Alex's hands hovered over the controls of Helios, eyes scanning the landscape below. The battle with the infected Sentinel had left him rattled, but there was no time to dwell on it. Every moment wasted meant more time for Sullivan to elude them—and more time for the Symbiotes to spread.
Lena was silent beside him, her face lit only by the soft glow of the console. The calm after the storm of their last battle was eerie. The desolation of the world below matched the turmoil inside Alex's head. He hadn't anticipated going toe-to-toe with another Sentinel, let alone one infected with the Symbiote. The thought chilled him—how many others could be out there, twisted beyond recognition?
"We should be close," Lena said, breaking the silence. "Sullivan's last known location was about fifty clicks from here."
"I hope he's still there," Alex muttered, adjusting Helios's trajectory.
As they flew, the landscape began to change. The barren wasteland below gave way to a canyon, its jagged cliffs cutting into the earth like scars. Nestled between the cliffs was a facility—a bunker, by the looks of it, with steel doors and reinforced walls. But something was off. The place was too quiet, too still.
"That's it," Lena pointed out, leaning forward in her seat. "That has to be the bunker."
Alex guided Helios into a slow descent, landing a few hundred meters from the entrance. Dust kicked up around them as the Sentinel's feet touched the ground. The cockpit hissed open, and the cool night air flooded in, carrying with it a sense of foreboding.
"We should check it out on foot," Alex said, climbing out of the cockpit and scanning the surroundings. "No telling what's waiting for us in there."
Lena nodded and followed him, pulling her jacket tighter around herself as they made their way toward the bunker. The doors loomed ahead, massive and imposing. A faded emblem on the wall marked it as an old military outpost—long abandoned, or so it seemed.
Alex approached the control panel next to the door, his fingers hesitating over the buttons. "Let's hope it's not locked down too tight."
He pressed a sequence of buttons, and the panel flickered to life. A harsh grinding noise echoed from within as the doors slowly parted, revealing a dark hallway beyond.
"This doesn't feel right," Lena whispered, glancing over her shoulder as if expecting something to leap out from the shadows.
"I know," Alex agreed. "Stay close."
They stepped inside, the heavy doors sealing shut behind them with a metallic thud. The interior was cold and dimly lit, with emergency lights casting an eerie glow down the corridor. The walls were lined with old control panels, their screens flickering faintly as if they hadn't been touched in years.
"Where is everyone?" Lena asked, her voice barely above a whisper.
Alex didn't have an answer. The place felt abandoned, yet there was a sense of something lurking—something watching them from the shadows.
They moved deeper into the facility, the sound of their footsteps echoing off the walls. As they rounded a corner, Alex caught sight of something strange. Black, slimy tendrils snaked along the floor and up the walls, pulsating with a sickly glow.
"Symbiote," Lena said, her voice trembling. "It's here."
Alex clenched his fists. "We need to find Sullivan before it's too late."
They continued down the corridor, following the trail of the Symbiote. The deeper they went, the worse the infestation became. The walls were covered in the dark ooze, and strange, organic growths jutted out at odd angles, as if the very structure of the facility was being consumed.
As they reached a large, central chamber, the sight that greeted them made Alex's blood run cold. In the center of the room stood another Sentinel, but this one was tethered to the walls by thick, writhing tendrils of Symbiote. Its once-shiny armor was covered in the same dark ooze, its wings limp and twisted.
"Sullivan's Sentinel…" Lena breathed. "It's been infected."
Alex took a step forward, his heart pounding in his chest. The Sentinel twitched, its head jerking to one side as if sensing their presence. For a moment, Alex thought it was dead—but then its eyes flickered to life, glowing with a sickly green light.
"Get back!" Alex shouted, pulling Lena behind him as the infected Sentinel tore free from the tendrils holding it in place.
The creature stood tall, its wings unfurling with a grotesque, jerking motion. Dark energy crackled around its limbs, and its once-human form was now completely consumed by the Symbiote.
"We need to destroy it," Alex said through gritted teeth, his hand reaching for the communicator to summon Helios.
But before he could react, the infected Sentinel charged at them, moving with terrifying speed. Alex barely had time to shove Lena out of the way before the creature's massive fist slammed into the ground where they had been standing.
"Helios, now!" Alex barked into the communicator, scrambling to his feet.
The ground shook as Helios responded to the command, breaking through the outer wall of the facility. The Sentinel landed with a deafening crash, wings glowing as it powered up for battle.
Alex wasted no time, sprinting toward Helios and leaping into the cockpit. "Hold on, Lena!" he shouted, as the cockpit sealed shut around them.
The infected Sentinel let out a guttural roar, its voice distorted and alien. It launched itself at Helios, dark tendrils lashing out like whips.
"Stay sharp," Alex muttered, maneuvering Helios to avoid the strikes. He could feel the tension in the air, the battle poised on a knife's edge.
The infected Sentinel swung a massive fist toward them, but Alex blocked it with Helios's arm, the impact sending shockwaves through the ground. He retaliated with a quick blast of solar energy from Helios's chest, but the infected Sentinel absorbed the hit, its armor rippling with the dark energy of the Symbiote.
"It's feeding off the Symbiote," Lena said, her voice tense. "We can't overpower it like this."
Alex gritted his teeth. "Then we'll have to outsmart it."
He pulled Helios into the air, its wings glowing as they absorbed the light from the overhead lamps. The infected Sentinel followed, launching into the sky with a roar, its wings flapping erratically as it pursued them.
Alex dove sharply, twisting Helios around in a tight spiral. The infected Sentinel followed, but its movements were slower, more sluggish. The Symbiote was powerful, but it also seemed to weigh the creature down.
"That's it," Alex said, his mind racing. "We need to overload it."
He pushed Helios into a steep climb, drawing the infected Sentinel higher and higher into the sky. The higher they went, the more erratic the creature's movements became. The Symbiote couldn't handle the altitude—or the strain.
"Now!" Alex shouted, unleashing a concentrated blast of solar energy from Helios's arms. The beam hit the infected Sentinel square in the chest, and this time, the impact was too much.
The creature screeched as the Symbiote began to peel away from its body, dissolving in the intense light. Its wings faltered, and with a final, guttural cry, the infected Sentinel plummeted toward the ground, shattering into pieces upon impact.
Alex exhaled, his hands trembling as he guided Helios back to the ground. "That was close," he muttered.
Lena nodded, her face pale. "Too close."
As they landed, Alex looked at the wreckage of the infected Sentinel. "Sullivan's gone… but we're not done yet. We have to stop the Symbiote—before it spreads any further."
Lena met his gaze, her resolve as strong as his. "Then let's finish this."