Footsteps echoed from the corridor above.
Fast.
Heavy.
Coordinated.
The sound shattered the brief lull in tension within the underground room.
Every head turned toward the iron stairs.
Daniel held his breath.
"How many…?" he whispered.
Leonard Graves tilted his head, listening carefully.
"More than five," he replied softly. "Precise movements. Not amateurs."
Richard Blackwood had already raised his weapon.
His gaze was cold, focused.
"Positions."
One word was enough to issue the order.
Daniel immediately moved to the side of the old console embedded in the wall.
Leonard took position behind a metal pillar.
Ethan remained standing near the core.
But now his eyes were not only on the blue light.
He was watching two directions at once.
Threat from outside.
Threat from within.
The second core light pulsed gently.
No longer raging out of control.
But not yet fully stable.
Like a creature that had just been calmed… not truly tamed.
Ethan felt a faint tremor.
