Kael gritted his teeth, pouring every ounce of desperate strength into the rusted wheel lock. Sweat mingled with the grime on his face. The metal groaned under the strain, a high-pitched screech that seemed impossibly loud in the confines of the drainpipe. He ignored the protesting ache in his shoulders and back, focusing on the weakest point The Loom had identified near the four o'clock position, hammering at it with a jagged piece of concrete he'd found until his hand was numb. Metal shrieked against metal. He heaved again. With an earsplitting final groan, the mechanism gave way, the wheel spinning loosely in his grip. Heavy bolts audibly retracted within the hatch.
He pulled. The thick steel door resisted for a moment, sealed tight by pressure or time, then cracked open with a hiss of escaping air. It smelled sterile, filtered, tinged with the sharp scent of ozone and hot metal – a world away from the choking stench of the drain. Harsh white emergency lights striping a narrow corridor within stabbed at his eyes. The low, powerful thrumming he'd felt through the wall intensified into an almost subsonic vibration that resonated deep in his bones.
Heart pounding, Kael squeezed through the opening. He found himself in a service corridor, perhaps two meters wide. Walls tiled in a utilitarian, slightly grimy white; pipes, conduits, and data cables snaked along the ceiling; the floor was grated metal. The air hummed with latent energy, tasting clean but strangely dead. Compared to the organic decay of the drain, it felt like stepping inside a machine. He quickly, quietly pulled the heavy hatch shut behind him. It sealed with a solid, echoing thud, locking him inside. The sterile white emergency lights seemed unnervingly bright after the total darkness.
The Loom flared instantly, assessing the new environment. [Environment Analysis: Service Tunnel Delta-7 - Atmosphere: Filtered, High Oxygen Content (Trace Noble Gases Detected) - Ambient Temperature: 18°C - Radiation Levels: Elevated (Metaphysical Spectrum - Contained) - Active Internal Sensors Detected (Motion, Thermal, Resonance - Configuration: Low Sensitivity Patrol Setting?) - Internal Warding Field Detected (Low Intensity - Pattern: DOS Cognitive Dampener/Anti-Scrying Grid)]. Low sensitivity? Maybe this deep service tunnel wasn't routinely monitored for high-level intrusion? A small spark of hope ignited, quickly tempered by the palpable power humming around him.
He pressed himself flat against the cool, tiled wall, trying to make himself invisible, forcing his breathing to steady. He needed information, and he needed it now. 'Loom,' he projected the command, 'Deep scan. Target facility core, power source, network access points. Search keywords: OOS, Resonance Cascade, KBV-19, Project Chimera.'
The Loom's familiar text overlay intensified, scrolling rapidly as it attempted to passively interface with the facility's systems through ambient resonance and any unsecured data leakage. [Deep Scan Initiated... Accessing Local Network via Ambient Resonance Propagation... Bypassing Low-Level Security Protocols (Maintenance Access Nodes)... WARNING: High-Level Encryption Detected (DOS Cipher Delta-Prime - Quantum Resistant?) Detected on Core Systems... Attempting Passive Analysis of Unsecured Traffic/Logs...]
Information began to filter through, fragmented but electrifying.
[Power Source Analysis: CONFIRMED - Stabilized Micro-Rift (Type: Extradimensional Aperture - Class 4 Containment Hazard) - Location: Sub-Level 7 (-65m) - Contained within Nested Magnetic/Thaumic Fields - Current Output Stable but Generating Significant Metaphysical Radiation (Cherenkov-Equivalent Emissions Detected)]. A confirmed rift. Right beneath his feet.
[Network Scan Fragment: Inter-Departmental Memo Log - Timestamp [Current Date - approx. 1 hour prior] - Subject: 'OOS Agent KBV-Intercept Request Denied - Unauthorized Operational Interest in Project Chimera Protocols - Refer to Oversight Committee']. OOS knew about this place, knew about 'Project Chimera', and were actively being blocked by DOS? This was inter-agency conflict, not cooperation.
[Network Scan Fragment: Partially Recovered Research Note Metadata - Title: 'Resonance Cascade Applications in Rift Stabilisation - Containment Protocol Failures and Emergency Venting Procedures' - File Heavily Corrupted/Protected - Access Restricted]. They were researching Resonance Cascade tech here, the same tech the OOS agent likely used, possibly in relation to the rift itself.
[Keyword Search: KBV-19 - Result: Designation NOT FOUND in Gamma-7 Local Personnel/Asset Database. Cross-referencing OOS Naming Conventions... Plausible Match: OOS Field Agent Designation System? Insufficient Data.]. So 'KBV-19' was likely the OOS Agent's designation, not his. They didn't know him specifically here, just that OOS was poking around. Small comfort. Project Chimera remained undefined.
Just as Kael was trying to absorb these revelations, the Seal behind his eyes pulsed violently, reacting like tuning fork struck by the intense energy fields and data streams swirling around him. [!!MEMETIC HAZARD FLARE!! WARNING! Cognitive Stress Level CRITICAL! Sympathetic Resonance with Facility Power Core Detected! Potential Interference with Localized Systems HIGH!!]
The corridor lights flickered erratically. A nearby sensor node mounted on the ceiling emitted a shower of sparks and went dark. Kael felt a wave of dizziness, the Seal pattern momentarily overwhelming his vision. The Loom feed stuttered, then reported: [System Anomaly: Localized Resonance Scrambling Detected - Origin: User Memetic Pattern ('Seal of Fleeting Passage') - Effect: Temporary Sensor/Data Corruption in Immediate Vicinity (Approx. 3m Radius) - Duration: 4.7 seconds].
He'd inadvertently created a small bubble of chaos, blinding nearby sensors just by being there, by having the Seal lodged in his brain. It was agonizingly painful, uncontrollable, but… potentially a weapon? A desperate, last-ditch defense?
He didn't have time to ponder the implications. A new alert screamed across The Loom's display, overriding the fragmented data analysis: [!!!!! WARNING: Automated Security Patrol Detected !!!!! - Type: DOS Maintenance Drone (Model: 'Scrubber' - Modified - Enhanced Sensory Suite/Non-Lethal Sonic & Electrical Deterrents) - Proximity: 50 meters, Approaching Rapidly - Vector: Service Tunnel Delta-7 (Current Location) - ETA: 15 Seconds].
Fifteen seconds. A modified maintenance drone, likely designed to handle minor anomalies or unauthorized personnel in these deep tunnels, was heading straight for him. He scanned the corridor frantically. It was mostly smooth walls and pipes. His eyes locked onto a ventilation grate set low on the wall near the floor, large enough for a person to squeeze through. The Loom confirmed: [Object: Ventilation Grate (Standard Atmospheric Recirculation) - Secured: Standard Quick-Release Latches - Accesses Sub-Floor Maintenance Crawlspace - Resonance Signature Low - Optimal Concealment Option].
It was his only chance. Kael scrambled towards the grate, his fingers fumbling with the stiff latches. He could hear it now – a faint, rhythmic whirring and clicking sound echoing from further down the corridor, growing rapidly louder. The drone was coming. He had maybe five seconds left. The first latch popped open. He clawed at the second. The whirring was almost upon him.