Page 76 of Alien Warlord's Fury
Claire's perception flooded into mine—suddenly I could see what she saw: a complex lattice of energy, shimmering and shifting, with dark gaps moving through it like shadows across water.
"There," she pointed. "When I signal, move exactly as I do. Not a heartbeat sooner or later."
I nodded, muscles tensed for precise movement. My tail twitched once, settling low and still, ready to aid my balance.
Claire watched the pattern, counting silently. Then—"Now!"
We moved as one, stepping into a gap in the sensor grid. The energy fields hummed around us, close enough that the fine hairs on my arms stood on end. Three steps forward, then a pause as Claire tracked the shifting pattern.
"Left," she whispered through our connection rather than aloud.
I followed her lead, moving sideways into another null zone just as the previous one collapsed behind us. The timing required absolute precision—a hunter's patience combined with a warrior's reflexes.
Halfway through, Claire stumbled slightly. I caught her elbow, steadying her, but the movement brought my shoulder dangerously close to an energy beam.
"Don't move," Claire breathed.
I held perfectly still as the beam drifted closer, nearly touching the fabric of my tunic. Through our bond, I could feel Claire calculating, adjusting, her consciousness melded with the sensor grid's patterns.
"Down," she directed. "Now."
I dropped into a crouch, pulling her with me as an energy beam swept over our heads. The heat of it singed the top of my scalp, but it didn't make contact.
"Forward," Claire directed. "Three steps, quick."
We moved in perfect synchronization, our bodies flowing through the gaps in the grid like water through stone. The bond between us had never felt more essential—her perception guiding my movement, my strength supporting her when her focus wavered.
Finally, we reached the other side, slipping through the last gap into a small alcove beyond the sensor grid. Claire sagged against me, breathing hard from the mental exertion.
"That was—" I began.
She pressed her fingers to my lips, pointing toward a junction ahead. Voices drifted toward us—two guards, their conversation echoing in the narrow corridor.
"—pushing the interface now," one said, his voice tense. "Full integration with all seven subjects."
"Is that safe?" the second guard asked. "I heard the techs warning about core instability."
The first guard snorted. "Since when does Hammond care about 'safe'? He says the younglings' amplified lifelines are the key. Says he's close to a breakthrough."
"Those poor younglings," the second guard muttered. "The screaming from that chamber... I can't sleep after my shifts."
"Keep your voice down," the first hissed. "You want to end up on that table next? Just do your job."
"Hammond says we're moving to final phase in less than an hour, and I don't want to be anywhere near the core when that happens."
Their voices faded as they moved away, continuing their patrol route.
Claire's eyes met mine, horror and urgency reflected equally. "Less than an hour," she whispered. "He's accelerating the timeline."
My jaw tightened. "The council's diversion won't start for another forty minutes."
"We can't wait," Claire said. "You heard them—core instability. If Hammond pushes too far..."
I didn't need her to finish the thought. The implications were clear: not just the younglings' lives at stake, but potentially catastrophic consequences if Hammond's tampering destabilized the Nexus core.
"We continue," I decided. "But we need to move faster."
Claire nodded, determination hardening her features. I felt her fear through our bond—not for herself, but for the younglings suffering at Hammond's hands. That fear was matched by my own, but beneath it ran a current of something stronger: the shared purpose that had brought us here, now reinforced by the urgency of what we'd overheard.
