Lucian's remaining functional systems registered a cascading sequence of failures.
The Internal Clock of his augment was now running at T - 120 minutes until primary vascular and thermal regulation systems would seize, initiating a cold shutdown.
The current operational environment, a vast, concrete-and-steel expanse of the depot corridor, was logged with a Risk Profile of 9.8 (Catastrophic Environmental Exposure).
This assessment was based on three unacceptable variables: high structural instability from uncontrolled debris movement, excessive acoustic resonance, and volatile ambient thermal exchange rates that accelerated his already rapid energy depletion.
Survival was predicated on achieving immediate Structural Isolation. Lucian initiated a high-resolution, multi-spectral scan of the abandoned Hyperion facility's archived schematics.
He filtered the data, prioritizing locations based on an unyielding three-point matrix derived directly from the requirements of the pending Data Ritual:
Electromagnetic Shielding (E-Field Trace \< 0.1%): The brute-force hack would unleash a massive, unique, and non-repeating electromagnetic signature (E-Sig). Standard orbital counter-intrusion protocols were programmed to instantly flag such signatures, leading to high-speed kinetic interception. Physical shielding was mandatory to prevent E-Sig Propagation beyond the immediate structural block.
Acoustic Dampening (NPV \< 1%): The Quantum Key solver, operating at maximum threshold, produced a high-frequency, sustained computational scream. This sound, amplified by the resonant corridors of the depot, would act as an explicit beacon for all hostile entities within a three-kilometer operational radius. The Noise Pollution Variable (NPV) had to be neutralized.
Defensive Geometry (Single-Point-of-Entry): Lucian's Kinetic Mobility Rating was critically unstable at 3% of optimal output. Multi-angle defensive engagement was kinetically prohibited. A funnel (a Structural Choke Point) was mandatory for establishing a static defensive posture.
Two options were immediately rejected: the main server room (lacked acoustic integrity) and the sub-level maintenance hangar (multiple points of egress).
Only one asset satisfied all metrics: Pre-Splintering Maintenance Closet 47 (PM-C 47).
Situated 200 meters away, PM-C 47 was a decommissioned chemical containment vault. It was constructed of six layers of titanium-ferrocrete and lined with obsolete, thick acoustic foam rated for Tier 4 containment.
Its physical dimensions were restrictive, but its Isolation Rating was Acceptable.
The travel path however was a geometric challenge: fractured floors, exposed high-voltage conduits, and the constant threat of seismic debris.
Lucian executed a rigorous Route Optimization Algorithm (ROA), assessing not merely distance, but also Kinetic Energy Expenditure (KEE) vectors, minimizing the friction coefficient and maximizing leverage points for the low-power pushes of his remaining functional actuators.
He moved as a calculated vector, a slow, methodical crawl designed for 92% KEE Efficiency, silencing his internal organic feedback—the searing pain in his hip was logged as a Severity 5 Diagnostic Alert, irrelevant to the core objective.
Time Elapsed: T - 105 minutes. Proximity to Node: 110 meters.
The ROA was violently invalidated.
A massive seismic shock wave, accompanied by the resonant, deep thrum of hydraulic machinery, registered in his augmented audial sensors. The Keeper, the colossal Sentinel A.I. unit, had completed its cooling cycle and resumed its relentless, brute-force attack on the jammed main gate.
The unit was not merely large; its programming mandated Total Area Denial through unpredictable, destructive kinetic force. The noise was now a steady, hammer-like pulse, threatening to precipitate a local structural collapse.
Threat Assessment Update: The Keeper. Breach Time Estimate: T + 18 minutes. Intercept Probability (if maintaining current KEE): 35%. Consequence of Intercept: Total Mission Failure and Asset Loss.
A 35% risk was an existential vulnerability. Lucian initiated a Risk Mitigation Protocol, which demanded the immediate sacrifice of more precious energy. He allocated a final 40% of his remaining Secondary Battery Cache (SBC)—batteries intended for prolonged life support—to a temporary, controlled kinetic override.
He initiated a high-speed sprint crawl.
His motion became a blur of strained, desperate hydraulic force, operating at a 15% KEE Efficiency but drastically reducing time. His movement sound, now louder, was safely masked by the deafening percussion of The Keeper's assault.
He reached the heavy, circular hatch of PM-C 47.
The manual crank lock was fused with two decades of oxidation.
Lucian deployed his most precise low-power tool: the Micro-Pulse Thermal Conductor. He focused a surgical, high-density thermal field onto the crank's titanium locking pin assembly.
The conductor managed the power draw with ruthless precision, raising the metal's temperature to the precise point (1100 Kelvin) to induce a micro-molecular stress fracture in the fused joint.
The metal glowed red for exactly 1.8 seconds before yielding to the internal strain. Lucian wrenched the crank violently, the screech of metal instantly absorbed by the surrounding structure.
He slipped inside the dark, tight space, his body collapsing against the metallic floor. He immediately slammed the internal titanium sealing bar into place, locking the Node.
System Report: Acoustic Isolation achieved (NPV: 0.8%). External Threat Proximity: Contained. Life Support Cache: T - 85 minutes. Node: SECURED.
The hydraulic pulse of The Keeper hit the vault wall immediately, the heavy vibration shaking the structure, but the noise inside was reduced to a non-threatening, deep resonance.
Lucian, entombed in functional silence, placed the Hydra Data-Core on the floor.