After the intense battle with the Hunters and the mysterious disappearance of their leader, Ethan had hoped they'd get a moment to regroup, catch their breath, and plan their next move. But Alturus Prime had other plans.
The strange underground facility Nova had detected was their only lead, and despite the exhaustion weighing on them, they knew they had no choice but to press forward. If the Council of Shadows was operating from there, they needed to find out why, and stop whatever they were planning.
The entrance to the underground complex was hidden within a deep ravine, its location so obscured by rocky formations that it was no wonder the Council had been able to operate in secret for so long. The terrain was harsh, the air dry and tinged with an acrid scent, making every breath feel like sandpaper scraping the back of their throats.
"Okay," Ethan said, staring down into the narrow passage that led deeper underground. "So far, so good. Nothing's exploded yet."
Prella, standing beside him with her arms crossed, raised an eyebrow. "Don't jinx it, Captain. If there's one thing we've learned, it's that when things seem quiet, something's about to go horribly wrong."
"Come on, Prella, where's your sense of optimism?" Ethan replied with a smirk. "I'm sure we'll find something down there that's not actively trying to kill us."
Nova flickered into view, her holographic form casting a faint glow in the darkening ravine. "Well, if we're keeping count, the number of things that haven't tried to kill us on this planet is depressingly low. I'd give it about a two out of ten. Would not recommend as a vacation spot."
Vala, standing just behind them, rolled her eyes. "Great. Let's just hope whatever's down there has some useful information. I'd hate to think we're risking our lives for nothing."
The four of them carefully made their way into the ravine, the rocky walls looming overhead as they descended into the narrow, shadowed passage. The deeper they went, the darker it became, until the only light came from Nova's faint glow and the small lights on their equipment.
Ethan kept his blaster at the ready, his senses on high alert. The air down here felt heavy, thick with tension, as if the planet itself was holding its breath.
"So, Nova," Ethan said after a long stretch of silence. "Any idea what we're walking into?"
"According to the signal I intercepted, there's a facility about half a mile underground," Nova replied, her voice calm but tinged with uncertainty. "No detailed schematics, but based on the interference and energy readings, it's not just a cave. The Council's been doing something down here. I'm picking up traces of advanced tech, possibly experimental."
Prella frowned. "Experimental? That doesn't sound promising."
"It's the Council of Shadows," Ethan said with a sigh. "When have they ever done anything that wasn't shady and dangerous?"
Vala grinned, her tone light despite the tension. "Good thing we're so good at dealing with shady and dangerous."
As they continued their descent, the walls around them became smoother, almost as if they had been carved out with precision rather than formed naturally. Strange symbols were etched into the stone, glowing faintly as they passed. The atmosphere was unnerving, and Ethan could feel the hair on the back of his neck standing on end.
"This place gives me the creeps," Ethan muttered. "It's like we're walking into some kind of ancient tomb."
Prella glanced at one of the symbols, her brow furrowing. "These markings… they don't look like anything I've seen before. Definitely not Council tech."
Nova floated beside Ethan, her eyes narrowing as she scanned the symbols. "You're right. These predate the Council by centuries. Maybe even millennia. Whatever the Council is doing down here, they're not the ones who built this place."
"Great," Ethan muttered under his breath. "Ancient tombs and secret Council experiments. Just what we needed."
They reached the bottom of the ravine, where the passage opened up into a larger chamber. The walls here were smoother still, with more of the glowing symbols etched across the surface. At the far end of the room was a large, metallic door, sealed shut with no visible way to open it.
"Well, this looks promising," Vala said, her voice echoing slightly in the large space. "I wonder what's behind door number one."
Ethan approached the door cautiously, running his hand over its cold surface. "No visible controls. Nova, think you can get this thing open?"
Nova floated over, scanning the door. "Give me a minute. Looks like it's protected by some kind of advanced locking mechanism. I should be able to bypass it, but… oh."
Ethan blinked, frowning at her sudden pause. "Oh? What do you mean 'oh'? That's not a comforting sound."
Nova grinned, her mischievous spark returning. "Looks like whoever built this place had a sense of humor. The lock requires a specific sequence to open, and it's rigged to throw in some… surprises if we get it wrong."
"Surprises?" Prella asked, her voice deadpan. "I don't like surprises."
"They could be harmless," Nova said with a shrug. "Or, you know, explosive. But hey, we won't know until we try, right?"
