Chapter 06 The Security Hub

A shockwave of fire and debris erupted through the entrance, instantly swallowing whatever was clawing its way through. The force of the blast sent tremors through the floor, and for a moment, the entire room shuddered as if Helios-9 itself was crying out in agony.

The reinforced steel doors, already half-destroyed, crumpled inward as the ceiling above them collapsed, sending tons of rubble crashing down in a cascade of concrete and twisted metal.

The path behind them was sealed.

Ichiban shielded her face as the dust came through the room, coughing as the scent of burning circuitry and scorched crystal filled her lungs.

Kaiju stumbled, catching himself against the wall, wide-eyed.

 “Holy shit…”

Conor didn’t break stride. He adjusted his rifle, glancing at his squad. 

“No time to gawk. We have our route. Move, now! Before more of these creatures showed up.”

The squad fell into formation immediately, boots pounding against the floor as they pushed forward.

Ichiban swallowed hard and forced herself to follow. She didn’t know if that explosion had killed the creatures or just slowed them down. But one thing was certain—

If they didn’t make it to the Main Security Hub in time…

Nothing would stop this nightmare from spreading.

They ran through the same path the mercenaries had come from, their boots pounding against the floor. The air was thick with smoke and the distant, unnatural crackling of crystallization spreading through Helios-9, but for now, this section remained untouched.

As they rounded a corner, they stumbled upon a small group of scientists frantically shoving their way into an evacuation elevator. Panic and desperation filled the corridor as they fought to fit inside, shoving and clawing at each other.

“Move, move—there’s room!” one of them screamed, but the others inside the elevator were already slamming at the controls.

“It’s past weight limit! Get lost! Wait your turn!” a man inside barked, shoving another scientist backward.

“NO! PLEASE! DON’T—”

The elevator doors slammed shut, sealing off the ones inside. The abandoned scientists pounded on the metal, screaming in terror. Then, with a sharp cling, the sound of the elevator locking into motion echoed through the corridor.

And then the doors exploded.

A sudden, violent eruption of crystal spikes burst from the shaft, splitting through steel like glass shattering under pressure. The crystallization spread outward in an instant, spikes of gleaming red piercing through the scientists who had been left behind.

Their screams were drowned out by the sickening sound of flesh being ripped apart. Gore and shards of crystal shot outward in a brutal cascade, slicing through the air like deadly projectiles. Limbs twisted, bodies were impaled—what was left of them was unrecognizable, reduced to nothing but grotesque statues of organic matter fused with crystal.

Ichiban turned her gaze away. Her hands curled into trembling fists, anger and sorrow boiling inside her.

Kaiju swallowed hard, but there was no time to grieve. He pointed down another corridor, his voice rising in urgency.

“This way! It’s a shortcut—hurry!”

They veered sharply, following him down a dimly lit passage. The air felt heavier here, as if the facility itself was suffocating under the weight of what had been unleashed.

Finally, they reached their destination. The Security Hub.

The moment they burst inside, Ichiban’s heart pounded with relief. It was intact. No signs of crystallization. The walls, consoles, and equipment remained untouched, glowing softly under the sterile fluorescent lights.

“We’re clear,” Conor muttered, scanning the room with his rifle raised. 

“For now, at least.”

Ichiban wasted no time. She ran straight to the main terminal, sliding into the chair. The holographic maps of Helios-9 flickered to life before her, fragmented and glitching from the corruption spreading through the system.

She typed rapidly, bypassing the emergency firewalls. The moment she saw the state of the network, she slammed her fist against the console.

“Damn it! It’s worse than I thought! The network is damaged! Way more than I expected! I can still do it, but it’s going to take time! Time we don't have!”

“How much?” Conor demanded.

“At least ten minutes to reroute everything and override the security fail safes! That’s just to even begin the Code Red sequence! I need more than that!”

Conor turned to his squad without hesitation.

“Then we hold this position as long as we need,” he ordered.

 “If those things show up, we make sure they don’t get in. No matter what.”

The mercenaries took positions, rifles at the ready. A deep, distant rumble vibrated through the facility and in the dim glow of the security monitors, something moved.

The security monitors flickered and glitched, distorted images cutting in and out. Fractured video feeds from the lower levels flashed across the screens—shadowed corridors filled with grotesque, crystalline masses pulsating and growing.

Then, movement.

One by one, cameras displayed distorted glimpses of creatures crawling through the facility, their twisted forms slithering through vents, dragging their clawed limbs across metal walls, leaving deep gouges in their wake. Some walked, their spindly bodies twisting unnaturally, others moved on all fours like hunting beasts. Their glowing fissures pulsed like dying embers, and worst of all—they were moving upward. Toward them.

“Shit…” Kaiju whispered, his eyes locked on the monitors.

 “They’re coming. Fast!”

Conor clicked his tongue in irritation. 

“Figures. Nothing’s ever easy.” 

He turned sharply toward his men. 

“Positions, now!”

The squad immediately fanned out, taking defensive spots by the doorways and cover points. Rifles were raised, safeties off, fingers tensed on triggers. The room fell into a tense silence, only broken by the distant sound of metal creaking—

And something scraping against the walls.

Ichiban’s heart pounded, but she forced herself to focus.

No distractions. Just work.

She pushed deeper into the system, bypassing corrupted nodes, rerouting security clearances. The mainframe fought back, slowed by the encroaching crystallization. Every key press felt sluggish, like she was trying to push through quicksand.

A red warning flashed on the holographic map.

Critical Network Instability. Structural Collapse Detected in Sector 7.

She gritted her teeth. 

"Shit! Not good!"

“Ichiban! Status!?” Conor snapped.

“I’m working on it! The network’s barely holding together—this thing’s eating through the systems like a goddamn virus! I need at least five more minutes!”

“Sir. We might not have five minutes. I think we have guests,” one of the mercenaries muttered, staring at the entrance.

Because something was there.

The door to the corridor gave a metallic groan as a sharp, spear-like crystal slowly pushed through the seam, cutting through the reinforced steel like it was butter.

A low, inhuman chittering sound followed, vibrating through the air like nails scraping glass. Then another crystal pierced through the metal, splitting it further.

And then, a clawed limb wrapped around the edge.

A single, hollow thud echoed as something massive pressed against the door.

And then, silence.

Conor’s jaw tightened. He raised his rifle, eyes narrowing.

“…Get ready.”

The steel buckled.

The door exploded inward.

A wave of crystalline shards shot into the room as the monstrous entity forced its way through. Its elongated form was twisted and jagged, a grotesque fusion of flesh and crystal. It had no eyes—only deep, glowing cracks running along its chitinous face. Its head twitched unnaturally, cocking to the side as if listening.

Then it lunged.

“OPEN FIRE!” Conor roared.