The pounding of boots reverberated through the facility's steel corridors, a grim prelude to the storm about to break. Jax's team stood in the control hub, every instinct honed to a razor's edge. The cylindrical weapon prototype at the center of the room pulsed with ominous energy, the only sound louder than the blaring alarms.
"Arin, how long to shut this thing down?" Jax barked, his weapon trained on the nearest doorway.
"Not long if you keep them off me!" Arin shot back, his hands flying across the interface. He had already bypassed the outer security protocols, but the deeper layers were proving stubborn.
Zara and Grimjack took positions at opposite ends of the room, their weapons ready. Zara's eyes flicked between the darkened entrances, her breath steady despite the adrenaline surging through her veins.
"Here they come!" Grimjack roared as the first wave of attackers burst into the room.
A squad of armored sentinels stormed in, their sleek helmets reflecting the red alarm lights. They opened fire, their pulse rifles lighting up the space with streaks of energy. Jax dove behind a console, returning fire with deadly precision. One sentinel crumpled as a shot pierced its chest plate.
Zara ducked low and let loose with her plasma pistol, her shots arcing toward the advancing line. A burst of green plasma hit one of the sentinels square in the visor, and the figure collapsed in a heap of sparking machinery.
"They're using augmented armor," Zara shouted. "Aim for weak points—joints and visors!"
Grimjack, ever the warrior, grinned. "Weak points are my specialty." He surged forward, his massive frame a blur as he barreled into the fray. With a thunderous swing of his shock maul, he shattered the arm of an incoming attacker, sending them sprawling. Another sentinel fired at him, but the shots ricocheted off his reinforced armor.
Meanwhile, Arin worked feverishly at the console, sweat beading on his brow. The interface resisted his every move, its code laced with traps designed to destroy intruders' progress. A shock of static made him flinch as he triggered a countermeasure.
"Come on, come on," he muttered. "You're not smarter than me."
Behind him, Jax ducked as a barrage of fire shredded the console he'd been using for cover. He rolled to his left, rising in one fluid motion to fire three shots into the chest of a sentinel. The figure staggered, its armor cracked but not breached.
"These things don't quit!" Jax growled.
Zara was already moving. She grabbed a magnetic grenade from her belt and hurled it toward the cluster of sentinels. The device latched onto one soldier's chest and detonated with a deafening crackle, sending a shockwave that fried nearby electronics. Three more sentinels dropped, their systems sparking.
"Got 'em!" she shouted, but her victory was short-lived.
A new wave of attackers poured in, this time led by a figure clad in black exo-armor. The leader moved with eerie precision, wielding twin energy blades that glowed a menacing crimson. Their voice boomed through a built-in speaker.
"You've come far, but this is where your rebellion ends."
"Guess we've got the big boss now," Grimjack said, hefting his maul.
Jax stepped forward, his weapon raised. "We're not here to negotiate. Move aside, or you'll regret it."
The exo-armored figure didn't answer with words. Instead, they lunged with lightning speed, closing the distance to Jax in an instant. He barely sidestepped the strike, the energy blade scorching the air where he'd stood.
Grimjack charged in, his shock maul swinging. The leader deflected the blow with one blade while slashing at Grimjack's side with the other. The massive warrior grunted in pain as the blade grazed his armor, leaving a glowing scar.
"They're fast!" Zara shouted, taking a shot at the leader. The figure twisted, the plasma bolt skimming harmlessly past.
At the console, Arin's fingers froze for a moment as the chaos behind him escalated. "Almost there!" he called. "But I need another minute!"
"You've got thirty seconds!" Jax shot back, firing at the sentinels advancing from the opposite doorway.
Zara joined Jax, her plasma pistol spitting green fire. The two of them worked in tandem, their shots synchronized to slow the tide of attackers. Despite their efforts, the enemy's sheer numbers began to press them back.
Grimjack fought with brutal efficiency, trading blows with the exo-armored leader. Sparks flew as his maul collided with the twin energy blades, the force of their battle shaking the control hub. Despite his injuries, Grimjack held his ground, a feral grin plastered on his face.
"You're tough," he growled. "But I'm tougher."
The leader didn't respond, their movements unnervingly precise and methodical. They ducked under Grimjack's next swing, driving a blade toward his chest. At the last second, Zara's plasma shot struck the leader's shoulder, causing them to falter.
"Thanks for the assist!" Grimjack roared, swinging his maul again. This time, the weapon connected solidly, sending the leader skidding across the floor.
Arin's triumphant shout cut through the din. "Got it! Shutting it down now!"
The cylindrical prototype in the center of the room began to whir loudly, its pulsating energy shifting erratically. Arin's hands moved with practiced precision as he input the final commands.
"It's destabilizing!" Arin shouted. "We need to move—now!"
Jax glanced around, assessing the situation. "Everyone, fall back to the ship! Grimjack, cover us!"
Grimjack grinned despite the fresh gash on his arm. "Gladly."
He charged the exo-armored leader once more, swinging his maul with enough force to crack the floor beneath them. The leader parried, but Grimjack's relentless assault drove them back.
Zara and Jax grabbed Arin and pulled him away from the console as alarms blared even louder. The cylindrical device began to emit bursts of energy, the air around it distorting as it spiraled toward overload.
Grimjack glanced over his shoulder, his voice booming. "Go! I'll catch up!"
"Don't get yourself killed!" Jax shouted as he ushered the others toward the exit.
The team sprinted through the corridors, retracing their steps toward the maintenance hatch. Behind them, the facility trembled as the unstable device threatened to tear it apart.
In the control hub, the exo-armored leader staggered to their feet, glaring at Grimjack. "You've doomed us all."
"Maybe," Grimjack said with a shrug. "But at least I'll live to see another day. Can't say the same for you."
He swung his maul one last time, the shockwave knocking the leader into a console. Without waiting for a counterattack, Grimjack turned and bolted, his heavy footsteps echoing through the corridors.
The crew reached the maintenance hatch just as the facility began to implode. Outside, the Marauder's Revenge hovered in position, its airlock open and waiting. They scrambled aboard, breathless and battered.
"Punch it!" Jax ordered as soon as they were inside.
The ship's engines roared to life, propelling them away from the asteroid. Behind them, the facility collapsed inward, a brilliant explosion consuming it from within. The shockwave rippled through the nebula, scattering clouds of gas in its wake.
As the Marauder's Revenge emerged from the nebula, silence fell over the crew. The battle had been won, but the toll it had taken was evident in their weary faces.
Jax turned to his team, his voice steady. "That's one more of their weapons gone. But it's not the last. Let's rest while we can. The next fight's just around the corner."
As the ship streaked toward safety, the crew couldn't shake the feeling that The Architects' response would be swift and brutal. But they had no intention of backing down.