Chapter 07 The Countdown

The security hub turned into a war zone in an instant. The deafening roar of automatic gunfire filled the room as bullets tore into the advancing creature, sending shards of crystal and blackened tissue splattering against the walls.

But it didn’t stop.

The monstrosity lurched forward, its crystal claws slicing through the air. One of the mercenaries—stationed closest to the breach—barely managed to sidestep as a crystalline talon sliced through the air where his chest had been a second ago. The sheer force of the swing sent him sprawling onto the floor, but he scrambled back, rifle still clutched in his hands.

"FALL BACK!" Conor barked, unloading another burst of fire into the creature’s twisted form. The bullets chipped away at its crystal-plated skin, forcing it to recoil, but not enough to bring it down.

Then, an ear-splitting shriek erupted from deep within its throat, rattling the monitors and making Ichiban flinch.

Ichiban clenched her jaw, her fingers moving across the keyboard. The network was fighting her, lagging, dying—but she was close. So close.

"JUST A LITTLE MORE!"

Kaiju pressed himself against the console, hands shaking. His face was pale, his breaths uneven. 

"We’re not gonna make it. They are coming for us," he muttered under his breath.

Conor reloaded in one swift motion, his voice deadly calm.

"Not if I can help it. Now, stay calm, Kaiju. And don't do anything stupid. Last thing we need is you panicking."

The ceiling groaned before cracking apart, and a second creature dropped into the room. This one was faster, smaller, its limbs moving like insect. The moment it landed, it pounced.

Conor barely had time to react before it slammed into him, sending them both crashing against a server rack. The man let out a strangled yell as sharp claws scraped against his armor, barely missing the flesh beneath. With a grunt, he pulled his slug shotgun and fired point-blank, the bullet slamming through the creature’s head. A splintered explosion of crystal shards burst outward as its body collapsed lifelessly to the floor.

Kaiju sucked in a breath, still wide-eyed.

"KAJU!" Ichiban shouted, her voice raw. 

"GET DOWN!"

Kaiju snapped out of his daze, barely managing to duck as another crystalline claw slashed where his head had been moments before. He dove behind the console, panting.

"STATUS?!" Conor barked, still firing.

Ichiban wiped the sweat from her brow, her hands moving faster than ever. The holographic map of Helios-9 flickered wildly as her access spread through the corrupted system.

Then—

ACCESS GRANTED. CODE RED OVERRIDE INITIATED.

She slammed her palm against the console.

"IT’S DONE! We have ten minutes to get out of here! Let's move!"

A mechanical siren blared through the facility. The emergency lockdown had begun. Red warning lights flashed across every hallway and sector, and deep within Helios-9, charges planted in key locations armed themselves. The countdown had begun.

Conor glanced at the monitors, then at Ichiban, "What now? Can we still use the evacuation elevators to reach the surface?!"

 She took a breath, steadying herself, before speaking.

“No. The whole facility is in full lockdown. Every single access point is sealed—blast doors, security gates, all of it. We have ten minutes before the charges detonate. The facility is sealing itself, every emergency protocol is kicking in. Once the countdown reaches zero, all pre-set demolition charges will detonate, collapsing every support pillar holding the facility. The entire Helios-9 facility is going to fall into concrete tomb—nothing gets in, nothing gets out."

 “And we get out how?”

Ichiban tapped a command, bringing up a 3D map of the facility. A single exit route still remained open. 

“One maintenance tunnel in Sector 3. It links to a staircase that leads to the surface, right by the main hallway near the main gates of Helios-9. The auto-lockdowns have fully sealed it off, but I can open the doors with the master code and my fingerprint. But we need to hurry—we have 20 levels to go up to reach the exit. And time is ticking."

Conor glanced at Ichiban for a moment, then he nodded. 

“I guess we need you alive to get out of this mess. You better stay that way.”

He turned to his men, who were laying down suppressing fire to keep the crystalline creatures at bay. The corridor outside the security hub was a chaotic storm of gunfire, screeches, and the sound of cracking crystal. 

“Listen up!” Conor shouted, “We’re retreating! Keep suppressive fire while backing away! Don’t let them get close!”

 They fired in controlled bursts, their bullets slamming into the creatures with sparking impacts, forcing them back. Conor reached for a grenade on his belt, pulling the pin. He hurled it toward the breached blast doors where the creatures had torn through.

One of the creatures caught the grenade mid-air with its clawed hand. It tilted its head, the glowing slits in its featureless face seeming to study the object for a moment. Then, with a deafening boom, the grenade detonated.

The explosion rocked the corridor, the force of it sending shards of crystal and debris flying in all directions. The creatures screeched, their crystalline bodies cracking and splintering under the blast. The hallway collapsed, the ceiling caving in and blocking the passage with a pile of rubble and twisted metal.

Conor turned to his men, “That won’t hold them for long. Move! Now!”

The group moved quickly, their footsteps echoing through the corridor as they followed Ichiban’s lead. The red emergency lights flickered, casting grotesque shadows on the walls as they ran. The sound of cracking crystal and distant roars echoed behind them, a reminder that the creatures were still out there—and they were getting closer.

As they reached the maintenance tunnel, Ichiban slammed her hand on the access panel, her fingers flying over the keys as she entered the master code. The doors hissed open, revealing a narrow, dimly lit passageway. The group surged inside, the mercenaries covering the entrance as the creatures began to claw their way through the rubble.

“Seal the doors! Now!” Conor shouted.

Ichiban didn’t need to be told twice. She slammed her hand on the control panel, the doors hissing shut just as a crystalline claw reached for them. The heavy blast doors locked with a resounding clang, the sound of the creatures’ enraged screeches muffled.

“We need to hurry. We have 20 levels to go.”

Lucky for them, the staircase was intact. The group moved quickly, their footsteps echoing through the narrow passage as they ascended the 20 levels to the surface. The sound of cracking crystal and screeching roars echoed from below.

Finally, they burst out of the staircase, emerging into the surface level of Helios-9. The main gates loomed ahead, their heavy steel frames a welcome sight after the horrors they had endured. Ichiban rushed to the control panel, her fingers sliding over the touchscreen as she entered the master code. The gates hissed open, revealing the outside world.

“Go! Go! Go!” Conor shouted.

 The mercenaries and Kaiju surged through the gates, their breaths coming in gasps as they stumbled into the open air. Ichiban was the last to step through, her hand still on the control panel as she initiated the lock down, doors slowly closing.

But just as she was about to run outside, she froze. Conor and his men were standing a few feet away, their rifles raised and pointed directly at her.