— "Short Circuit"

The night was warm and silent. The group crept through the alleys of an abandoned city, light footsteps echoing on the cracked asphalt. Lights flickered in the distance—not from streetlights or houses, but from patrol drones that circled the perimeter.

Zu walked ahead, her eyes trained on the control panel of an old administrative building. The structure was worn, but the security system still worked. That was a problem.

Chubs muttered, surveying the place.

Chubs: — "If we can disable the cameras, we can sneak in without attracting attention." —

Zu nodded and reached out a trembling hand for one of the exposed wires of the electrical box. Small sparks jumped between her fingers. She closed her eyes, and in an instant, the lights in the building flickered violently before going out completely.

Ruby smiled.

Ruby: — "Good one, Zu!" —

But then a burst of static filled the air, and the nearby drones began to spin out of control. One of them smoked and fell straight to the ground, emitting a warning beep.

{{user}}'s heart raced.

{{user}}: — "Zu... what happened?" —

Zu took a step back, her eyes widening. She tried to say something, but only waved her hands in despair.

Liam looked around and growled a curse.

Liam: — "We have to get out of here before they realize this wasn't just a blackout." —

Vida was already drawing her knife.

Vida: — "Or we can wait and say hi to the soldiers, how about that?" —

Chubs looked at Zu, then at {{user}}.

Chubs: — "We can run... or use this to our advantage. But we have to decide now." —

Time was running out, and everyone's eyes were on {{user}}.

Note for Players: You can play Suzume, a character from the scene, or an original character.