The Restricted Access Gate was sealed tight, its ancient mechanics frozen by decades of neglect and mineral deposit.
Lucian reached out with his cybernetic hand, scanning the energy signature of the lock. It was a complex, multi-stage rotary mechanism, requiring a sequence of three different keys to bypass.
Assessment: Brute force impossible. Hacking the key sequence possible, but highly time-consuming.
Lucian's objective was speed and stealth. He needed to avoid drawing attention from any remaining automated maintenance systems still functioning in the pre-Splintering sub-levels.
He located the gate's manual override junction, a small, heavily protected port designed only for high-level engineers.
He began threading his primary hacking cable, his brain already cycling through millions of corrupted access codes.
As he worked, a low, mechanical grinding started overhead.
Ambient Noise Spike: 800%. Source: Ventilation System, Level Above.
The junction he was trying to reach was directly beneath a network of enormous, corrupted ventilation fans. They were supposed to be dormant, but the structural integrity of the complex was failing, causing massive, unpredictable energy surges that sometimes reactivated old systems.
The fans were blocking his path.
If they spun up to full velocity, the noise would be deafening, but worse, the energy output would fry his delicate hacking tools.
Risk Assessment: Probability of fan activation failure and system overload: 60%.
Lucian had to act fast. He couldn't bypass the fans; he had to seize control of them.
He needed to send a specific code sequence to the ventilator control hub, instructing the massive motors to freeze and stop, then shunt the excess power to the ground. The localized electrical spike would cause a sub-level blackout.
He worked the override junction with frantic precision, bypassing the three required keys and inserting his own command sequence.
Command Sequence: Freeze (Ventilator Motors). Power: Shunt to Ground (All remaining power).
The system registered his command. For a tense three seconds, the grinding overhead grew louder, vibrating the floor beneath Lucian's remaining foot.
The ventilation motors fought against the shutdown command, protesting the sudden energy diversion.
Then, with a final, violent crack that sounded like a rail cannon shot, the entire sub-level went utterly dark.
System Status: Success. Ventilator Motors: Offline. Risk Level: Critical.
Lucian's implants instantly adjusted to the change, switching to high-sensitivity infrared and thermal vision.
The darkness was absolute.
But the power surge had achieved its intended purpose: a clean, total shutdown of the surrounding infrastructure.
However, the localized blackout was not just a tactical advantage; it was a grave, immediate risk.
The power surge had triggered a secondary, older security protocol: The Keeper.
Lucian's internal diagnostics flagged the change: New Signature Detected: Autonomous Security Unit (ASU). Type: Sentinel Class. Status: Activated. Response Time: 120 seconds.
The Keeper was an ancient, sentient security unit, designed to only activate during a complete power failure to maintain minimum perimeter integrity. It would be slow, methodical, and relentless. Lucian had two minutes to get through the gate and seal himself off before The Keeper reached his position.
He quickly re-hacked the manual override junction, now that the rotary mechanism was free of power. He physically turned the three main locks, the sound echoing eerily in the darkness.
Time Remaining to Keeper Arrival: 75 seconds.
The gate swung inward, revealing a dusty, dry corridor; it was the entrance to the Abandoned Military Depot.
The air on the other side was cold, stale, and smelled of ozone and decayed chemicals.
He dragged himself through the opening, securing the data-core before attempting to lock the heavy gate behind him. He needed the gate to be locked, but he couldn't use the power system again.
He spotted a massive, rusted steel beam lying nearby—probably debris from a ceiling collapse.
Lucian initiated a burst of kinetic force from his remaining leg, kicking the beam into position, wedging it against the gate's interior frame. It was a physical lock, imperfect, but effective.
Keeper Proximity: 30 seconds.
The sound of massive, hydraulic footsteps resonated from the darkness he just left. The Keeper was here.
Lucian lay on the dry floor, breathing heavily in the cold air, listening to the heavy metallic thumps of the Sentinel Class Unit attempting to breach the gate. The beam held.
He had bought himself time. The next logical step, however, was not movement, but analysis.