Page 39 of Alien Guardian's Vow
"The power we just channeled," I said, shaking my head in disbelief. "I've never felt anything like it."
"Nor I," Varek admitted. "Not even in the most sacred rituals of my people."
I glanced back at the console, now functioning smoothly with occasional status updates scrolling across its displays. "We've bought ourselves time. The system is stable for now."
"Enough time for Lazrin to rescue Claire," Varek nodded. "And to warn the Elders about Hammond's operation."
The implications of what we had just done – not just stabilizing the system, but deepening our bond in a way that seemed irreversible – hung between us, acknowledged but not yet addressed.
"What happens now?" I asked, not specifying whether I meant with the facility, with Hammond, or with us.
Varek's hand traced the pattern of my markings where they disappeared beneath the collar of my shirt. His touch sent a final, confusing echo through the bond. He stepped back slightly, breaking the contact, though his eyes remained locked on mine.
"Now," he said, his voice carefully neutral, "we find our way out." Around us, the control center hummed with fragile stability, the water slowly receding, leaving the weight of our shared ordeal hanging heavy in the air.
VAREK
The alarms quieted to an urgent, rhythmic pulse that matched the throbbing in my shoulder. I leaned against a tilted support structure, each breath sending fresh fire across my back. The burn wound protested every movement, every shallow breath. Water swirled sluggishly around my thighs, the cold a stark contrast to the heat of my injury.
Rivera—Rivera—stood at the main console, her silver markings casting faint light across her strained features. Her hands braced against the surface, fingers splayed as if she could physically hold the system together through sheer will.
"He's out... for now," she said, not looking up from the fluctuating readings. "Firewall's holding. Stabilization is active, but look at these core readings, Varek." She gestured to a flickering display of energy signatures. "They're way below optimal. It's fragile, like balancing on a knife edge. Any major system shock, another tremor... it could tip right back into failure."
I pushed away from the support beam, ignoring the protest of torn flesh, and joined her at the console. The readings told a grim story—our victory over Hammond's assault had bought us time, nothing more. The price had been high: my injury, the extensive damage to the control room. All for a temporary reprieve.
The room seemed to mock us, a piece of ceiling material breaking loose and splashing into the water nearby.
Through our newly formed bond, I felt her relief at repelling Hammond's attack, sharp and clear as crystal. But beneath it lurked anxiety, mirroring my own. This fragile stability wouldn't hold. We both knew it.
"We need the amplified signature," I said, stating the obvious. The irony burned worse than my wound—Hammond's twisted experiment had inadvertently created the very thing needed to save us all. The solution to our problem lay in the hands of our enemy.
Rivera nodded, her eyes never leaving the display. "Claire."
The name hung between us, heavy with implication.
A low groan of stressed metal echoed overhead, followed by the steady drip of water into the pool around our legs. The room felt like a living creature, wounded and failing. Another tremor shook the floor, sending ripples across the water's surface and nearly knocking me off balance.
"We need to decide," I said, straightening despite the pain. "Stay or go."
Rivera turned from the console, her face pale in the emergency lighting. "If we stay and the room collapses..."
"Death," I finished simply.
"If we leave and the system fails without us to maintain it..."
"Environmental catastrophe across the region. Possibly worse." I met her gaze steadily. "Staying risks death. Leaving risks planetary collapse."
She pushed away from the console, pacing the small dry area remaining. "There has to be another way... can we reinforce the stabilization remotely? Maybe boost the signal?"
I shook my head, immediately regretting the movement as pain lanced down my spine. "Unlikely. The system requires direct interface with the amplified signature's specific resonance. Remote signals lack the necessary bio-energetic component." The truth settled between us, inescapable. "Hammond holds the key, whether he knows its true purpose or not. Likely Claire."
Rivera stopped pacing, her expression shifting as she processed the implications. "So we have to gotohim? To the western compound? Leavethis?" Her hand swept toward the console they'd fought so hard to stabilize.
The question struck at the heart of my conflict. Leaving felt like abandonment, a dereliction of duty. We'd sacrificed blood and energy to achieve even this precarious stability. But staying meant certain death, and death served no purpose.
"It is the only logical path," I said finally. "We cannot fix the system from here. Our efforts bought time, nothing more. The true solution lies with Hammond's captive."
Through our bond, I felt her reluctance give way to grim acceptance. Fear mixed with determination, a potent combination that somehow strengthened my own resolve. This new path would lead us directly into human conflict, into Hammond's territory. The thought sat like cold stone in my stomach, but necessity overrode all other considerations.
