Page 69 of Alien Warlord's Fury
"Found it."
We crossed the final stretch of exposed ground in three quick bursts of movement, pausing between each to ensure we hadn't triggered any alarms. The entrance was smaller than expected, requiring us to crawl through on our bellies.
I went first, clearing debris and testing the stability of the passage. The stone felt wrong beneath my hands—corrupted, somehow, by whatever Hammond had done to the Nexus. My lifelines tingled uncomfortably at the contact.
"The structure is unstable," I warned as Claire followed me into the darkness. "The energy patterns have been disrupted."
"I can feel it," she replied, her voice tight. "It's like the ruins are... sick."
The tunnel opened into a larger chamber, clearly part of the original Arenix structure. Ancient technology, long dormant, lined the walls. Some panels had been crudely modified with human components—Hammond's work, forcing incompatible systems to interface.
Claire paused, her hand hovering over one of the walls. Her markings flickered beneath the masking paste, responding to something I couldn't perceive.
"What do you sense?" I asked, keeping my voice low.
"Energy leaks. The whole system is under strain." She traced her fingers along a hairline crack in the stone. "Hammond is drawing too much power through pathways never meant to handle it."
"Can you use that to navigate? Find the weakest points?"
She nodded. "I can feel where the structure is most compromised. We should avoid those areas."
"Lead, then. I'll follow."
Claire moved forward, her steps deliberate. I stayed close behind, alert for any sign of danger. The bond between us thrummed with shared focus, a silent current of information flowing back and forth.
Her awareness of the energy patterns complemented my hunter's instincts, making us more effective together than either would be alone.
We passed through a series of chambers, each showing more signs of Hammond's interference. Human technology grafted onto ancient systems, power conduits spliced into crystalline matrices never designed for such use. The air smelled of ozone and decay, a sickly combination that made my nose wrinkle.
Claire stopped suddenly, raising her hand in warning. "Wait."
I froze, scanning for threats.
"The floor ahead," she whispered. "It's barely holding."
I studied the section she indicated. To my eyes, it looked solid enough, but I trusted her senses more than my own in this environment.
"How do we proceed?"
Claire pointed to a narrow ledge along the left wall. "That path is stable. The energy flows are more balanced there."
The ledge was barely wide enough for one person to edge along sideways. I tested it with my weight before allowing Claire to follow. The stone held firm.
I edged along the narrow ledge, tail extended slightly to counterbalance my movements.
We had made it halfway across when a distant explosion—larger than the previous ones—shook the entire structure. Dust and small fragments rained down from the ceiling. The floor section Claire had warned about collapsed with a grinding roar, leaving a gaping hole where we would have been standing.
Claire lost her balance, her foot slipping off the ledge. I reacted instantly, catching her arm and pulling her against me, my back pressed firmly to the wall.
"I have you," I murmured, my arm locked around her waist.
Her body trembled against mine, but her mind remained clear through our bond. No panic, only focused determination.
"Thank you," she breathed.
We continued along the ledge, moving more cautiously now. The chamber beyond showed signs of recent human activity—tool marks on the walls, power cables running along the floor, a makeshift workstation abandoned in haste.
"They've been trying to stabilize the energy flows," Claire observed, examining the modifications. "Without success."
