Page 62 of Alien Warlord's Fury
"Until they are." His stare met mine, held a warning. "What will you choose then?"
Chapter Twenty One:Claire
I leaned in close to Ravik, the smell of the masking paste ingredients hitting my nose with a sharp, earthy scent.
"That's not standard issue," Nirako said, his voice tight with suspicion. His tail gave a single, controlled twitch.
Ravik's expression remained neutral. "Shadow Canyon clan knowledge. We've been studying the ancient sites longer than any other clan."
"And you're just sharing it now?" I asked.
"The council wouldn't approve." Ravik's lifelines pulsed once, betraying his discomfort with breaking protocol. "But younglings are dying."
Zara nodded, her hands busy mixing the components in a small stone bowl. "Hammond's repurposed ancient tech for his security. The paste counters specific energy frequencies the guardians are attuned to."
I watched her work, memorizing the proportions. "How do you know so much about his setup?"
"I was there," Zara said simply. "Three months as his 'guest' before I escaped. The children weren't his only experiments."
The quiet way she said it sent a chill through me. I'd seen Hammond's work firsthand—felt it carved into my own flesh. The thought of Zara enduring months of that made my stomach twist.
"His main weakness is around the Nexus chamber itself," Ravik continued, unrolling a rough schematic on the groundbetween us. "The ancient tech has vulnerabilities he hasn't accounted for."
Nirako crouched beside the schematic, his shoulder brushing mine. I felt his focus sharpen through our bond. "What kind of vulnerabilities?"
"Three blind spots in the sensor grid." Ravik pointed to specific locations on the drawing. "And the guardians themselves—they're programmed to respond to certain energy signatures."
"With this paste and the right approach, you can move right past them."
"If you know all this, why haven't you gone in yourself?" I asked.
Ravik's eyes met mine. "Because we need someone who can interface with the Nexus directly. Someone with unstable markings."
Someone like me.
"So that's why the council sent you," Nirako said, his voice low.
"The council authorized a rescue mission," Zara corrected. "But this specific approach was our idea."
I studied the schematic, tracing the path with my finger. "So what's the plan?"
"Ravik and I create a diversion at the western quadrant," Zara explained. "Draw Hammond's forces away from the Nexus chamber. You and Nirako use the paste to slip past the remaining guards and reach the children."
"And then?" Nirako asked.
"Then Claire stabilizes the Nexus using her connection to it," Ravik said. "The younglings' energy is pure—untainted. They'll help guide her."
I looked up sharply. "How do you know that will work?"
"I don't," Ravik admitted. "But I've seen how your markings respond to the Nexus. And I've seen what Hammond is doing with those younglings."
"If anyone can disrupt his work, it's you."
The weight of what he was asking settled on my shoulders. Not just a rescue mission anymore—a direct confrontation with the Nexus itself. The very thing that had nearly destroyed me before.
"You're asking a lot," Nirako said, his protective instincts flaring through our bond. His tail remained still, but I felt the tension in him.
"We're asking what's necessary," Zara replied. "Hammond is trying to harness the children's connection to the Nexus for something catastrophic. We don't have time for anything less."
