Page 40 of Marked By the Bounty Hunter

We pressed on, following the trail of conveniently malfunctioning systems. A door that should have been sealed stood open just enough to let us slip through. Securityfeeds showed endless loops of empty corridors. Even the environmental sensors stayed quiet as we passed.

“Your friend has been busy,” Tyrix murmured.

“He knows what’s at stake.” I checked another junction. “People have been disappearing from maintenance crews for months. Odra’s been connecting the dots - the missing workers, the strange power fluctuations, the sealed-off sections. Now they finally know who’s responsible.”

The tunnel opened into a broader service corridor. Signs of recent activity marked the walls - new power conduits put into old systems, strange equipment humming behind makeshift panels. The station’s guts transformed into something alien and wrong.

A wave of dizziness hit without warning. I caught myself against the wall, cursing silently as my fingers trembled against the metal.

Tyrix’s hand settled on my shoulder, steady and warm. He didn’t speak, didn’t try to stop me. Just offered silent support until the moment passed.

“I’m-”

“Don’t say it.” His fingers tightened briefly. “We keep moving.”

The central chamber lay ahead, its massive doors sealed with security protocols that should have taken hours to crack. But Odra’s people had been here too. The control panel blinked green as we approached, and the doors slid open quietly.

“Gods.”

The chamber stretched upward into shadow, its circular walls lined with stasis units. Each pod held a child, suspended in artificial sleep while the Consortium’s modifications worked through their systems. The sight hit like a physical blow - all those young lives twisted into something they were never meant to be.

Dr. Gondon moved immediately to the central platform, her equipment already spreading across the synthesis station. “Starting initial calibration now. Watch those readings.”

I circled the outer ring, checking each stasis unit. Netu’s silver skin had dulled to ash, but her fingertips still pulsed with weak bioluminescence. The Poraki children’s scales showed hints of purple beneath their natural iridescence. Even the tiny Merrith, usually so quick and clever, lay unnaturally still.

A sound from above made me freeze. Soft scraping, barely audible over the hum of equipment. I looked up to see a ceiling panel shift slightly.

“We have company,” I murmured.

Tyrix’s weapon appeared in his hand, but I shook my head. “Friendly. Odra’s people.”

The panel lifted away, revealing a Merrith worker’s delicate features. More panels shifted, a network of helpers emerging from the station’s hidden spaces.

“Four teams,” the first Merrith whispered, their large eyes reflecting both fear and determination. “Odra told us there were children. We didn’t know... we didn’t realize...” They steadied themselves. “We’ll get them out through the maintenance shafts. Just tell us what you need.”

I nodded. “Start with the stable ones. We’ll handle-”

A warning light flashed on Dr. Gondon’s console. “Security breach in the main corridor. They’re early.”

“I’ll handle it.” Tyrix moved to the chamber entrance, melting into shadow with predatory grace.

I turned back to the stasis units, trying to ignore the sounds of combat from the corridor. Focus on the task. One child at a time.

The first disconnections went smoothly. Dr. Gondon called out vital signs while I helped the Merrith workers detach support systems.

The lead Merrith worker froze at the first stasis unit, delicate hands pressing against the glass. “Stars above...” Their large eyes went wide with horror. “We thought... we assumed they’d been taken off-station. Not this. Never this.” The others gathered close, their usual fluid movements turned jerky with shock.

I gave them a moment to process what they were seeing. Sometimes understanding comes too late, but it comes with purpose.

Our helpers formed a living chain, passing each child up through the ceiling access points with incredible efficiency.

Then we reached Netu’s pod.

“This is wrong.” Dr. Gondon’s skin rippled with agitation as she studied the readouts. “The neural patterns... they’ve modified her stasis protocols. A standard shutdown could kill her.”

“What do we need?”

“Manual override. But I can’t leave the synthesis.” Her hands moved quickly across the controls. “The compound is at a critical stage.”

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