Infiltrating Sector 5 required meticulous planning and Anya's help. The slums might offer anonymity, but Sector 5 was a fortified industrial labyrinth, patrolled by security drones and guards with cybernetic implants. We needed a plan, and we needed to be fast.
Anya, with her knowledge of the factory's ventilation systems (which spanned much of the city, including parts of Sector 5), was crucial. We spent hours poring over outdated maps Elara had obtained, looking for vents that could take us near the server's location without directly exposing us to the main surveillance.
Our plan was to enter through a rarely used access point on the outskirts of Sector 5 during the night shift change, when activity was slightly lower. Anya would be in charge of temporarily disabling some security cameras along our route, using a small device Elara had provided her. I would carry a backpack with basic tools and a device to extract the data from the server once we found it.
On the night of the assault, the tension was palpable. We met at a prearranged point on the Sector 5 border, the shadows of abandoned buildings providing scant cover. The air vibrated with the distant hum of heavy machinery.
"Ready?" I whispered to Anya, checking my backpack one last time.
She nodded, her eyes glowing with determination in the darkness. "Ready. Remember the plan. Get in, find the server, get out. Without attracting attention."
We moved cautiously, hugging the walls and taking advantage of every shadow. Anya led the way, her knowledge of the city's infrastructure proving invaluable. We avoided drone patrols and illuminated checkpoints, slipping through dark alleys and forgotten backyards.
Finally, we reached the entrance to the ventilation shaft we had identified. It was a rusty, dusty opening in the wall of a ruined building. With Anya's help, I carefully opened it, revealing a dark, narrow tunnel.
"Here we go," I muttered, entering first. The air inside was thick and smelled of metal and damp. Anya followed close behind me, closing the entrance behind us.
We crawled through the duct for what seemed like an eternity, the cold metal brushing against our clothes, the muffled rumble of the ventilation system echoing in our ears. Elara's map proved accurate, guiding us through the maze of tunnels until we reached a section that, according to the blueprint, was directly above the server room.
There was a vent in the floor of the duct. Carefully, we removed it, peering into the space below. It was a large, dark room, filled with rows of blinking servers. In one corner, I spotted an older server, larger and with a different design than the rest. It was him.
We descended into the server room carefully, landing softly on the dusty floor. The hum of the servers filled the air. We crept toward the old server, our hearts pounding in the silence of the room.
As I connected my data extraction device to the server, I felt a surge of adrenaline. If we were discovered here, the consequences would be dire. But the thought of obtaining the information the Archivist was seeking, and taking another step toward building our network, kept me going.
The data extraction process was slow and tense. Every flicker of a light, every slight sound from outside, made me jump. Finally, the device indicated that the download was complete. I quickly disconnected the cables and stuffed the device into my backpack.
"We have to go," I whispered to Anya.
We returned along the same path, moving even faster now that we had what we were looking for. Adrenaline drove us, but we were also aware of the increased risk of being discovered on our way out.
We reached the entrance to the ventilation shaft without any problems. Anya opened the grate, and we slipped into the dark tunnel. The walk back seemed even longer and more claustrophobic, but the thought of having completed our mission gave us the strength to keep going.
Finally, we emerged from the shaft, back into the relative safety of Sector 5's outer shadows. We breathed deeply of the polluted air, feeling exhausted but exhilarated. We had accomplished what seemed impossible.
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