The Nuclear Plant in sector 0, was a total graveyard of what it used to be.
We got there at dawn. The cooling towers stuck out of the fog like broken teeth, all covered in fifty years of black moss. The periter fence was ripped out, and the DANGER: RADIATION signs were bleached by the acid rain.
"Geiger counters on," Sarah said, tapping her wrist comp.
CLICK-CLICK-CLICK.
The sound was imdiate and loud.
"The Radiation levels here are high," Glitch said over the comms. He was back at the Titan, watching us remotely. "But Your suits should handle it for about three hours. Any longer, and your DNA starts to unravel."
"Comforting," Maya said. She had in her hand the Corp-Sec Enforcer rifle I had unlocked for her. She looked worried, but her grip on the weapon was steady.
"This is a grab and go mission," I reminded them. "We enter through the loading bay, we find the fuel rods, grab four uranium canisters, and leave. We Do Not explore."
"And the Ferals?" Maya asked.
"If it moves," I said, checking the charge on my Shadow-Weave Suit, "kill it."
We crossed the periter line.
The courtyard was quiet. Too quiet.
Cars were rusted in the parking lot, and their skeletons were stripped bare. Weeds were growing through the asphalt, they were twisted and mutated by the radiation.
We got to the loading bay. They was a massive blast doors sightly open, it was stuck open by a collapsed forklift.
I squeezed through the gap.
It was dark inside. The only light ca from the glowing green sludge leaking from the cracked pipes on the ceiling.
Network Sense (activate).
I pushed my mind out.
The radiation hit like a wall of static. The radiation here interfered with the signals, making everything fuzzy. But I could feel them.
Lots of faint, erratic pulses.
"They’re dormant," I whispered. "Their are on sleeping mode to conserve power."
We moved slowly through the warehouse. The floor was full of Ferals—crazy worker droids. They were frozen in weird positions, so lean against the walls, so huddled in corner. And their tal skin was rusted, and their sensors were dark.
"Don’t touch them," Sarah warned.
Maya stepped carefully over a spider-looking droid.
CRUNCH.
Her boot crashed a piece of glass.
The sound echoed in the room.
Then Instantly, a red light flickered on, in the spider-droid’s head. Then another. Then ten more.
CLICK. WHIRR. HISS.
The warehouse woke up.
"Run!" I yelled.
We ran toward the inner corridor.
From behind us, a hundred chanical screeches erupted as the Ferals scrambled after us. They were slow, Their rusted joints were grinding, but there were so many of them.
"They’re blocking the hallway!" Sarah yelled, shooting her pistol at a humanoid droid that jumped out of the shadow.
Three Ferals were blocking the door to the Reactor Core. They were big, bulky lifters with hydraulic clamps for hands.
"I got this," I said.
I didn’t slow down. I ran straight at them.
Skill: Disrupt.
I slamd my hands together.
BOOM.
A wave of blue distortion rippled out from . And hit the droids.
Their systems didn’t just glitch; they died. The EMP blast fried their unshielded processors instantly. They collapsed mid-stride, turning into pile of dead tal.
"Move!" I yelled jumping over the droids.
We ran into the Fuel Storage Room.
It was a smaller chamber, lined with lead. In the center, sitting in a containnt rack, were the Fuel Rods. They glowed with a terrifying, beautiful blue light.
"There," Glitch said in my ear. "Grab only four. That’s all we can carry without lting the Titan intake manifold."
I ran to the rack and grabbed a lead canister. It was warm.
"One!" I gave it to Sarah.
"Two!" I gave it to Maya.
"Three!" I strapped one to my back.
"Four!" I grabbed the last one.
"We have the package!" I yelled. "Let’s go."
RUMBLE
The floor shook
This wasn’t an explosion. It was footsteps.
From the shadows at the back of the room, sothing massive stepped out.
It wasn’t a Feral. It was a Security Bot, But it had been modified. Mutated.
It was tall. Its armor was burned by radiation. Its right arm was a gatling gun. And It’s left arm was a glowing claw. And It had a Cracked Fusion Core in its chest.
It was leaking radiation so intense that my suit alarm scread.
WARNING. CRITICAL RADIATION DETECTED.
BOSS: THE LTDOWN GUARDIAN.
LEVEL: 15.
"It’s guarding the fuel," Sarah said, back away. "And It’s feeding on it."
The Guardian roared—a sound of grinding gears and static. And Its gatling gun spun up.
"Take cover!" I pushed Maya behind a crate just as the gun open fire.
BRRRRT.
Bullets chewed up the concrete floor where we had been standing. And the noise was deafening.
"We can’t fight that!" Maya yelled. "It’s huge!"
"It must has a weakness," I said, peeking over the crate.
Scan.
TARGET: LTDOWN GUARDIAN.
WEAK SPOT: EXPOSED CORE.
STATUS: UNSTABLE.
"The core in its chest," I said. "It’s cracked. So If I can touch it... I can drain it. But if I get that close, the radiation will kill before I even make contact."
"I can distract it," Sarah said. "Maya, give the rifle."
"What?" Maya said.
"just give it to !"
Sarah grabbed the assault rifle. She popped out of cover and opened fire.
BANG-BANG-BANG.
The bullets hit the Guardian’s armor. It did no damage, but it got the machine attention.
The Guardian turned, tracking Sarah with its gun.
"Hey, ugly!" Sarah yelled. "Over here!"
"Now, Elias!"
I ran.
I moved faster than I ever had before. Level 11 agility kicked in. I slid under the gatling fire, the bullets tearing up the air inches above my head.
I got inside it guard.
The Guardian swung It’s massive claw at .
I jumped.
And I landed on its chest plate, holding onto the rusted tal. The heat coming off the exposed core was intense. That’s My suit’s HUD flashed red.
WARNING. SUIT FAILING.
RADIATION POISONING IMMINENT!
I didn’t care.
I placed my hand directly onto the glowing, cracked core.
"You’re leaking," I said. "Now Let fix it.*
Skill: Energy Siphon (Max Output).
D R A I N.
It wasn’t like draining a battery. It was like drinking hot lava. The energy burned my arm, searing my veins. That made scread in pain.
But the Guardian scread louder.
As I drained the unstable energy, the machine began to power down. And Its red eyes flickered. Which also made the gatling gun stopped spinning.
XP GAINED: 500... 500... 500...
"Die!"
I pulled harder.
CRACK.
The core broke. And the energy inside rushed into in one massive surge.
BOOM.
The Guardian fell backwards. With it energy source gone. And I was thrown, landing hard on the concrete floor.
I lay there, smoke rising from my armor. And My arm felt numb.
QUEST UPDATE: SECURE THE FUEL (COMPLETE).
BOSS DEFEATED: LTDOWN GUARDIAN.
XP GAINED: 2000.
LEVEL UP!
YOU ARE NOW LEVEL 12.
"Elias!" Sarah ran over. And checked my vitals. "You’re glowing. Literally."
I looked at my hand. It was glowing soft green.
"Radiation absorption," I said. "I guess My body adapted."
I stood up.
"We have the fuel," I said. "Now let’s get out of here before the rest of the warehouse wakes up."
We grabbed the canisters and ran.
As we exited the plant, I looked back at the cooling towers. We had raided the tomb. Now we had the power to wake the god.
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