The heavy steel doors of the primary freight elevator sealed shut, cutting off the horrific, blood-soaked silence of the ruined command deck.
The descent was incredibly slow and mechanically agonizing. The massive industrial gears ground loudly against the thick, greased cables, the deep, low-frequency vibration translating directly through the grated metal floorboards. With every fifty feet they dropped, the ambient temperature inside the heavy iron cage plummeted, the air growing thick, stale, and unnervingly cold. The harsh fluorescent panels overhead flickered violently, casting long, erratic shadows across the cramped space.
Ren stood perfectly still in the center of the elevator.
