The rhythmic thump... thump... thump grew into a deafening roar, shaking the narrow metal walls around them. A low, grinding whir joined the chorus, followed by a shower of concrete dust as something immense and unyielding scraped around the tight bend ahead. It was a monstrous, multi-legged mechanical horror, vaguely cylindrical, its front bristling with a massive, articulated arm ending in a heavy-duty rotary crusher. Luminescent red sensors glowed malevolently, sweeping the confined passage.
"Oh, you have got to be kidding me," Athena hissed, flattening herself against the cold conduit wall, her blade flashing. "A Crusher Drone. Here? In a structural-critical conduit?" Her hazel eyes narrowed, analyzing the behemoth. "That'll make this tunnel its personal wrecking ball."
Nyx grimaced, her crystalline device flaring with frantic reds and oranges. "Its energy signature is immense, a solid mass of raw demolishing power. And it's on a collision course, its intent clearly destructive. This entire section won't withstand its impact."
The drone's optical sensors locked onto them, its grinding gears intensifying. A low, synthetic growl reverberated through the metal, a mechanical warning before impact.
"Not good," Athena muttered, pressing back even further, looking for any way past the monstrosity. "No room to maneuver, no cover. It fills the entire passage. We can't get around it, and it clearly isn't backing down."
Nyx pressed her hand against the vibrating wall. "Every second we hesitate, the closer we are to total structural compromise. Its sub-harmonic frequencies are already impacting the integrity."
The crusher drone let out another low growl, its rotary arm slowly spinning up, tiny sparks showering from its powerful teeth. It advanced another meter, relentlessly pushing dust and loosened debris before it. The thumping intensified, a percussive countdown to catastrophe.
"Any bright ideas, ladies?" Athena asked, her gaze sweeping between the drone and the unyielding walls. "Because my usual options involve not being trapped in a metal tube with a glorified can-opener."
Hadrian's heart dropped to his stomach. With a growl of irritation he looks at his mini-map desperate for an alternate route. He quickly zooms in on their tunnel and the approaching drone and looks at the nearby tunnels and rooms. Conveniently there was an alternative path, but it would require some ... Destruction... Hadrian selects the route on the map as he looks forward to Athena at the front.
The deafening roar of the Crusher Drone intensified, rattling the very bones of the aging facility. Metallic legs screeched against the grimy conduit, sending shivers down their spines as the monstrous rotary arm spun with chilling speed, showering sparks onto the dusty floor. It was a mechanical leviathan, its bulk almost entirely filling the narrow passageway, advancing with the unstoppable force of an executioner.
"We're running out of a tunnel, Athena!" Nyx exclaimed, her device flaring with violent reds, the walls around them beginning to vibrate precariously. "Its impact will compromise the entire structure!"
Athena's eyes, sharp as always, darted around for an impossible exit. "No exits, no detours that don't lead to dead ends. We're trapped! My scans are picking up structural failures already!" Her voice was tight with suppressed urgency, her hand gripping her blade as if to challenge the drone itself.
Just as the drone's grinding maw seemed to fill their entire field of vision, Hadrian leaned forward slightly. "Athena, three feet back!" he commanded, his voice cutting through the mechanical din with surprising clarity. "Then brace yourself and slam against the right wall, near that corroded plate. Give it everything you've got!"
Athena's hazel eyes widened, a flicker of disbelief crossing her face. "Collapse the wall? Are you insane, Guide? We'll bring the whole tunnel down on our heads!" But the desperate throb of the approaching drone left no room for debate. Nyx, sensing the unwavering intent in Hadrian's tone, simply nodded, bracing herself instinctively.
"Trust me!" Hadrian urged, his eyes resolute. Athena, without further hesitation, followed his directive. She scrambled back precisely three feet, then, with a warrior's roar, threw her shoulder into the grimy right wall.
There was a sickening groan of tortured metal and crumbling concrete. Dust exploded, obscuring their vision as the wall gave way all of them tumbling into it, revealing not a shower of debris, but an empty, dust-choked storage room just beyond. On the far side, a cleaner ventilation shaft promised a clear escape route. The Crusher Drone slammed into the void where they had been moments before, its grinding whirring echoing emptily.
Hadrian let out a shaky laugh, his nerves slightly fried as he thought Athena would ignore him and they would be done for. They all had fallen into the room during the collapse but it had also stopped the drone from getting to them. Hadrian took in a deep breath of dusty air to calm his nerves.
