Chapter 13

In a direct confrontation at the transit station, ART coordinates a multi-pronged attack against Barish-Estranza's assault team preparing to breach from below. ART uses a hauler bot and jammed communications to disrupt the armored hostiles above while descending into the flooded lower levels, where it plants an explosive on an underwater window to flood the maintenance tunnels and trap the incoming B-E soldiers.

ART monitors the chaos above via newsdrones as its hauler bot successfully collides with Barish-Estranza's armored vehicle while the militia engages other B-E weapons. After alerting station admin to a second attack coming through the sealed lower ramp well, ART evacuates civilians and descends via the abandoned lift tube shaft into the decommissioned lower-level tram boarding area. There, ART discovers twenty-two armed B-E operatives setting explosives on the ramp that leads to the main station. Using scout drones and feed marker paint, ART creates a blinding flash to disorient the hostiles, engages them in combat (sustaining multiple projectile wounds), and plants the feed-activated explosive on an underwater window. After detonating the explosive, ART triggers the station's safety doors to seal the tram tunnel, flooding the maintenance tunnels and trapping the B-E assault team. ART swims to Farai and Naja's boat, where it uses the cover story of being knocked into the water by the blast to account for its soaked condition and bullet holes. Back aboard, ART sits in Naja's mobility device while bleeding and damaged, accepting Sofi's hand-holding and Farai's relief that ART made it to the promised meeting point.