"This is Protection?" Kyle asked. "Looks like someone stripped all the fancy shit out."
"Form follows function," Erin said, walking through the platform. "Protection Sector requires no aesthetic flourish."
Breath of the Void pushed outwards, trying to map the layout of the surroundings. However, the tendrils couldn't penetrate through what was below the concrete. The concrete itself felt like pushing his hand through wet sand at the beach.
"Something's different here." Gale pulled back the tendrils.
"What do you mean?" Rachel asked.
"Nothing," Gale said. "Just feels... heavy."
The group followed Erin down a wide corridor. The floor was solid, unmarked concrete rather than the metal grating they'd grown accustomed to in other sectors. Their footsteps echoed louder as if amplified by the floor itself.
After a short walk, they reached a massive metal gate that looked like the first elevator gate they encountered in Harmony Sector. In the centre of it, a circular design with a rhombus at its centre had intricate patterns filling the circle.
"No one touches it," Erin raised her hand to stop them. "Unauthorized access will activate defense systems."
"What kind of defense systems?" Ollie asked.
Erin ignored him. She pressed the nail of her index finger on the soft part of her thumb. A small bead of blood formed where she had cut, floating up to her eye level. The drop hung suspended for a moment before floating off her finger, hovering in the air before her.
She blew the droplets towards the centre of the circle, and it melted against the patterns, filling the grooves and etchings with blood like water flowing through canals.
The patterns flashed blue, then green. The design inside the circle shifted, rearranging itself into a new pattern that could only be noticed since they actually saw the patterns themselves move.
Erin stepped forward and placed her palm against the centre. The door slid open silently. The corridor beyond was lined with square panels, hundreds of them, at even intervals. Each of them was about the size of the door they entered through, covering the walls from floor to ceiling on both sides.
"What are these?" Gale asked, gesturing at the walls without touching them.
"Autonomous Turrets," Erin said. "Had you attempted entry without proper authorization, you would have been reduced to a fine mist within seconds."
"Each one of these is a weapon?" Rachel asked, eyeing the panels warily.
"Yes," Erin continued walking, not explaining more.
"I'm guessing there's no enemies in this sector then?" Kyle asked.
"That assumption is incorrect," Erin said. "Both abominations and deserters inhabit this sector. There are multiple entry points beyond the transit hub we utilized."
"Deserters?" Ollie asked. "What deserters?"
"Those who abandoned their duties," Erin said.
Ollie rolled his eyes before saying, "So what exactly are we doing here? Just holing up until we gather materials?"
"That is correct."
Ollie sighed. "Great."
The corridor opened into a familiar vast dome-shaped chamber. At its centre floated a massive sphere. Dozens of cylindrical spikes extended from its surface in all directions, giving it the appearance of a giant metallic sea urchin.
"The Core," Erin said. "One of three we must extract to power the Rift Aperture System. Once we secure the others from their respective sectors, we will take this and launch our assault on Wisdom."
"How do we extract it?" Lily asked.
"Do not concern yourself with the method now," Erin replied. "Make haste. We must reach the bunker."
She led them through the chamber and opened the door with a rhombus on it again. They walked through the straight, where at the end stood an elevator, similar to the ones they had encountered so far in this rift. It opened immediately at the touch of Erin tapping on her bracer.
"Enter," she said. "The bunker level lies below."
Ollie put up a hand. "Hold up. According to our experience so far, each level has been a life-or-death scenario. How do we know nothing's going to attack us when we go down there?"
"The current inhabitants of the bunker level are guardians," Erin said. "Your concerns are irrelevant. They will not display hostility toward me, and by extension, will not harm you."
"And if they do decide to be hostile?" Clyde asked.
"There is no reason for such," Erin said. "I am part of the Architect's founders. Hostility toward me would be a heinous folly."
"And why would that be?" Rachel asked.
"They are trapped in metal bodies," Erin said. "Without proper maintenance, which only I can provide, their existence would terminate in less than 20 stars."
The group exchanged glances.
"Metal bodies," Kyle muttered. "Right. Forgot about the tachikomis' existential dread."
"They are not what you call tachikomi," Erin said. "They are guardians."
"Whatever," Ollie said. "Let's just get this over with."
The group filed into the elevator. Once everyone was inside, the doors closed with a soft hiss. The elevator shuddered before beginning its descent. Light passed the windows by at a rate similar to the one they had used to go up to the Core Chamber in Harmony Sector. Basically, it was fast. Faster than the elevators of the CN Tower that Gale had the chance of visiting in a high school field trip.