Ethan sighed, rubbing his temples. "Of course it's booby-trapped. Why wouldn't it be?"
Just as Nova was about to begin bypassing the lock, Ethan heard a faint rumbling sound. It started as a low vibration beneath their feet but quickly grew louder and more intense. The ground shook, and small rocks tumbled from the ceiling.
"What the, " Ethan began, but his words were cut off by a deafening roar from deep within the tunnel.
The noise was so loud, it rattled his bones, and the shaking became more violent by the second. Ethan stumbled, grabbing onto the wall to steady himself.
"Uh, guys?" Vala said, her voice tight with nervous laughter. "I think we might've triggered something."
Suddenly, the wall behind them burst open, and a wave of dust and debris filled the chamber. Ethan barely had time to react as a massive, snarling creature emerged from the hole in the wall. It was covered in thick, matted fur, with glowing eyes and jagged teeth that gleamed in the faint light.
Ethan's stomach dropped. "That's… not good."
The creature let out another roar, its breath hot and foul as it charged toward them. Ethan's instincts kicked in, and he dove out of the way just as the beast's massive claw slammed into the ground where he had been standing.
"Move!" Prella shouted, drawing her energy blade and slashing at the creature's legs. But her blade barely seemed to scratch its thick hide, and the beast roared in fury.
Vala fired her blaster at the creature's head, but the shots only seemed to make it angrier. It swiped at her, forcing her to roll out of the way, her tail barely avoiding the claws.
Ethan scrambled to his feet, his heart pounding in his chest. "Nova! Any idea what that thing is?"
Nova's holographic form flickered as she scanned the creature. "Let's see… giant, angry, lots of teeth. Oh, great! It's some kind of mutated guardian beast, probably left here to protect the facility from intruders. We must've triggered its defense system."
"Fantastic!" Ethan shouted as he fired a few shots at the creature, trying to draw its attention away from Vala. "What's the plan?"
Nova grinned. "Run. A lot."
Ethan's heart pounded as the massive creature lunged again, its claws scraping the ground with a sound that made his teeth ache. The dust cloud was still settling, but the beast's glowing eyes pierced through the haze, locking onto him like a predator zeroing in on its prey.
"Nova!" Ethan shouted, firing off another round of blaster bolts that barely seemed to faze the creature. "You want to get that door open any time soon?"
Nova flickered beside him, her mischievous grin intact even in the face of imminent danger. "I'd love to, Captain, but someone had to go and wake up the neighborhood monster. Give me a minute."
"A minute?!" Ethan yelped as he ducked under the beast's swiping claws, narrowly avoiding getting decapitated. "We don't have a minute!"
Prella darted forward, her energy blade flashing through the air as she slashed at the creature's side. But the blade barely grazed its thick hide, and the creature roared in fury, turning its attention to her. It swiped at Prella with a massive paw, and she barely had time to leap backward before the claws sliced through the air where she'd been standing.
"I'm starting to hate this planet," Prella muttered, her voice tight with frustration as she dodged another blow.
Vala, perched on a higher ledge above the beast, fired several precise blaster shots at its head, aiming for its glowing eyes. The creature roared in pain, momentarily blinded, but it wasn't enough to stop it. It thrashed wildly, its massive body slamming into the walls of the chamber, sending cracks spider-webbing across the stone.
"We need a new plan," Vala shouted over the chaos. "This thing's not going down without a fight!"
Ethan barely had time to react as the creature charged toward him again, its eyes burning with rage. He sprinted to the side, narrowly avoiding its snapping jaws as he made his way toward Nova.
"Please tell me you're close to cracking that lock," Ethan said, panting as he ducked behind a boulder for cover.
Nova, floating near the metallic door, gave him a quick thumbs-up. "Almost there, Captain. Just a few more seconds."
A massive claw slammed into the ground near Ethan, sending chunks of rock flying in every direction. He threw his arms up to shield himself from the debris, his heart hammering in his chest.
"Seconds we don't have!" Ethan yelled, diving away as the creature lashed out again.
Prella charged in, her energy blade sparking as she landed another blow against the creature's thick hide. This time, the blade found purchase, cutting deep into the beast's shoulder. It howled in pain, rearing back on its hind legs and flailing wildly, its claws carving deep gouges into the stone floor.
"Vala, keep it distracted!" Prella shouted, her eyes sharp with focus. "Ethan, when Nova gets that door open, you better move fast!"
