Page 36 of Alien Hunter's Prize

Further down the corridor, we encountered another hazard.

"Energy arc ahead!" Jen warned suddenly, pulling me back just as I was about to step forward. "Between those two damaged conduits!"

I looked where she indicated. Two massive conduits on opposite walls sparked erratically, the air between them shimmering with intense heat and contained energy. As we watched, a blinding arc of raw power leaped between them, bathing the corridor in searing white light. The discharge lasted only a second, but the heat washed over us even from a distance, and the smell of ozone was sharp and acrid.

"Another feedback loop," Jen analyzed, her voice tight. "Uncontrolled energy discharge. It seems cyclical."

"Can you predict the timing?" I asked, assessing the gap. We needed to pass that point to continue.

She closed her eyes, concentrating, her markings pulsing faintly. "The energy builds... then discharges. The cycle is irregular, but... yes. There's a brief window after each discharge. Maybe five seconds."

"Five seconds," Nirako muttered behind us. "Barely enough time."

"It will have to be," I stated. "We move immediately after the next discharge. Nirako, you follow me. Jen, stay tight behind Nirako. Pravoka, cover our rear and follow last. Move fast, do not hesitate."

We waited, muscles tense, watching the sparking conduits. The energy built visibly, the air crackling. Then, another blinding arc leaped across the corridor.

"Now!" I commanded, sprinting forward the instant the discharge faded.

We moved as one, adrenaline lending speed to our movements. We dashed across the danger zone, the heat still radiating from the stone, the smell of ozone thick in the air. Just as Pravoka cleared the area, another arc erupted behind us, striking the spot where we had been standing moments before.

We paused further down the corridor, catching our breath.

"Too close," Pravoka grunted, wiping sweat from his brow.

"Jen's senses saved us again," Nirako acknowledged, looking at her with open respect now.

Jen simply nodded, her focus already shifting ahead, scanning for the next danger. Her resilience continued to astound me.

The corridor finally opened into a large chamber, different from the others. This felt less like a functional part of the facility and more like a dedicated control room. Consoles lined the walls, their surfaces dark save for one, larger than the others, which flickered with faint, scrolling symbols. Crystalline panels embedded in the walls displayed complex, shifting patterns of light—blues, greens, reds—that seemed to respond to the facility's overall energy state, a visual representation of the chaos.

And in the center of the room, embedded in the floor beneath a protective, transparent dome—now cracked and clouded with age and grime—was a flat, crystalline display panel. It glowed with a faint internal light, ancient Nyxari symbols scrolling slowly across its surface like a forgotten language whispering secrets.

"A control terminal," Jen breathed, her voice filled with a mixture of awe and apprehension. "It's still active."

We approached cautiously, weapons ready, scanning the shadowed corners of the chamber. Nirako and Pravoka took up defensive positions near the entrance, their gazes sweeping the room for any sign of automated defenses or hidden threats.The air around the terminal hummed with concentrated energy, stronger than the ambient dissonance of the corridors.

"Can you interpret it?" I asked Jen, keeping my voice low.

She moved closer, studying the flowing symbols without touching the surface. Her markings pulsed gently, resonating with the terminal's energy.

"It's... a system status display," she confirmed after a moment. "Similar to what I accessed before, but more detailed. Showing real-time diagnostics... Most systems are critical. Multiple containment failures... power fluctuations off the scale..." Her brow furrowed. "It's also showing network status. Trying to connect to other nodes... receiving no response."

"Confirming the network failure," I murmured.

"Is it safe to interact with?" I asked again, my protective instincts warring with the need for information. Watching her interface with the Harmony Circle had been one thing; this felt infinitely more dangerous, closer to the core's instability.

Jen hesitated, her gaze locked on the scrolling symbols. "I don't know," she admitted. "The energy signature is strong, but... structured. It feels passive, like it's just displaying data, requesting input." She looked at me, uncertainty in her eyes, but also a spark of scientific curiosity that even this dangerous environment couldn't extinguish. "It might hold crucial information. Stabilization protocols. Weaknesses in the core's feedback loop."

I felt her internal debate—fear versus the drive to understand, to find a solution.

"A limited connection only," I cautioned firmly, echoing my earlier warning. "Read the status, gather key information, but do not attempt a full interface. If you feel any resistance, any invasive energy, disconnect immediately. Understood?"

She nodded, taking a deep, centering breath. "Understood. Limited connection. Just reading."

She extended her hand slowly toward the terminal, her fingers trembling almost imperceptibly. I moved to stand directly beside her, my hand hovering near her shoulder, ready to pull her back, ready to sever the connection physically if necessary. Nirako and Pravoka shifted, their attention fixed on us, weapons held ready.

Jen placed her fingertips lightly on the cool, crystalline surface of the dome.

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