that doesn't mean they aren't there."
"Two heavily armored guards at a chokepoint, with a mag-locked door behind them," Kai summarized. "A direct assault is risky and will be noisy. Breaker, what are your thoughts on that door if we can get to it?" Breaker, who had been silently observing the schematics Roric was relaying to their helmet HUDs, rumbled, "If it's standard internal mag-lock, and if Shift can disrupt its power source even momentarily, I can force the physical locks. But getting through those guards first, quietly…"
Kai considered their options. His Anima was too low for a prolonged, direct fight, especially if he needed to use Dermal Plating extensively. The "Shadow-Coil Strike" was good for surprise, but against alert, armored opponents, its effectiveness might be reduced. His "Claws of the Shadow Drake" were potent but required getting dangerously close.
"Roric, Shift," Kai said. "Those pressure sensors Shift mentioned. Can she get a more precise location? And is there any way to create a localized electronic disruption to temporarily disable that mag-lock and potentially mask our approach to the guards?"
There was a pause as Roric and Shift conferred. "The pressure sensors appear to be a standard grid pattern covering a three-meter square directly before the door," Shift eventually replied. "As for localized disruption… Roric has a thought. The EMP device he used earlier has a secondary, much lower-power, directional function. It's designed for discreetly disabling small electronic locks or sensors at close range, but its effective radius is only a couple of meters, and it requires precise targeting. It might be enough to temporarily scramble the mag-lock and any nearby sensors if deployed correctly, but it won't create a widespread blackout."
"The risk," Roric added, "is that if the deployment is imprecise, or if their systems are shielded better than expected, it could simply trigger a localized alarm. And it's a one-shot device in this mode; its primary charge was expended on the main power junction."
A one-shot, close-range EMP. It was a gamble. "Okay," Kai decided. "Here's how we approach this. Zip, you're on overwatch. If this goes loud, be ready to create a distraction further back down the corridor to split their attention or cover our retreat if necessary. Breaker, you'll be on standby to breach the door the instant I give the signal that the mag-lock is down. I'll handle the guards and deploy Roric's mini-EMP."
He looked at the HUD display of his Anima Core Stability: 46%. He was walking a razor's edge. He still had his 8 undistributed attribute points. He needed something to boost his Anima reserves or efficiency, but there were no skills immediately available for that with his single remaining skill point. He'd have to rely on tactics and the hope that his "Anima Channeling Efficiency" skill would be enough.
"Roric, talk me through the mini-EMP deployment," Kai requested. "I need to know exactly how to use it." As Roric calmly explained the device's simple activation and optimal range, Kai felt the familiar weight of leadership. This plan was his, the execution his. The success or failure of reaching Vault Gamma-7, and perhaps the survival of his team, rested on this next, dangerous move.