Page 52 of Alien Healer's Touch

"But then something went wrong," Selene said, pointing to a new section of text. "The Great Division." The records detailed how a faction of Nyxari sought to weaponize the technology, to use it for control rather than healing. The conflict had torn my civilization apart, leading to the technological regression my people had endured for generations.

"There's more," I said, reaching a section about the facility itself. "This place wasn't just for healing or knowledge transfer. It tapped into immense energy sources... look at these core readings."

Selene leaned closer, her eyes widening at the complex energy schematics displayed. "That's power on a scale far beyond anything theSeraphynepossessed. What was itfor?"

"The texts are fragmented here," I scanned the damaged records, "but it mentions... 'stabilization'... 'resonance harmonics'... perhaps related to the facility's own power core, or something larger?" I paused as a disturbing connection formed. "These energy signatures... they react erratically when exposed to the kind of interference patterns Hammond's artifact experiments likely create."

"So his tampering could be causing power surges or feedback loops within this ancient network?" Selene asked, understanding dawning. "Disrupting systems he doesn't comprehend? Could that be connected to the worsening tremors?"

"It's possible," I admitted grimly. "He's meddling with forces far beyond his understanding, focused only on the markings as weapons, blind to the energy systems they interface with."

A blaring alarm cut through our discovery. The damaged guardian appeared in the doorway, its core flashing bright red again, faster this time. "Emergency protocols engaged. Facility lockdown initiated." The door behind the guardian sealed shut with a heavy thud.

"We need to save this information," Selene said urgently, her eyes darting around the failing control center, scanning consoles and debris.

"Save it how?" I asked, watching the water rise and the guardian advance, its movements still jerky but undeniably menacing. "With what?"

"There must be something... some kind of storage..." Her gaze landed on a partially shattered console nearby. She splashed through the knee-deep water, rummaging quickly through the exposed components.

"Here!" She held up a small, intact crystalline shard, its facets catching the emergency lights. "Maybe this?"

I recognized the crystal structure as similar to memory devices from the ancient texts, but its specific function was unclear. "Selene, even if thatisa data crystal, we have no way to access it back at the settlement. Our technology is incompatible."

"Maybe not now," she countered, quickly finding a port on the main terminal that accepted the crystal. She inserted it, and the console flared as it initiated a transfer. "But this knowledge is too important to lose! Maybe Rivera can figure it out later, or we'll find something else. We have to try!"

Water swirled around our thighs as sections of the facility began sealing themselves off with metallic groans. The guardian advanced, its movements jerky but its intent clear.

"Selene, forget the transfer!" I urged, searching the walls desperately for an escape route. "We need to find another way out. Now!"

She glanced at the screen, then scanned the flooding chamber. "Almost... The data transfer is at sixty percent. We can't leave without it!"

I scanned the walls, ignoring the advancing automaton for the moment... "There," I said, spotting a subtle difference in the wall pattern behind a half-submerged console. "That section doesn't match the rest of the chamber design."

Selene squinted at where I pointed. "You're right. The pattern breaks there." She waded through the rising water, now at our knees, placing her hands against the wall. Her markings illuminated, responding to something within the structure.

"There's a panel here," she said. "I can feel it.” Her fingers traced a complex pattern, and a hidden door slid open, revealing a narrow vertical shaft.

"An emergency evacuation route," I confirmed. "It should lead toward the surface."

The guardian lurched forward, sending a blast of energy that struck the console beside Selene. She ducked back, retrieving the data crystal as the console sparked and died.

"Got it! Ninety-three percent transferred."

"It will have to do. Into the shaft, now!"

The water reached our waists as Selene climbed into the narrow passage. I followed immediately behind, my larger frame barely fitting through the opening. The shaft contained metal rungs embedded in the wall, leading upward into darkness.

"Climb!" I urged as water poured into the shaft from below. We ascended rapidly, the sound of rushing water growing louder beneath us. The shaft occasionally branched into side passages, but I kept us moving upward, guided by subtle variations in air temperature that indicated proximity to the surface.

"The water's rising faster than we can climb," Selene called down to me.

She was right. Despite our pace, the floodwater gained on us, now only a few meters below my feet. The temperature in the shaft increased notably, steam beginning to rise around us.

"We're approaching a geothermal zone," I realized. "These shafts must connect to the natural hot springs near the surface."

"Great, so we either drown or get boiled alive?"

"Not quite." I pointed upward where the shaft widened into a natural cave formation. "The ancient builders incorporated the planet's natural systems into their designs. These channels regulate temperature through geyser activity."

---