Page 30 of Marked By the Bounty Hunter

“Here.” I pressed my palm against a seemingly solid wall panel. The hidden compartment clicked open, revealing neatly packed survival gear.

Nalina studied the equipment as I laid it out. “That’s some serious hardware for a ‘basic’ survival kit.”

“I like being prepared.” I pulled out two respirator masks, checking the seals. The units were compact but efficient - designed to filter toxins and provide supplemental oxygen in compromised environments.

“Let me adjust yours.” I held up the smaller mask. “The oxygen mix needs to be higher for humans.”

She stepped closer, and my fingers brushed her neck as I fitted the straps. Her pulse jumped beneath my touch.

“How thoughtful,” she said. “Wouldn’t want me passing out down there.”

“That would be inconvenient.” I kept my voice neutral, though my own heart rate had picked up. Focus. “Check the schematics while I test the rest.”

She pulled out her tablet, the screen’s glow highlighting the curves of her face. “Access point is two levels down. But the schematics are blank here.” She frowned. “Like something’s blocking the signal. But that shouldn’t be possible - these are hardwired maintenance systems.”

I studied the darkness ahead. “Someone’s gone to a lot of trouble to hide this section.”

“The access codes should still work though.” She input the sequence Jevik had given us. “Even if we’re going in blind.”

I checked the seals on our emergency lights, the backup power cells, the climbing gear. Everything we might need in the darkness below. What I wanted to say was: Stay here. Let me handle this. But I knew better.

“Ready?” she asked, still studying the tablet.

“Almost.” I hesitated. “Nalina...”

She looked up, eyes narrowing. “Don’t even think about suggesting I stay behind.”

“Wouldn’t dream of it.” I shouldered the pack. “Just... stay close.”

The maintenance shaft entrance groaned as I entered Jevik’s access codes. Ancient mechanisms ground to life, revealing a tunnel that plunged into darkness. The air that whispered up from below carried traces of ozone and something else - something that shouldn’t be there.

“That’s not right.” Nalina frowned. “These sections should be completely stagnant. But the air’s moving.”

“Moving, but not breathable,” I noted, checking our rebreather seals again. The chemical traces in the air had shiftedfrom stale to actively toxic. “Something down here is circulating atmosphere, but not cleaning it.”

We descended in silence, our lights catching glimpses of corroded infrastructure. Pipes leaked unknown fluids. Wiring hung in tangles from damaged panels. But beneath the decay, newer modifications caught my eye - power taps spliced into ancient systems, data lines running through gaps in the walls.

A strange scratching sound echoed through the tunnel ahead. I held up my hand, signaling Nalina to stop. The noise grew louder, more organized. Multiple sources moving with purpose.

Then they swarmed out of the darkness.

Razor voles.

Station vermin - every station had some variation - but these were wrong. Mutated. Generations of breeding in darkness and radiation had changed them. Their eyes were huge, milky orbs. Extra limbs sprouted from twisted bodies. But worse than their appearance was their behavior. They moved as one, coordinated, intelligent.

“Well,” Nalina said. “That’s deeply disturbing.”

The first wave of voles launched themselves at us. I met them with blade and boot, their mutated flesh parting under my strikes. Three came at once - I caught one with my knife, kicked another into the wall, ducked as the third sailed over my head.

Nalina’s shock prod crackled in the darkness. She moved with deadly grace, each strike precise and powerful.

But then she stumbled, just for a moment.

The hesitation nearly cost her. Another creature lunged for her exposed side, but my blade found its throat before it could connect. I stayed close after that, our backs pressed together as more vermin poured from the walls.

The battle became a blur of motion and violence. The creatures seemed endless, pouring from hidden tunnels in thewalls. They clicked and chittered in some horrible language, coordinating their attacks with unnatural intelligence.

I fought my way to Nalina’s side, worried by her momentary lapse, but she was moving again. Was it just my imagination?

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