Chapter 08
Infiltration
Kael hadn’t expected the inside of Aetherion to feel this alive. Pulse fire cracked through the grand halls in short, vicious bursts. The air smelled of scorched stone and something sharper — an acrid, metallic tang that clung to the back of his throat even through the filters.
Defenders were already reorganizing, their movements precise and coordinated despite the chaos. His mind refused to settle. Every corridor looked the same.
Every shadow moved. He couldn’t tell if the ringing in his ears was from the explosions or his own pulse. “Helix — recommendation.
” “Left staircase. Second mezzanine floor. Vantage point offers cover from three angles.
” Kael ran. He took the stairs two at a time, the rectangular carbine heavy in his grip. Halfway up, a pulse round slammed into the wall beside his head and sprayed hot fragments across his visor.
He kept climbing. At the top he dropped flat behind a low stone balustrade as three more rounds hammered the granite where he had just been. For a moment he simply lay there, chest heaving, the carbine’s barrel resting against the stone.
The weapon was already running hot. “Helix — call active drones in the vicinity to me. Activate rapid battle resupply from the landing capsule.
Find the Core. ” He pushed up and opened fire. The carbine roared in sustained bursts, the recoil traveling up through his injured wrist and into his shoulder.
He walked the fire across two defender positions, forcing them back into cover. The weapon’s heat warnings climbed steadily in his visor. He ignored them until the barrel began to glow dull red and the firing mechanism finally locked with a hard, mechanical clack.
Useless. Kael turned and sprinted back down the stairs, backup handgun already drawn. Two drones arrived at the vantage point he had abandoned.
One settled into a stable firing position and immediately began laying down precise, merciless fire. The second rose beside him like a shadow and locked onto his movement. “Helix — all guns on one of those drones.
Tether the other to me. Show me where the Core is. ” Together they cut through the citadel.
Kael moved fast through smoke-filled corridors and high vaulted halls, the tethered drone weaving beside him. Its weapons spat controlled bursts at anything that tried to slow them. Destruction trailed in their wake — shattered stone, burning tapestries, the occasional fallen defender.
The few remaining resistance fighters were being systematically dismantled. Helix’s voice stayed calm in his ear, feeding routes, marking threats, updating the Core’s position. They reached a massive door — easily the size of a habitation module.
The Core was behind it. The tethered drone took up position as Kael slowed, chest heaving inside the suit. The last enemy fighters were being pinned farther back in the corridor.
For the moment, the path was clear. Kael stared at the enormous door, the handgun suddenly heavy in his hand. “How does this door open?