Vanguard Armory — Vardency
While Elias's body lay locked behind Roachaline's steel two floors up, Marcus Devlin sat alone in the subterranean mechanic's bay.
Grease stained the tips of his fingers.
Marcus gripped the micro-calibrator, forcing his hand to remain steady as he worked the laser edge along the exposed chassis of the Mark IV Valkyrie bio-suit. Glowing blue optic cables spilled across the scavenged workbench. The heavy air in the armory tasted of ozone and old machine oil.
He wiped his forehead with the back of his wrist. A low-level tremor in his knees refused to stop.
Elias had taken the plasma burns and the physical beatings to secure their position inside the stronghold. Elias provided the shield. Marcus had simply followed the plan.
Now the plan required him to work alone. He focused entirely on the machine. The bio-electric interface possessed rules, logic, and predictable outcomes.
People did not.
A sharp, metallic scraping noise echoed across the armory.