"This bunker," Rachel said. "Is it where we'll be staying?"
"Yes," Erin replied. "It contains sleeping quarters, sustenance dispensers, and functional hygiene facilities."
"Sustenance dispensers?" Kyle's face brightened. "You mean actual food?"
"It provides nutritional requirements," Erin said.
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"So... not actual food," Clyde sighed. "Got it."
The elevator slowed, then stopped. For a moment, nothing happened. Then the large elevator doors shuddered open, and bright sunlight filtered in.
Gale squinted, raising a hand to shield his eyes from the sudden brightness. The light wasn't natural, though it did have a warmth to it.
Three six-legged spider mechs stood blocking them. Their white metal bodies reflected the harsh lights that stung at their eyes. Hydraulic joints hissed as the middle one lowered its head as much as it could to see them eye to eye.
Erin stepped forward, raising her hand toward the mechanical guardians. A circle of light materialized in front of her palm, patterns and lines forming complex shapes in indescribable order within its borders.
She glanced back at the group, noting their fixed stares on the circle.
"Even I cannot speak the mechanical language," she said. "This is a translator."
Erin turned toward the middle sentinel, the largest of the three. Its body was scarred with black marks, bullet holes, and gashes from what could have been claws.
"Move aside," she said. "We are here to access the bunker."
Kyle winced. "Diplomacy level 0."
"Lady Weber must return to the container pod to feed power to the Tomb," the middle one stated in a flat, robotic text-to-speech like voice. "This facility requires your essence."
"Can you not see the Tomb has fallen? Move out of the way at once or you will be identified as deserters."
The sentinel's legs shifted, scraping against the concrete floor. "That cannot happen. The Tomb has not fallen yet. Lady Weber must go back to provide power to increase the Tomb's chances of survival."
"The probability of the Tomb surviving is nil," Erin said. “There is no purpose in lingering further. We must ready ourselves for evacuation at once. We will descend into the bunker and gather the materials required to repair the Rift Aperture System. Those who choose to follow may do so. Those who ignore my summons shall be granted the title of deserter.”
The mechanical guardians remained motionless. Whirrs and clicks came from the two spider mechs beside the middle one. For a hot minute, Erin stood still as her signature rose as if preparing for battle.
"Woah, woah, woah, hold up," Ollie stepped forward, raising and waving both hands. "We can't just go all-out war with these giant murder robots."
"They are not murder robots," Erin said, still staring at the middle sentinel. "They are guardians that are to be granted the title of deserter."
The middle sentinel took a step forward, its massive leg crashing down with enough force to send vibrations through the elevator floor.
"Lady Weber's core is required for continued operations," it said. "Your presence is needed at the power station."
"My presence is needed elsewhere," Erin said. "The invaders have already penetrated too deeply. An abomination was on the verge of transformation which you have failed to contain."
"The abomination which you speak of was contained within his designated sector," the sentinel said. "The breach was caused by unauthorized personnel in the Harmony sector running amok. Resources diverted to the alert, causing containment breach."
"These people are under my protection," Erin said. "I grant them full access to Protection Sector facilities."
"Access denied," the sentinel said.
"I am the last Weber," Erin said. "My authority supersedes yours. Stand aside."
Rachel stepped up beside Erin, tugging at her sleeve. "Maybe we should try another approach? These things don't seem to be backing down."
The sentinels took one step back. Their armaments opened up from their compartments. Two gatling guns and one laser that whirred to a high pitch.
"We're about five seconds from another fight," Kyle said, drawing his pistol.
Ollie stepped between Erin and the guardians, holstering his Desert Eagle. His lips curled into that easy smile that Gale immediately took notice of, the same smile he showed in the warehouse against the two gangsters, two Path agents, and two United Knights.
"Hold on, everyone," Ollie said. "There's clearly a misunderstanding here."
The middle guardian switched its focus to Ollie's face. "Lady Weber cannot leave her pod. Power reserves are critical."
Ollie took another step forward. "I understand your programming requires Lady Weber to return to her pod. But you see, the abomination made that impossible."
"Explain," the guardian said.
"The abomination breached the control room," Ollie spread his hands. "The second pod has been completely destroyed. Lady Weber's own pod was severely damaged. She can't go back even if she wanted to."
The guardians' ocular lenses swiveled toward Erin, scanning her from head to toe.
"Damage to Lady Weber's form detected," the left guardian said. "Signs of recent trauma present."
