"CLOSE THE GATE AND BARRICADE IT!" Samuel shouted, his voice echoing through the cavernous interior of the Thermus. The soldiers scrambled, dragging crates, debris, and whatever they could find to reinforce the rusted blast doors. Sparks flew as welding torches came to life, sealing any gaps the monstrous Steel Knight outside might exploit.
"Harold!" Samuel bellowed, shoving past clusters of men working frantically. He found Harold near the console at the far wall, barking orders to a pair of tech specialists.
"Samuel," Harold said without looking up, his hands flying across the dusty, flickering interface. "I'm trying to reboot the system, but it's a bloody relic."
Samuel grabbed Harold's shoulder, turning him around. "Do you have a map of the Thermus? Anything that shows us where to go?"
Harold's face twisted into a grimace. "A map? Samuel, this place seems like it hasn't been operational for decades. Most of the data I'm pulling is corrupted—or missing entirely."
"Then find it!" Samuel snapped, glancing over his shoulder at the barricaded gate. The pounding from the Steel Knight's assault reverberated through the room, each blow shaking dust from the ceiling.
"You think I'm not trying?" Harold retorted. He gestured to one of the tech specialists. "Ryan, focus on getting the schematics online! If we can find the mainframe—"
Ryan nodded, typing furiously. "I've got partial data feeds coming through. Main power is offline, but auxiliary systems might still be active deeper in."
Samuel's jaw tightened. "Where?"
"There's a maintenance sublevel a few hundred meters from here," Ryan said, his voice shaking. "If we can get there, we might restore some functionality."
"Might?" Samuel growled.
Harold stepped between them. "It's the best shot we've got, Samuel. Unless you want to stay here and wait for that thing to turn us into paste."
Samuel exhaled sharply, forcing himself to focus. "Fine. Harold, take Ryan and a team to that sublevel. Get the power online and pull whatever data you can."
"And you?" Harold asked.
Samuel's eyes flicked to the men reinforcing the gate. "I'll hold the line here. If that thing breaches, we'll buy you as much time as we can."
Harold hesitated. "You better not get yourself killed, Samuel."
Samuel smirked faintly. "Wouldn't dream of it. Now go."
Harold slung his gun to his back, the gestures to the squad
"On me"
The squad moved with precision, their training evident in the way they kept their formation tight, eyes scanning every shadow. The flickering emergency lights overhead cast erratic, strobe-like flashes that made every movement seem larger, more menacing.
Harold the small squad deeper into the Thermus, their footsteps echoing in the dim corridors. Emergency lights flickered weakly, casting eerie shadows on the walls. The air was thick with the smell of rust and decay, and every creak of metal set their nerves on edge.
Ryan stopped abruptly, studying his handheld scanner. "This way," he said, gesturing toward a narrow passage. "The sublevel access point should be just ahead."
Harold nodded, motioning for the squad to follow. "Keep your eyes open. This place feels…wrong."
As they pressed on, a distant rumble echoed behind them. Harold glanced back, his stomach twisting. He could only hope Samuel and the others were still holding the gate.
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Back at the barricade, the pounding on the blast doors intensified. Each thunderous impact sent vibrations through the floor, the steel groaning under the relentless assault. Soldiers exchanged nervous glances, their faces pale beneath their helmets.
"CAPTAIN!" a soldier shouted, his voice edged with panic. "The door's not going to hold much longer!"
Samuel stood firm, his Havok Mk-V siege cannon resting heavily in his grip. He clenched his jaw, the weight of leadership pressing down on him as heavily as the cannon in his hands. "Then we make our stand here," he barked. "All units, prepare to engage! This is where we hold them!"
The men moved quickly, snapping into position. Rifles were raised, turrets adjusted, and the hum of power cells charging filled the air. The tension was palpable, each soldier gripping their weapon like it was their last hope. Samuel paced the line, his voice sharp and commanding. "Remember your training! Stay focused! We've fought worse and survived. Today will be no different!"
The pounding on the doors reached a crescendo, the steel bending inward, cracks spiderwebbing across its surface. Every man braced for what was coming.
With a deafening BOOM, the blast doors exploded inward, a rain of shrapnel showering the room. Soldiers instinctively ducked, shields snapping up to protect them from the lethal debris. When the smoke began to clear, the monstrous Steel Knight gazes through the broken gate behind it surged the grotesque horde. The sight of them sent a chill through even the most battle-hardened soldiers. They howled and shrieked, their twisted, deformed bodies moving with unnatural speed, their once-human faces contorted into monstrous visages.
Samuel didn't hesitate. "OPEN FIRE!" he roared, pulling the trigger of the Havok Mk-V.
The cannon's blast was deafening, its recoil slamming into Samuel's shoulder as it launched a massive energy bolt directly at the Steel Knight
The room descended into chaos. Bullets, lasers, and plasma bolts lit up the smoke-filled air like fireworks. The soldiers fought valiantly, their shouts mixing with the guttural roars of the enemy. Men fell, their bodies crumpling under the relentless assault, but their comrades held the line
Samuel fired another blast, the energy bolt ripping through the horde
You better be close, Harold," he muttered under his breath. "Because we can't hold this much longer."
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We cut back to Harold as the air grew colder as they moved deeper, the chill biting through their armor. The walls around them seemed to close in, streaked with grime and rust, whispers of a forgotten era of industry. Each step felt heavier, the weight of the Thermus pressing on them like an unseen force.
