The lights flickered through the tunnelling system as I made my way through it. I’d familiarised myself with it these past two days and quickly. Not by choice, but by need.

I felt the coldness emanating from the grey exterior of the wall next to me. The splotches of water stains trickled down from the ceiling, which added a gloomy effect to the area.

I placed my hand on the wall, feeling the coarseness of the wall and dragged my hand against it, stealing concrete particles with my palms.

I dropped my bag to the side, kneeling beside it as I fished in it for the plastique I’d acquired. I pulled the plastique free then began balling it up into one, ensuring they were no pockets of air within it. Once I was satisfied with my roll, I then sculpted the plastique into a brick, then I began stringing it out into lines, dividing them into a set of five.

I slapped the plastique on the wall and it stuck to the concrete perfectly. I applied pressure to various sections, shaping them into a rectangle on the wall.

After I finished, I took a sip of water from my bag and called Rex, because it was time to get a move on this mission.

“I’m in position, are you ready?” I asked Rex.

“You know it,” Rex answered.

A cold gust of wind rushed down the tunnel, sending goosebumps across my neck and hand. I turned, pulled the detonator from the bag and flicked the switch, activating it.

“Is your man already inside?”

“Yes Cypher, my man’s inside already. Don’t worry, we’ll delay the backup generator, you’ll have more than enough time to get through the ECDS.”

“Cool.”

As I stood around the corner, finger on the detonator switch. Everything crossed my mind, on how I got here and why. Pulling the trigger would’ve saved so much time, but now wasn’t the time to let my situation halt my progress.

“ERQ…are you ready?” Rex said.

“Ready.”

“START THE FLOOD”

The lights within the tunnel went dead in one second. I switched my night vision and flicked the detonator switch. A loud boom pummeled through the wall, filling the area with dust and grime. I jumped into the water and began running towards the newly open hole.

The ECDS system was down and I charged through the water as fast as I could, steam from the ECDS rods left a rancid taste in my mouth as I passed the conductors, steaming as though they’d been overheated.

I didn’t pass the first conductor, but a groaning sound clicked above me, and the wall above slid down.

Fuck it’s booby-trapped! I hissed to myself.

The weight of my bag and cybernetics kept me at bay, as I tried gliding through the cesspool infested water like a crocodile, only to feel my shin hit a ledge beneath me.

I hopped over the submerged ledge, feeling as my shin pulsed in pain from the sudden strike. I landed only to feel my leg hit another ledge. Fuck…”How much time Rex!?”

“Eight seconds”

“Shit!”

I raised my hand, stopping the metal door from collapsing on me, and pushed myself forward. I stumbled but got re-orientated myself quickly.

Another groan from above me, and another sliding door came pummeling down. Frustration washed over in an instance. The amount of muck and shit that siphoned in this cesspool didn’t allow me to see what was below, because it was that thick in shit.

I barely passed the second door, and as I suspected another groaning click followed. I made a step and felt as my Furtiven Suit was about to be punctured, so instead of applying pressure to my foot, I kicked off, momentarily sailing through the muck, passing the third Conductor and two more dislodgements took place.

“Two Seconds before the backup kicks in Cypher.”

“AYE!” I growled.

I tried kicking myself forward, but only felt my hamstrings strain from the force. I hit the ground with my heel, feeling as something scraped the bottom of my foot. It wasn’t enough, but I used it as leverage, pushing me forward.

The door slammed right down in front of me, sending waves through the cesspool, I covered my face, stopping any from going into my mouth and slammed into the blast door behind me.

“One Second!” Rex pleaded.

“FUCK!” I growled in frustration.

The ESDC system had reset, as I noted sparks of electricity began sparking around me, burning off the water that splashed on them. I closed my eyes and embraced the electrical current that was about to incinerate me.

My cybernetic eye and arm went dead in instant and I felt my spine stall. Fuck! Not again. I hissed to myself. “REX ARE YOU THERE?” I growled but got no answer.

I stood there frozen in time with pools of water swirling around me. The burning scent of the conductors waft around me, but thankfully no electrical sparks were conducting.

I didn’t move for ten seconds, then my cybernetics came back up with a surge, emanating from my cybernetic eye showcasing a white dot, which spread into a line.

The blast doors that surrounded me, dislodged and began retreating into the roof. The moment I regained control over my cybernetics. I scuttled through the water, legs pulsing venomously.

I leapt onto the ladder, stomping my way up and fell to the ground after a big heave. I looked up at the ceiling, watching as the light above me flickered on and off, then stabilised.

The Electrical Conductor Defense System spooled back on and all the water that splashed onto the conductors steamed out of existence.

“CYPHER!” Rex shouted, “are you there?”

“Barely…what the fuck just happened?” I asked, confused.

“I don’t know! The system just froze up and the Power Grid stalled, along with the generator!”

“The generator didn’t kick in?”

“No, it didn’t the power came back on automatically.”

“What the fuck did your man do? Am I exposed?”

“Like what! He followed the plan, I don’t know what happened but something took control of Power Grid, halting all electrical output to Underwent, stalling it for a few seconds. Whatever it was, helped keep the generator off as well.”

“Could something like that affect my cybernetics?”

“No…why the hell would it?”

“My system stalled and reboot without my say!”

“A reboot? You’re talking complete nonsense, those two things are remotely different. Your cybernetics aren’t connected to the Power Grid to pull something off like that one would have to be a god, and the only god you know is me!” Rex chuckled.

“Funny.”

I lay on the ground, catching my breathe feeling my shin, hamstrings and waist pulse from my journey through the cesspool. I felt like a thousand boulders had been tossed at me and my body couldn’t move.

What the hell happened? I thought this wasn’t the first time that happened it happened back in the Phrazeon Group home as well. This is weird…very weird. Did Mr Black do something to my Cybernetics? Because it feels that way…the only thing is…this enhancement has been helping me, at the cost of mobility.

This made little to no sense to me. What If I were in a gunfight and my cybernetics stalled? I was good as dead. This. Is. Not. Good.

I did a diagnostic check, but everything seemed fine, what the hell is going on? I asked myself again. I tried putting the pieces together whilst I lay on the cold ground, but nothing came to me.

The only difference was the firmware I got from Mr Black. And there was no way I was contacting him now. I needed to find these serphandias and now.

After a few minutes of heavy breathing and the stench of the cesspool almost killing me, I finally got up, and slowly removed Furtiven Suit.

I fished into my bag, pulling two Soap Cannisters free. I turned the crowns, snapping them off, then sprinkled the powdered soap all around me and lathered up myself nicely. I knelt back down, pulling a water canister free and doused myself in it, freeing myself in the process.

I popped open the sealed towel with a squeeze, letting the compressed air out with a subtle hiss then yanked it free to dry myself off.

Once I was satisfied, I pulled out two nanite injections, one for my slethe, and the other for septic poisoning which more than likely I had, after swimming in that muck for too long.

I jammed both into my right thigh and took a deep breath, the slethe jab was cold, whilst the other was hot as if my underneath my skin was ready to boil…but slowly.

It didn’t flare thankfully and subsided after two minutes. Once it did, I propped up against the wall and gathered myself for a bit.

The underground level of Underwent Market was icy cold and gloomy. The surrounding area had a mixture of limestone and coral fluttering in the background, using what little light provided here as a way to sparkle in the distance.