Garden Of Eden: Divine lineage

The air in the vent was thick with anticipation, and each breath they took felt heavier than before. This was led off course by Akhaqia, followed by Huia and Adinim, their bodies brushing against the cool metal as they crawled deeper and deeper into what felt like an endless maze. His mind raced, calculating all the possible moves; the seed of doubt and uncertainty tormented him. The first part of their plan had crumbled; now, they were entirely dependent on the second phase.

The sound of their breathing was deafening in the confined space, and Akhaqia couldn't shake the feeling that they were being watched, even though he knew they had lost the soldiers, seeing as he could no longer hear the clanking of their footsteps. He glanced over his shoulder, catching Huia's golden eye flickering faintly in the dim light. Huia was in his element, creeping almost imperceptibly, as though the narrow space was made for him. Adinim, on the other hand, was more like a caged animal; his every movement was sharp and frustrated, and his breath came in quick bursts.

"H... how far along are we?" Adinim muttered, his voice low and tense.

Akhaqia didn't answer immediately. The junction Huia had mentioned earlier was just ahead, and with it came their next choice. Left or right. Right had always been their path—Akhaqia's instinct, his experience—but there was a gut feeling gnawing at him now, a feeling that maybe it wasn't right this time. He started getting lost in his thoughts, thinking, Well, everyone did what I asked at the beginning, and right now, although we didn't get caught, we aren't exactly in the best position. Position he started questioning himself, and Adinim's relentless questions made him wonder whether he even knew what the hell he was talking about, but still, he answered.

"Keep moving," Akhaqia said, his voice steady, though inside, his thoughts were a storm. "We're bound to be close."

The vent twisted sharply, forcing an awkward crawl. Each turn tightened Akhaqia's chest, time dragging with every move. He had been in tight spots before, but this... this felt different. Every decision now mattered more than ever.

He heard a faint shift from behind, then a low whisper. "Akhaqia, are you sure we're heading the right way?"

It was Huia. Ever so the cautious one, always calculating and taking the least amount of risk as possible when it came to doing anything.

Akhaqia remembered Huia's hesitation toward this job leading to him hesitating in this very moment. What he had been sure of, but as of now, with the tension mounting, even his confidence seemed fragile, but right now they didn't have time for all of this. "We don't have the luxury of time," he replied, his voice tight. "We stick with the plan, he said, his voice reverberating in a flat tone."

A sudden noise echoed from the direction they'd just come from—a dull thud followed by a distant, muffled shout. The soldiers were closer than he'd thought. His stomach churned at what this means for the trio.

"Shit," Adinim hissed. "They've found the panel. They're coming."

Akhaqia's pulse quickened. "Huia, ahead. Is there an exit nearby?"

Huia's golden eye flashed briefly in the darkness. He paused, listening. His usual careful self had started giving way to a way more paranoid self, his moment composed of more fidgeting followed by a tense voice. "There's a hatch up ahead... but it's locked."

"Can you get it open?" Akhaqia asked, his voice laced with urgency.

"I'll try," Huia answered, already moving ahead.

Adinim shot a look at Akhaqia. "You sure this is the right way? The plan was the one that was supposed to be foolproof, but because of it, now we're crawling through a vent like we're rats."

"We don't have a choice," Akhaqia snapped, more sharply than he intended. "When all else fails, we improvise, or we die. There are a lot of things the plan couldn't account for. We've been here before; this is not our first job. Simple as that."

After Akhaqia's statement, there was a moment of tense silence, almost as if they were afraid to ask a question knowing they would probably not like what they would hear, broken only by the faint creak of the metal walls as they crawled deeper into the vent. Then, Huia's voice, soft but sharp, broke through the quiet.

"I got it."

A hiss of metal filled the air as Huia pried open the vent's hatch. Akhaqia's heart leaped.

"Adinim, stay alert," Akhaqia muttered. "We're almost there."

They emerged into a small, dark room. The low hum of machinery vibrated through the walls, and the faint flicker of red light illuminated what was otherwise a dark space. This was it—the next part of their plan, a crucial piece of the puzzle.

"Where now?" Adinim asked, while frequently glancing around the room, pausing from every corner, hoping to come up with some sort of answer as to why this room was so important to their plan. When this proved to be fruitless, he then said. "This looks like a dead end."

Akhaqia's eyes flicked to the far corner of the room. A small panel embedded in the wall, just barely visible in the dim light. A computer terminal. If they could access it, they could override the security protocols and get to the next phase.

He moved toward it quickly, but his mind was still elsewhere. The uncertainty of the past few days was catching up with him, weighing heavily on his thoughts. What if they couldn't do this? What if the soldiers were already waiting for them outside? And then there was Argent's plan... had he accounted for all this? Did he know what he was talking about when he said he was ready for this? What if the heist was doomed from the very start?

He pushed those thoughts aside. Now wasn't the time for doubt. They had to keep moving. They had to make it work.

"Huia, cover me," Akhaqia muttered, kneeling at the terminal. "Adinim, make sure no one catches us by surprise. Keep watch."

After hearing the instructions, everyone carried on with the task assigned to them. The room fell into an uncomfortable sense of silence with all of them waiting and hoping for the best. Akhaqia's fingers lay his hands on the terminal, activating his crest. Upon activating his crest Sweat dripped down his temple as the internal started reacting to Akhaqia's meddling with that tension thickening the air. Every second that passed felt like an invisible countdown. He needed to get this right. If an alarm was tripped, too much noise was made, or any wrong move was made, it could be over.

Adinim shifted uneasily by the door, his eyes darting to every shadow. Wondering if someone will climb out of those shadows while getting ready in case he needs to fight his way out of there "I don't like this," he muttered under his breath. "We've been at this too long, and the odds are catching up to us."

Akhaqia's voice was low but determined. "We're almost there. Just a little longer."

Seconds stretched into minutes. The sound of footsteps reverberated through the hall outside, growing louder. Akhaqia's heart skipped a beat.

Finally, the screen flashed green. He exhaled sharply. "Done."

With a flick of his wrist, he activated the override, and the door in front of them slid open with a soft hiss.