They turned a corner, and the passage opened up slightly, revealing a rusted metal door embedded in the wall. It was ajar, its hinges groaning softly as it swayed with some unseen draft. Harold raised a clenched fist, signaling the squad to halt.
"Ryan, is this it?"
Ryan nodded, his scanner flashing green. "This should lead us to the sublevel. But…" He hesitated, glancing at Harold.
"But what?" Harold asked, his tone sharp.
Ryan swallowed hard. "I'm picking up faint energy signatures inside. Could be residual, but…could also be something else."
Harold's jaw tightened. "Great. Just what we need." He drew his sidearm, its barrel gleaming faintly in the dim light. "Alright, weapons ready. We don't go in blind. Move in pairs, cover each other's six."
The squad shifted into position, their rifles raised, the air tense with anticipation. Harold took point, his footsteps deliberate as he approached the door.
"On three," he whispered. "One…two…three."
He shoved the door open with his shoulder, the metal groaning loudly in protest. The squad surged forward, weapons trained on the dimly lit interior. The room beyond was vast, filled with towering machinery and endless rows of conveyor belts, now long dormant.
The air was heavy, laden with a metallic tang that made it hard to breathe. Shadows danced on the walls as the flickering lights cast erratic patterns.
"Clear," someone whispered, though their voice carried little confidence.
Harold stepped inside, his eyes scanning the room. "Ryan, find the console. If there's any data left, we need it."
Ryan moved quickly to a nearby terminal, his fingers flying over the cracked keyboard. The hum of ancient machinery came alive, a faint glow illuminating his face.
Behind them, the shadows seemed to shift, coalescing into something unnatural. One of the soldiers at the rear froze, his voice trembling.
"Sir…we've got movement."
Harold immediately spun around, his instincts on high alert. His eyes narrowed as he scanned the darkness. The shadows seemed alive, unifying and shifting with an eerie, unnatural rhythm, as if something—or somethings—were lurking just beyond sight.
"Turn on night vision," Harold ordered, his voice low and steady despite the tension in the air.
The soldiers around him fumbled with their helmets, activating the night vision mode. The dim corridor sprang into sharp relief, the shadows receding to reveal the grotesque truth hidden within the darkness.
Then, from the shadows, they saw it—an ancient knight in rusted armor, its form barely discernible in the dim light. The eerie figure stood motionless at first, but something about its presence sent a chill through the soldiers.
"What the—?" Harold was dumbfounded, his voice tinged with disbelief.
Harold's eyes snapped to the figure, his instincts on high alert. The knight shifted, its metal creaking as it moved with a disturbing, unnatural grace.
"FIRE!" Harold barked, his voice slicing through the tension.
The sound of Harold's command sliced through the air, but before anyone could respond, the ancient knight's movements grew swift and deliberate, its rusted armor scraping against itself like a warning. The grotesque figure was closing the distance faster than anyone anticipated.
"FIRE!" Harold shouted again, urgency creeping into his voice. His hand shot up to steady his rifle, a burst of gunfire echoing down the corridor.
The bullets struck the figure, but the ancient knight barely flinched. It moved like a wraith, its movements fluid despite the heavy armor
The soldiers' guns roared, their bullets striking the knight with brutal force—one piercing through its chest, another grazing its helmet. For a moment, the figure faltered, then stopped, standing eerily still in the wake of the gunfire.
A hollow voice echoed from the knight, carrying an unnatural resonance.
"For centuries, I have wandered the line between
N̵͚͈̗͇̻̾̄̉͛͝͝͝ͅy̸̢̼̣̩͇̹̻̟̗̤̣͍̿͌x̵̡̤̯̥̭̱̆̑̄̏̕ͅä̶̢͔̞̲̻̘̩̝̩͇̅͌͂̉̒ŗ̷͈̝̫̮͔̍͑́͒̽̋͐̍̑̄͐͜͝͠o̶̡̹̖̹̞̻̹̗̐̇͜͝͝t̶̨̛̘̼͎̒͗͐̿̉͠h̸̢̲̠͔͙͉̗́͋̑
and
Ḩ̴̛͓̞̳̇͑̈́̍͗̏̉̉̂̌͠ơ̴̢̢̜͕̱̘̹͈̻̹̫̎͆̏́̅̑̉͜ͅl̴̛̛̥̦͎̘̤͇̠̝̮̦̇́̀̄̓͆͊̿͂̆̚͜ͅe̷̩͑ḿ̵̡̨̛̜̟̪͙̠̞̳͎̭̞͗͜s̵̗̞̩̦͔͚͎̙͙̱͍̪̻̤̠̋̉i̵̡̻̜̓̄́͒̓͒̍̑̏͘r̴̻̗͉̤͔̹̂̚̚͜͝ͅȩ̷̭̪̱̞̺͍̀̐̔ͅ," it intoned, each word thick with ancient power.
Harold's heart skipped a beat, the name of the dimensions unfamiliar yet somehow foreboding. The air around them seemed to thicken, and every soldier instinctively took a step back.
The knight then lifted its rusted sword with a deliberate, ominous motion, bringing it to rest before its face. The air seemed to pulse with an electric charge as the figure gripped the sword tightly, the metal creaking under its unholy strength.
"So bear witness," the knight continued, its voice turning to a growl, "to the flames of ███████."
In an instant, a blinding light erupted from the sword and the knight's skull, both glowing like twin stars streaking across the heavens. The light was overwhelming, searing their eyes, the heat radiating from it nearly unbearable.
Harold's mind raced—this was no mere enemy. It was a harbinger, something far beyond their comprehension.