Page 79 of Alien Warlord's Fury
My fingers moved across the interface, muscle memory taking over as I navigated through security protocols. My head still throbbed, but I pushed the pain aside, focusing on the task.
"There," I said as the panel beeped. "Emergency override initiated."
The door slid open with a hydraulic hiss, revealing the antechamber to the Nexus core. The walls pulsed with sickly green light, Hammond's corruption of the natural energy clearly visible.
Nirako stepped through first, blade ready. I followed, my legs still unsteady.
"The children?" he asked.
I closed my eyes, reaching out through the bond and beyond, searching for the young minds I'd connected with in my visions. "Close. Very close. Through that inner door, I think."
Nirako nodded, his expression grim. "Hammond will be there too."
"I know." I straightened my shoulders, ignoring the lingering pain. "But we've come too far to turn back now."
"No turning back," he agreed, his eyes meeting mine. "But Claire?—"
"Yes?"
His hand found mine, our fingers intertwining. "What you did back there, with the dampeners?—"
"I'd do it again," I said simply.
"I know." A hint of a smile played on his lips. "That's what worries me."
The bond thrummed between us, carrying emotions too complex for words. I squeezed his hand, drawing strength from his presence.
"Ready?" he asked.
I nodded, my resolve hardening. "Ready."
Together, we moved toward the inner chamber door, toward Hammond, toward the children who needed us—and whatever awaited us beyond.
NIRAKO
Iforced the final door, channeling my energy into the ancient metal as it groaned in protest. The barrier slid open with a reluctant hiss, revealing the Nexus chamber beyond.
The sight stole my breath.
Hammond stood at a massive, corrupted interface console, his back to us, hands moving with practiced precision across controls never meant for human touch. Energy arced from the console to a fractured core crystal suspended above, pulsing with unstable red light that cast the chamber in a bloody glow.
Three Nyxari younglings hung suspended in energy fields, their small bodies contorted in silent agony. Their golden lifelines flared erratically, channeled into the interface through tendrils of corrupted power. The smallest one's head lolled to the side, eyes half-open but unseeing.
Two corrupted guardians flanked Hammond, their once-sacred forms twisted into mockeries of their original purpose. Their surfaces rippled with the same sickly red energy that poured from the crystal.
The roar of uncontrolled power filled the chamber, a discordant symphony that made my lifelines ache in sympathetic resonance.
Claire's silver markings reacted beside me, her horror transmitting through our bond like a physical blow. I felt her fury rise to match my own, a cold, clarifying rage that steadied my hand on my blade.
Hammond turned, his lips curling into a smile that never reached his eyes.
"Ah, Claire. And the Aerie watchdog. Right on schedule."
I shifted slightly in front of Claire, a protective stance as instinctive as breathing. My blade hummed in my grip, eager for blood. My tail held low and steady, ready to aid my balance in a fight.
"Release the younglings," I commanded, voice cutting through the chamber's roar.
Hammond laughed, the sound lost beneath the pulsing energy. "Why would I do that when they've served their purpose so perfectly?" He stepped away from the console, gesturing toward Claire with a casual flick of his wrist.
