System Override

Aris didn't hack the door; he blew the locking mechanism with a mixture of cleaning chemicals and a battery pack.

He stepped out into the ruined bunker. He didn't run away. He ran to Kael’s workbench.

He grabbed a portable neural-interface headset. He grabbed Kael’s spare sidearm.

He ran to the surface.

The Deadlands were a gray nightmare of ash and ruin. In the distance, he saw the transport ship—a heavy, blocky carrier rising toward the Shield Generator.

Aris tapped the headset. "Interface. Target the transport navigation system."

* Access Denied.*

"Override," Aris snapped. "Authorization: Dr. Aris Thorne. Clearance Level: Alpha."

The system paused. *Welcome, Dr. Thorne.*

Aris didn't stop the ship. He hijacked the drones escorting it.

"Target acquisition: The transport engines. Fire."

The drones turned on their master. Beams of light sliced through the transport’s thrusters. The ship lurched, smoke pouring from the starboard engine. It began to descend, crashing toward the scrap yards near the Shield wall.

Aris sprinted toward the crash site. His lungs burned. His legs felt weak. But the Resonance was pulling him like a hook in his navel.

He reached the wreckage. The ship had plowed a trench through a mountain of rusted cars. The ramp was open.

Aris climbed inside.

The interior was chaos. Sparks showered down. In the holding cell, Kael was thrashing against his restraints. His eyes were rolling back, glowing a solid, terrifying red.

"Kael!" Aris shouted.

Kael roared. He didn't recognize Aris. The trauma had triggered a feral regression. He broke one of the restraints with a snap of bone and metal.

He lunged at Aris, his hand closing around Aris’s throat.

Aris didn't fight. He didn't shoot.

He grabbed Kael’s face with both hands. He slammed his forehead against Kael’s.

"Open the port!" Aris screamed.

He forced the mental connection. He didn't wait for permission. He assaulted Kael’s mind with his own.

* I am here. I am safe. We are us.*

The Resonance exploded between them. It was blinding.

Aris saw Kael’s mind—a storm of red rage and pain. Aris stepped into the storm. He didn't try to stop it; he organized it. He built walls around the rage. He filtered the pain. He became the circuit breaker.

Kael gasped, his grip on Aris’s throat loosening. The red in his eyes faded to gray.

"Aris?" Kael wheezed.

"We have to go," Aris said, his nose bleeding from the psychic strain. "The City will send a second wave."

"The ship is dead," Kael said, looking around.

"But the engine core is critical," Aris pointed to the glowing blue reactor. "I can overload it. It will create an EMP pulse large enough to disable the local grid and the tracking sensors."

"It’ll kill us," Kael said.

"Not if we’re in the shielded cargo pod." Aris pointed to a heavy plasteel container.

Kael didn't argue. He grabbed Aris and threw him into the pod. He jumped in after him and sealed the door.

Outside, Aris triggered the overload via his headset.

* BOOM.*

The world turned white. Then silent.