Lefebvre Family Base — Victoria City, Canada — 07:47 (local time)
Smoke rose in dense columns above the damaged hangars as Keeve advanced through the rubble. The base was under an unexpected attack, an ambush carried out within the perimeter itself.
Fragments of concrete and twisted metal covered the ground.
—Open the north gate! —she ordered, pointing toward the hangar where her companions' ships were being prepared.
The attackers kept firing. We have to stop them. Don't let them reach the generators!
Three guards ran toward the control panel that opened the gates. They took cover behind the destroyed structures while magical blasts struck around them. One fell before reaching the console. Another kept moving forward, crawling until he managed to activate the access controls.
Keeve continued covering them and prevented the attackers from advancing further.
Her role was not that of a frontline combatant. She was the second-in-command of the Lefebvre family, trained in magical control and crisis management, not prolonged combat at this level.
An impact struck the nearby ground, and the pressure threw her backward. The hit knocked the air out of her for a second.
—Miss Poirier! Miss Poirier! Are you alright? —one of her men was pulling her by the legs behind a column. Suddenly, a voice came through her communication bracelet—. There is no active aerial deployment! We are completely ready for takeoff!
Keeve stood up with difficulty, stabilizing her breathing.
—Then we hold the perimeter here —she replied—. Have the third squad come with me! Everyone else, hold the line and protect the generators!
The agents reacted after a brief pause.
This was not training.
It was the first time they had faced a real attack on this scale.
Hangar C — Emergency Control Room
Lissa Murray stood before the central console. Suddenly, the base systems began flashing red.
—The backup generator is reaching its limit. It could collapse! —a technician reported.
—The launch protocol is not complete! —another added—. The ships have not finished matrix synchronization.
Lissa kept her hand on the magical control panel.
The attack had interrupted the deployment before the final synchronization was complete.
The ships were operating at only eighty percent.
—Redirect energy to the engines and activation seals —she ordered—. They'll have to take off manually.
—Without full synchronization, the matrices could become unstable —one of the technicians warned.
—There's no time for stability —Lissa responded.
The team carried out the orders without further comments.
Outside the base perimeter, the battle was chaotic.
Keeve advanced toward the breached section of the perimeter while the attackers continued launching energy blasts, trying to hit the launch control panels.
Their constant pressure inside the base was reaching a critical point. If the ships did not take off soon and another aerial attack hit them, they would likely lose the battle.
Suddenly, the magical channeling system of her weapon failed.
The flow was interrupted.
When Keeve realized her magical weapon was no longer working, she closed her eyes for a moment. She extended her right hand and grabbed a dagger from her waist.
The air around her responded immediately.
A wave of magical pressure expanded in a straight line, throwing five attackers into the air and breaking their advance.
One attacker managed to evade the attack and raised his weapon.
Keeve adjusted the magical flow and compressed the space in front of him.
The invisible impact knocked him down before he could fire.
—Hold the line! —she shouted with all her strength—. We will not let them advance another meter!
Her companions managed to reposition themselves into defensive positions.
Meanwhile, inside Hangar C.
Deployment control ready.
Lissa modified the energy flow from the central console while the system responded unstably.
—Forcing launch sequence —she said—. Activation without full synchronization.
—That could fracture the ships' seals —a technician warned.
—If they don't take off now, there won't be a base left to defend.
Suddenly, the system began responding with delay.
—Chief, the system is responding. They can take off now.
One by one, the ships began activating.
Outside.
The sound of magical engines broke through the chaos.
Five ships began rising from the hangar.
Without formation.
Without coordination.
Keeve looked up.
—Finally… —she murmured.
Lissa watched the indicators.
The system remained unstable, but functional.
—Maintain emergency link —she ordered—. Avoid complex maneuvers.
Aerial combat field successfully loaded.
The system detected multiple threats.
There was no clear enemy structure.
—Multiple contacts —the system controller reported—. Hostile units on the coast.
Lissa processed the data and immediately uploaded it to the ships already in flight.
Aiden, who had been one of the first to take off, could already visualize the approaching ships through his helmet visor.
—Lissa, I can see the enemy, but my weapons system still isn't working. Can you hurry up?
—I'm working on it right now —she replied.
At that moment, the energy indicator reached ninety percent capacity.
—It's ready! —Lissa shouted—. At that level, the weapons system can hold! Open fire!
All the ships responded.
Three enemy ships were shot down.
Two more attempted to retreat and were hit.
The battle was beginning to even out, sustained only by incomplete systems and quick decisions.
Keeve reached the compromised section of the perimeter.
Suddenly, the agents attacking them began retreating. Four ships materialized in the clearing beside the base, and all the attackers began boarding them. Then, suddenly, they simply disappeared.
Three more ships were shot down.
The remaining ones began fleeing in every direction.
—They didn't get far! —one of the pilots shouted.
—Don't pursue them —Aiden ordered—. Return to the base. We need to regroup and fly to Mexico as soon as possible. The real battle is there.