Dust swirled around them in the cramped storage room, catching in the muted light filtering from the broken wall section. The ominous thudding of the Crusher Drone echoed for a moment, then faded, replaced by the grating sounds of its mechanical body attempting to push through the collapsed debris outside.
"Well, that was certainly a... grand entrance," Athena coughed, swatting dust from her face. A wry grin spread across her lips. "Not quite as 'stealthy' as I usually prefer, but extremely effective. How did you even know about that weak point, Hadrian? You practically pinpointed it." She raised an eyebrow, a hint of genuine awe in her hazel eyes.
Nyx knelt, her crystal device sweeping the air. "The structural integrity of this room is remarkably stable, despite the collapse," she noted, her voice soft. "And that drone is effectively stalled. Hadrian, your intuition truly is a powerful guide." Her gaze, warm and appreciative, settled on him. "It seems you foresee more than just our energy needs."
"Just a lucky guess," Hadrian mumbled, trying to shrug off their praise, though a faint blush touched his cheeks. His eyes, however, instinctively darted towards a vent cover set high on the opposite wall of the storage room—the alternative route his mini-map had so conveniently displayed. He nodded vaguely in its direction. "Perhaps we should check that ventilation shaft on the other side? It feels like it goes somewhere quieter."
Athena followed his gaze. "Another 'feeling'?" she mused, but without the usual playful skepticism. She pulled out her device, scanning the dusty old vent. "Hmph. The schematic shows it's a direct, almost unbroken run, which makes no sense from the original blueprints. But then, neither did 'collapse the wall and land softly' make sense until you said it." She looked at Nyx, who nodded subtly. "Alright, Guide, lead the way to your 'quieter' path."
Athena moved with purpose toward the vent, her blade already making quick work of its rusted fasteners. "I'll open this up," she stated, her movements swift and practiced. "No more surprises, I hope."
Hadrian tries to be nonchalant, though he knew after so many close calls and lucky guesses they were probably really sus of him. Hadrian clears his train of thought as Athena makes quick work of the vent. Taking a moment, Hadrian pulls up his main map and checks the building layout, he quickly locates the rest of the team on the map and checks their position and if there was any hostiles near them
"This vent's seen better days," Athena grunted, her tools deftly prying at the corroded edges. A final wrench and the cover sprang free with a muffled clatter, revealing a dark, dust-lined shaft stretching ahead. "Alright, clear. And blessedly wider than that last sardine can." She straightened up, dusting off her hands.
Nyx stepped forward, peering into the opening. "I sense a faint directional pull of energy through this shaft. It seems consistent with Mason's general route." Her voice was soft, observant. "It feels as though their path has led them to a deeper, more turbulent area."
Athena cocked her head. "Turbulent? How so? And do you sense anything else, Nyx? Any... uninvited guests?" Her gaze darted between the new opening and the room behind them.
Hadrian, pretending to examine the vent's structural integrity, casually pointed a finger into the gloom. "Well, if you factor in the local electromagnetic interference, and the atmospheric pressure shifts unique to this level, you might conclude that their path ahead isn't entirely uncontested," he commented, a hint of something just beyond an 'educated guess' in his tone. "More like... they might be encountering some resistance, perhaps. Some... rather stubborn guardians."
Athena's eyes narrowed slightly, a thoughtful look replacing her usual playful smirk. "Stubborn guardians, eh? You always manage to word it so precisely. Like you just know. Should we be concerned they're holding their own, or might be caught in a larger fray?" She turned to Hadrian, her curiosity now openly acknowledged.
Nyx looked from Athena to Hadrian, her gaze gentle. "His perception is keen. I would trust his assessment of the flow. Let's proceed carefully. If there's an encounter ahead, we can provide support." She gestured towards the opening. "This way leads forward quickly."
Athena slipped through the newly opened shaft, a subtle shift in her hazel eyes indicating her acceptance of Hadrian's foresight. She moved with quiet grace into the dark passage.
Hadrian follows after Athena, he had seen roughly the path ahead and the were gonna come up alongside the rest of the team, from a.... very... different angle. If they keep their current pace they might be able to help the boys. Because... their vent happens to run right above where their opponents were standing. Hadrian held back a laugh as he realized he was gonna convince Athena once again to collapse the tunnel, right on top of the enemy.