The stairs spiraled down into darkness.
The air grew thick, saturated with the scent of old metal, ozone, and something fouler—rot and memory woven into each breath.
Ada moved ahead, rifle raised, its barrel sweeping left to right.
Every step echoed back a half-second too late, like something else was walking just behind them.
"Keep an eye on your six," she muttered. Her voice was barely audible, but Vega responded with a subtle nod, her pistol steady in both hands.
They moved like that for minutes, maybe more.
Time distorted underground.
The descent ended at a rusted bulkhead.
Ada tested the console.
Dead. She pried the panel open and hotwired the lock with a practiced flick of her wrist.
The door groaned open.
Inside was a control hub—what remained of one.
Terminals blinked in erratic patterns.
Wires hung like vines. In the center stood a broken cryo-chamber, split down the middle.
Vega stepped closer, eyes narrowed. "Something was kept here. Not stored. Contained."
Ada's jaw tightened. "And it got out."
Just then, her system pulsed. [HOSTILE SIGNAL DETECTED. PROXIMITY: CLOSE.]
Vega didn't wait.
She moved to the shadows, taking position behind a toppled support strut.
Something scraped in the hallway behind them.
Then again. Closer.
Ada dropped to a knee, rifle braced. "Don't fire unless it charges."
A figure limped into view. Human-shaped.
Almost. Its flesh shimmered like oil on water. Its mouth split unnaturally wide, and it shrieked—a sound like teeth on glass.
The creature lunged.
Ada fired three times. Vega two.
The body collapsed in a twitching heap.
Smoke curled from its neck.
But the system pulsed again.
[SECOND SIGNAL DETECTED. PROXIMITY: IMMINENT.]
Vega swore under her breath. "It's not alone."
Before they could reposition, vents overhead burst open.
Another creature dropped—this one faster, leaner. It landed between them.
Ada spun, striking it with the butt of her rifle.
Vega stabbed with her utility knife, catching it in the side. Blood—not quite blood—splashed the floor.
The thing shrieked again, but Vega didn't hesitate. She twisted the blade and kicked.
Ada finished it with a close-range shot.
Silence returned, humming and fragile.
They stood breathing hard, weapons ready.
Then, Vega looked over.
"You okay?"
Ada nodded, then hesitated. "You?"
Vega's lips twitched. "Better now."
They shared a glance—tight, silent, understanding. And then Ada's system flashed again.
[LOCKED DOOR DETECTED. BELOW: DEEP STORAGE.]
Vega stepped beside her, reading the text.
"Wanna go deeper?"
Ada gave a dry chuckle. "When have we ever turned back?"
The floor groaned beneath them.
They hadn't noticed the hatch before. Now, it creaked open.
Blackness stared up from below.