Page 80 of Alien Warlord's Fury
"Did you really think I wouldn't anticipate your little rescue mission? Those distress signals you've been following so devotedly—the ones tormenting poor Claire's dreams—I amplified them. Used the younglings' pain, resonating with Claire's unique markings, as a psychic beacon."
Claire stiffened beside me, her markings reacting to his words.
"You're lying," she hissed.
"Am I?" Hammond's eyes gleamed with cold satisfaction. "I've tracked your every move. Your little sabotage attempts were... amusing."
"Predictable. I allowed them." He turned back to the console, adjusting something that made the crystal pulse faster. "You were always the final key, my dear."
"Your unique resonance signature is needed to fully unlock the Nexus."
The smallest youngling convulsed in the energy field, a silent scream distorting their features. I felt Claire's pain as if it were my own through our bond—sharp, visceral, unbearable.
"What have you done to them?" Claire's voice cracked.
Hammond didn't bother turning. "Simply utilized what the planet provided. Their connection to the Nexus is remarkable—pure, unfiltered."
"Younglings' minds are so... malleable. So receptive." He adjusted another control. "But they lack the specific resonance pattern I need."
"That's where you come in, Claire."
One of the guardians shifted, its corrupted form sliding closer to us. The smell of ozone and burnt circuits filled the air, mingling with something else—the psychic scent of the younglings' fear, a metallic tang that coated my tongue.
"You will not touch her," I growled, my lifelines reacting with protective fury.
"I won't have to." Hammond finally turned fully toward us, his face illuminated by the pulsing red light. "The moment she entered this chamber, the process began."
"Her markings are already responding to the Nexus. Look."
Claire gasped beside me, and I glanced down to see her silver markings shifting, patterns changing subtly as they responded to the energy in the room. I felt her struggle to maintain control through our bond.
"What do you want with the Nexus?" I demanded, buying time as I assessed the guardians, looking for weaknesses.
Hammond spread his hands. "What any reasonable man wants—power. Control. The Nexus connects everything on this miserable planet."
"The ancients used it to reshape reality itself." His eyes gleamed with fanatical light. "Imagine what humanity could do with such power."
"The Great Division happened because of men like you," I spat. "The ancients destroyed themselves."
"A failure of vision," Hammond dismissed. "They lacked the necessary... perspective."
The smallest youngling convulsed again, and Claire lurched forward. I caught her arm, holding her back.
"We need to free them," she whispered, her voice raw with anguish.
"And we will," I promised, my eyes never leaving Hammond.
Hammond watched our exchange with clinical interest. "Fascinating. The bond between you has progressed further than my readings indicated. No matter."
"It might even enhance the process."
The crystal pulsed faster, its light intensifying. The younglings' lifelines flared in response, and Claire staggered against me, her markings mirroring the pattern.
"Claire?" I steadied her, pouring strength through our bond.
"He's using them to channel the Nexus energy," she gasped. "It's killing them."
Hammond returned to the console. "A regrettable necessity. Their sacrifice will usher in a new age for humanity."