"Exactly," Ollie said. "Lady Weber's health and well-being are compromised. She needs time to recover, doesn't she?"
Erin lifted her chin. "It is true. My Core integrity is compromised. I have also sustained damage in the confrontation against the abomination."
"But that's not even the main issue," Ollie continued. "The abomination is dead. Lady Weber helped us kill it. But there are more threats, and who's going to coordinate the defense?"
"Elaborate," the middle guardian said.
"You don't have a general, do you?" Ollie asked. "No one here is capable of strategy except Lady Weber. All this firepower, but without direction, what good is it?"
"Current directive: maintain power systems," the middle guardian said.
"And how's that working out?" Ollie asked. "The Tomb is falling. Sectors are being lost. We just came from a place where flesh technohorror humanoids roam freely."
Gale forced his smile down. The man in front of him might be the most ruthless cold businessman in North America right now, but damn if he couldn't talk his way out of anything. Gale glanced at Rachel, her shoulders tense, but her lips twitched similarly to his, trying to force up a smile. Kyle and Clyde even had to cover their own mouths, so did Lily.
"We killed the abomination without your help," Ollie said. "Imagine a scenario where two or three more of those things came into the picture. Imagine what we could do with Lady Weber directing you properly."
The middle guardian stood motionless as its eyes traced Ollie as he continued to talk.
"Your programming is to protect the Tomb," Ollie said. "But right now, Lady Weber is the Tomb's best hope. She needs to recover, and she needs the resources and the bunker to formulate a plan."
Ollie stopped his pacing, finally facing the middle guardian once again. "The current situation requires reassessment. You're about to lose another sector. Harmony is already compromised. How long before Protection follows?"
The middle guardian's ocular lenses contracted. The left and right guardian ocular lenses contracted as if to zoom in on Ollie's face.
"However," the middle guardian said, "if Lady Weber's power cannot be fed to the systems, the guardian bodies will cease to function in approximately 3.5 stars."
Erin stepped forward. "Is the life of the Tomb more important than the continuation of your life in those mechanical shells? Do not jest. All of us know the true purpose of the Tomb."
For a while, a tense silence filled the area. The guardians didn't move. Ollie no longer dared to move. Everyone else did not either. Erin, as emotionless as ever, stared right back at the middle guardian.
“Access granted to Protection bunker level. Lady Weber must survive to continue the defense of the Tomb," the middle guardian said.
The guardians stepped aside in perfect unison, revealing a path to a hallway beyond.
"That's more like it," Ollie said.
Erin marched forward, head high, not sparing the guardians another glance. The rest of the group followed.
"How'd you do that?" Gale whispered to Ollie.
"It's just sales. Figure out what they value and align your pitch with it," Ollie said.
"You just sold the murder robots on not murdering us," Kyle said. "That's going in your resume."
They walked through a brightly lit hallway with none of the decay or markings of conflict in the Harmony sector. The walls were smooth concrete, unmarked by damage. The air smelled faintly of metal, iron, and tasty rock that Gale wanted to get a lick of, unsure of where they were, though.
They passed through multiple sets of doors before reaching the end of the corridor where a set of double doors slid open automatically as they approached. Beyond was a clearing that had two sets of circular tables, each having 6 chairs. There were 5 door ways. At the far end was a door labelled "Sleeping Quarters." To the right of it was the hygiene facility, self explanatory. On the left side of the wall was the cafeteria. On the right wall at the centre was something called a "Star Forge". Close to the entrance of the facility, to the right of them, stood a door named "Armament Vault."
"Make yourselves comfortable," Erin said. "This will be our base of operations for now."
Rachel hurriedly ran to the other side of the facility to check the sleeping quarters. Inside laid 6 pairs of bunk beds.
"Actual beds? I might cry," Rachel said.
"I call top bunk!" Kyle ran through the door and threw his stuff onto one of the top bunks.
"You always take top," Clyde said.
"Because I'm not a heathen who punches in their sleep," Kyle said.
Lily moved toward the room beside the sleeping quarters. "Bathroom facilities. With actual showers."
"Hot water?" Rachel asked.
"Lukewarm at best," Erin said. "But functional."
Ollie dropped onto a lower bunk. "How long are we staying here?"
"Until we get the two Cores. Then we take the Core from this sector and rush Wisdom," Erin said. "Now, we must plan."
Arc 3 is finished in Patreon at Chapter 249. The team killing Abel was the half point of this arc. To read ahead and enjoy daily releases, please join Patreon!