Breaching the Shadow Perimeter

Trouble doesn't wait, and neither do I. Behind the TV console, a lurking nest of heavy coaxial cables and dusty power bricks formed a fortified gauntlet. I dropped into a dynamic slide across the slick baseboard, raising my shield to deflect a tangle of stiff plastic ties jutting out like barbed wire. With a hard forward charge, I tackled the thickest surge-protector strip, wedging my shield rim directly into the gap between two oversized plugs to break their grip on the surge rail. Dust flew everywhere like battlefield smoke, but the perimeter held firm under my boots.