Page 60 of Alien Guardian's Vow
"Can you get us inside?" I asked.
Zara shook her head. "Too risky. My position is precarious already. But I can create diversions, disable internal sensors when the time comes." She deactivated the device, returning it to her pocket. "Hammond's paranoia grows by the hour. He's convinced the Nyxari are planning a major assault. Doubled the guard rotations, restricted access to the central lab."
Rivera glanced at me, then back to Zara. "When's the next rotation change?"
"Twenty-three minutes. That's your window." Zara stood, checking the perimeter with practiced efficiency. "I'll trigger a security alert in the eastern sector when you reach the maintenance access. Should pull most of the guard detail away from your position."
I rose to my feet, ignoring the stab of pain from my shoulder. "Why should we trust you?"
"You shouldn't," Zara replied flatly. "Trust the information, not me. Verify what you can. But Claire doesn't have much time, and neither does this region if Hammond succeeds."
Rivera touched my arm lightly. "The shield configuration matches what we saw in the eastern ruins. Her intel checks out."
I nodded slowly. "How will we signal you once we're in position?"
"You won't. I'll be monitoring the security grid. When you reach the maintenance access, I'll know." Zara took a step back toward the shadows. "One more thing—Hammond's using the artifacts to amplify his own control systems. The energy signatures are... wrong. Corrupted. You'll feel it."
Already I could sense it—the distant, discordant hum of power being twisted against its nature. My lifelines pulsed in response, a warning tinged with revulsion.
"Get Claire out," Zara said. "Stop Hammond. That's all that matters now."
RIVERA
Icrouched in the shadows near the north sector conduit access point, my fingers drumming silently against my thigh. Varek moved like liquid darkness ahead of me, neutralizing the guards with efficient, practiced movements. The night wrapped around us like a shroud, the silence broken only by the faint electrical hum of Hammond's shield generators.
My heart thumped against my ribs. Zara's intel had gotten us this far, but the most dangerous part lay ahead. I traced the outline of the access panel she'd identified in my mind, running through her instructions again.
Varek's hand signal cut through the darkness – clear.
I drew a deep breath and moved forward, keeping low. The access panel looked exactly as Zara had described: slightly newer than the others, with a hairline crack running diagonally across its lower quadrant.
Okay, Zara said this panel has a faulty sensor that won't trigger if approached from below.
I positioned myself beneath it, my fingers finding the recessed edge. The panel slid open with barely a whisper, revealing the complex array of circuits and conduits inside. Moonlight glinted off the control interface, and I allowed myself the briefest moment of satisfaction.
So far, so good.
My fingers flew across the interface, bypassing security layers with practiced precision. Each step matched Zara's instructions perfectly. The system responded more easily than expected – Zara must have tampered with the code already, giving us this window of opportunity. His body pressed close behind me as I finished the override. Not to crowd me. To shield me. And somehow, that made my pulse race more than any gunfire could.
A soft sound behind me made my heart stutter. Varek moved silently past, his body tense. An unexpected patrol. I forced my attention back to the panel, trusting him completely to handle the threat. The bond between us hummed with shared awareness – I could almost feel his movements without looking. We fought like a single entity. Every signal, every breath felt shared. I didn’t have to look to know he was covering me—I felt it like a second heartbeat
Focus, Rivera. Three more security protocols to bypass.
The code Zara provided unlocked each layer in sequence. My fingers tingled with anticipation as I reached the final barrier.
The bypass code worked!
Behind me, I heard nothing – which meant Varek had successfully dealt with the patrol. I didn't need to look to know he'd return to my side in moments, standing guard while I finished the job.
I reached the primary conduit relay, its power signature pulsing beneath my fingertips. This was the moment of truth. Either Zara's intel would prove accurate and we'd create our diversion, or we'd fail spectacularly and probably die in the attempt.
My markings responded to the energy flow, silver light dancing across my skin as I connected with the system. I used the technique Zara had suggested – not forcing the overload, but redirecting the existing power flow back upon itself, creating a cascade effect that would overwhelm the system.
The interface sparked beneath my touch. Heat built rapidly as the conduit began to overload.
"Got it," I whispered, pulling back just as the system reached critical mass.
A deafening alarm split the night. The shield section directly above us flickered once, twice, then vanished completely. We'd done it.