Vala nodded, leaping from her perch to fire more shots at the creature's head. Each shot landed with a sizzle, and the beast roared in fury, turning its attention toward her.
As the creature thrashed, the ground beneath them rumbled, and small rocks began to fall from the ceiling. The entire chamber felt like it was on the verge of collapsing, and Ethan knew they were running out of time.
"Got it!" Nova suddenly exclaimed, her holographic form flickering with excitement. "Door's open!"
Ethan glanced toward the now-open metallic door, and without hesitation, he sprinted toward it, waving for the others to follow. "Let's go! Move!"
Prella and Vala didn't need to be told twice. Prella dodged one last swipe from the creature and made a break for the door, while Vala fired off a final round of blaster shots to cover their retreat. The creature, still blinded and enraged, slammed into the walls of the chamber, shaking the ground with every movement.
Ethan reached the door first, throwing himself through the opening and into the narrow corridor beyond. Prella followed close behind, her blade still at the ready, and Vala darted through just as the creature let out a deafening roar that echoed through the tunnel.
"Shut it! Shut it!" Ethan yelled, scrambling to hit the controls on the other side of the door.
Nova, hovering nearby, waved her hand, and the door slid shut with a metallic clang, sealing them inside the corridor. The creature slammed into the door with a force that shook the walls, but the door held.
For a moment, the only sound was their heavy breathing as they stood in the dimly lit corridor, the thudding of the creature's enraged blows growing quieter as it eventually lost interest and wandered back into the chamber.
Ethan collapsed against the wall, his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. "Well... that was fun."
Prella, her expression still tense, sheathed her energy blade and leaned against the wall beside him. "We need to stop having 'fun' like that."
Vala, still panting, gave a breathless laugh. "I don't know. It's always an adventure with you, Captain."
Ethan groaned, wiping sweat from his brow. "Next time, let's have an adventure that doesn't involve getting eaten, please."
Nova hovered beside him, her grin wide and unapologetic. "Hey, on the bright side, we're inside now. And look, I didn't even have to use all of my hacking tricks."
Ethan rolled his eyes, though he couldn't help but smile. "Thanks, Nova. You really saved our butts back there."
"Of course I did," Nova replied, flipping her holographic hair in mock arrogance. "I'm always saving you, Captain. You just haven't realized it yet."
Prella glanced down the long, dark corridor that stretched ahead of them. The walls were lined with more of the strange glowing symbols, and the air felt even heavier down here, thick with an oppressive silence.
"This place feels... wrong," she muttered, her hand resting on the hilt of her blade. "I don't like it."
Ethan stood up, his muscles still aching from the fight. "Yeah, me neither. But if the Council's involved, this is our best shot at figuring out what they're up to."
He gestured for Nova to take the lead. "Alright, Nova. Any idea what's waiting for us down here?"
Nova's eyes flickered as she scanned the corridor ahead. "I'm picking up some weird energy readings, but nothing hostile. Yet."
"'Yet'?" Ethan repeated with a raised eyebrow.
Nova winked. "Hey, I like to keep things interesting."
With a resigned sigh, Ethan motioned for the others to follow. "Alright, let's move. Stay sharp."
As they ventured deeper into the underground facility, the air grew colder, and the walls became smoother, more polished, as if the structure had been meticulously crafted by something far more advanced than the Council's typical tech.
The corridor eventually opened up into a massive, circular chamber. At the center of the room stood a towering, mechanical device, a strange, alien machine that hummed with an eerie, otherworldly energy. Glowing symbols covered its surface, and the air around it crackled with electricity.
Ethan approached cautiously, his blaster at the ready. "What the hell is this thing?"
Nova floated beside him, her eyes wide with curiosity. "That, Captain, is something very old. And very powerful."
Prella frowned, her hand on her blade. "Council tech?"
Nova shook her head. "No. This predates the Council by a long shot. Whatever this is, it's ancient. And I'm willing to bet it's not here by accident."
Ethan's stomach churned as he stared at the strange machine. There was something deeply unsettling about it, something that made his skin crawl.
"We need to find out what this thing does," Ethan said, his voice quiet but firm. "And we need to do it fast."
Vala stepped forward, her eyes scanning the machine with a mixture of awe and caution. "Let's hope it's not another death trap."
Ethan gave her a weak smile. "With our luck? It probably is."