Ethan and Malek stood beside the trembling survivor, Derek, abs the weight of the situation. Raeth was using the prisoners as bait, expeg them to follow, a twisted game that left them at a disadvantage.

  "Ethan, we 't just walk into a trap," Malek said, sing the rocky ravine fns of Syndicate activity. "We o think strategically."

  Ethan nodded, feeling the urgency pulse through him. "We 't allow Raeth to anticipate our moves. Here's the pn: we split up."

  Malek's brows furrowed. "Split up? That's risky."

  "Trust me," Ethan replied, voice steady. "We o create false trails. If we lead them away from the prisoners, we might buy enough time for them to escape."

  Derek shifted nervously. "How do we do that?"

  Ethan poio a cluster of boulders nearby. "We set small traps and distras, noise makers, loose rocks. Anything to draw them off our st. I'll take the higher ground and work down the ravine while you two create disturba the base. Iris help us identify the best spots."

  "Iris, highlight terrain anomalies," Ethan instructed, fog on his helmet dispy as the AI processed the surroundings.

  "Detected several unstable roations along the path," Iris replied, her voice calm and analytical. "They could be triggered to create noise or block passage."

  "Perfect," Ethan said, mentally mapping their escape route. "Malek, you and Derek focus on the base area. I'll move up the ridge. Once I create my diversions, I'll signal for you to move."

  Malek hesitated, clearly weighing the risks. "If something goes wrong-"

  "It won't," Ethan interrupted, log eyes with him. "We're not going to outguh. We'll outsmart him. Let's do this."

  With a shared nod of determination, they split up, moving quickly and quietly through the rocky terraihan's heart raced as he asded the slope, eyes sing for the right spots to implement his gueril tactics.

  As he reached a higher vantage point, he began tize. He positioned a series of small rocks ter a casg noise when disturbed, carefully calcuted to echhout the ravine. With each small trap set, Ethahe tension in his muscles ease slightly.

  Once he had pleted the traps, Ethan crouched low, sing the area for any signs of Syndicate forces. He had a view of the ravine and the valley below, where Malek and Derek were likely preparing their own distras.

  After a moment, he raised a small device to signal them. A series of quick blips sent a clear message: distras were ready.

  Below, Malek and Derek began their own diversions, knog over rocks and sending boulders rolling down the slope, creating a cacophony that echoed through the ravihan watched as the sounds drew attention, dark figures moving like shadows in the fading light.

  As night fell, Ethan made his way back down to find a temporary hiding spot in an abaructure. A long-fotten outpost half-buried in the sands. Its crumbling walls provided just enough cover to ceal them fr eyes.

  Ihey gathered in a circle, the glow of Ethan's helmet casting faint light over their faces. Derek was visibly shaken, but Malek seemed more at ease now that they had mao evade immediate danger.

  "Ethan, what's the move?" Malek asked, his brow furrowed in thought.

  Ethan spread out a map he had recovered during their earlier mission. "We o find Raeth's base. It's likely underground, but I o assess how heavily fortified it is."

  Derek shuffled forward, a spark ency igniting in his eyes. "I might know something. When I was with the team, we discovered some coordinates... something Raeth mentioned about a facility not far from here."

  "What do you mean coordinates?" Ethan asked, leaning in.

  Derek pulled a small metal pte from his pocket, the surface etched with faint markings. "I was going to use this as leverage. It indicates arao Raeth's underground facility."

  Ethan took the pte, examining the coordinates closely. "This is it. We're close, but it's heavily fortified. We'll o be careful."

  Malek crossed his arms, skepticism creeping bato his voice. "How do we get past their defenses?"

  Ethan looked at Derek, then back at Malek. "We use the terrain to our advantage again. If we find a way to approach without being seen, we might be able to disable their security systems before entering."

  "Sounds risky," Malek muttered, though his resolve was visibly strengthening.

  "Every mission has risks," Ethan replied firmly, looking each of them in the eye. "But we're not just going to py Raeth's game. We'll out think him and save the prisoners. We 't let fear dictate our choices."

  With a deep breath, Ethan rolled up the map and secured the pte in his gear. They had a pn, but the night was still young, and Raeth's forces would not rest.

  "Let's move," Ethan anded, determination surging through him.

  As they stepped out of the abaructure, ready to face the darkness ahead, Ethahe weight of their missiole on his shoulders. They were entering a game of wits against a ruthless oppo, and he was determio turide.