The Transit Spine was a tomb.
That's what it felt like to Nero as they walked through the ancient tunnel. The rails beneath his feet were cold and lifeless. The walls pressed close.
And every step echoed into the darkness ahead like they were walking deeper into something dead that might wake up.
Klaus's torch provided the only light. It carved a small sphere of visibility in the absolute black, making everything beyond its reach feel infinite.
They'd been walking for an hour. Maybe more. Time felt strange down here.
"How much further?" Helia asked.
"Hard to say." Klaus consulted his map again. "The old route markers are mostly gone. We're navigating by topology now."
"Which means you're guessing."
"Educated guessing." Klaus pointed ahead. "There should be an intersection soon. Three-way split. We take the center path."
They kept walking.
Nero's legs ached. The suppressor on his chest had settled into a dull, constant pressure. Veyra pulsed beneath it-slower than usual, dampened, but still present. He wondered what would happen if the suppressor failed. If his core destabilized down here, in the dark, kilometers from any help.
He pushed the thought away.
The tunnel widened gradually. Klaus was right-an intersection appeared ahead. Three passages branching off into different kinds of darkness. Left looked slightly wider. Right sloped upward. Center continued level.
Klaus stopped, checking the walls for markings.
"Center path," he confirmed. "Should lead to-"
A sound cut him off.
Not mechanical this time. Something else. A groaning, deep and resonant, like the tunnel itself was shifting.
"What was that?" Nero whispered.
Klaus held up a hand. Listening.
The groan came again. Louder. And this time Nero felt it-a vibration through the rails, through the floor. The walls trembling.
"The tunnel's unstable," Klaus said quietly. "We need to move. Carefully."
"Carefully how?" Helia asked.
"Watch your step. Don't lean on the walls. And if I say run-"
The groaning intensified. Dust rained from the ceiling.
"-you run."
Klaus started forward, torch held high. Nero followed, acutely aware of every footstep. The rails hummed beneath him. Not power. Something else. Resonance from the tunnel's movement.
They were halfway through the intersection when Nero saw it.
A crack in the ceiling. Not large, but growing. Stone grinding against stone, pieces falling like slow rain.
"Klaus-"
"I see it. Keep moving."
The crack widened. A chunk of ceiling the size of Nero's head broke loose, crashed to the floor between the rails. The impact sent vibrations through the ground.
Then everything shifted.
The groaning became a roar. The crack spread like lightning across the ceiling. More debris fell-larger pieces, faster. Nero ducked, protecting his head with his arms.
"RUN!" Klaus shouted.
They ran.
The center passage was just ahead. Twenty meters. Fifteen. The ceiling was coming apart behind them, a cascade of stone and metal and ancient construction failing all at once.
Ten meters.
Five.
They dove into the center passage just as the intersection collapsed behind them. The roar was deafening. Dust exploded through the tunnel, blinding, choking. Nero hit the ground hard, rolled, came up coughing.
The noise stopped.
Silence rushed back in, heavy and oppressive.
Nero couldn't see anything. The dust was too thick. His lungs burned. He heard coughing nearby-Helia, he thought. And Klaus cursing under his breath.
"Everyone alive?" Klaus's voice came through the dust.
"Here," Helia managed between coughs.
"Nero?"
"I'm okay." Nero pushed himself to his knees. His hands were scraped, bleeding slightly. Small price.
The dust began to settle. Klaus's torch was still lit-somehow it had survived the collapse. The beam cut through the haze, illuminating what was left of the intersection behind them.
Blocked. Completely. Tons of stone and metal had filled the space where they'd been standing moments ago. The left and right passages were sealed off. Only the center path remained open.
"Lucky," Klaus said quietly.
"That wasn't luck," Helia said. She was standing now, weapon in hand, eyes hard. "You knew that tunnel was unstable."
"I suspected it might be."
"And you didn't warn us."
"Would it have changed anything?" Klaus met her glare. "We needed to cross that intersection. There was no other route. Warning you would've just made you more scared."
"You had no right to-"
Another groan echoed through the tunnel. Deeper. From ahead this time.
Klaus's expression shifted. "We're not safe yet. This whole section is unstable. We need to keep moving."
"How much further until we're out of the collapse zone?" Nero asked.
"I don't know."
"You don't know?" Helia's voice rose. "You're navigating us through unstable tunnels and you don't know when we'll be safe?"
"The map doesn't mark structural integrity," Klaus said tightly. "I'm doing the best I can with incomplete information."
"Your best is going to get us killed."
"Maybe. But it's still better than staying back there waiting for the Reconstruction Units to find us."
They stared at each other. Nero saw something in Klaus's expression then-desperation, maybe. Or fear. The mask of confidence was cracking.
The tunnel groaned again. Louder.
"We move," Nero said. "Before this whole place comes down."
Helia looked like she wanted to argue, but another cascade of dust from the ceiling made the decision for her.
They moved forward quickly but carefully. Klaus led, checking the walls and ceiling constantly. Nero stayed close behind, Veyra pulsing warnings he didn't need. Everything about this felt wrong.
The passage curved gradually left. Klaus slowed, torch beam sweeping ahead.
"There," he said.
Ahead, the tunnel opened into a larger chamber. Support pillars-thick, ancient concrete-held up a vaulted ceiling. The floor was more solid here. Less debris. It looked like it had been some kind of staging area. Old equipment was scattered around. Crates marked with faded symbols. Rail switches for directing transit cars that no longer existed.
"We can rest here," Klaus said. "This section has better support. Should be stable."
Helia didn't look convinced, but she didn't argue. They moved into the chamber, spreading out to check the space.
Nero found a crate to sit on. His legs were shaking from adrenaline crash. The suppressor on his chest felt heavier now. Or maybe he was just exhausted.
He looked down at it. The crack in the casing had gotten worse. He could see exposed wiring. One of the status lights was flickering.
"Klaus," he said quietly. "The suppressor. Something's wrong with it."
Klaus came over, examined it. His expression darkened.
"The collapse must have damaged it. The structural stress, the impact when you fell..." He touched the cracked casing gently. "It's still working, but it's degrading."
"How long until it fails?"
"Hours. Maybe a day. Hard to say." Klaus looked at Nero. "When it fails, your Veyra signature will be visible again. Full strength. They'll find you immediately."
"Can you fix it?"
Klaus pulled out a small toolkit from his pack. Studied the suppressor. "Maybe. But I'd need to remove it first. Repair the casing, resolder the damaged circuits. It would take time."
"How much time?"
"An hour. Maybe two."
Helia joined them. "And while you're repairing it, Nero's core is completely exposed. Unstable."
"It's a risk," Klaus admitted.
"Everything with you is a risk," Helia said coldly.
"Yes." Klaus didn't deny it. "But what's the alternative? Let the suppressor fail on its own while we're moving? At least here we have some safety. Some time."
Nero looked between them. Klaus seemed sincere. Concerned, even. But Helia's suspicion was hard to ignore.
"Do it," Nero said.
"Nero-" Helia started.
"We don't have a choice. If it fails while we're in the tunnels, we're dead anyway." He met Klaus's eyes. "Fix it. But if anything goes wrong, if my core starts destabilizing-"
"I'll abort the repair," Klaus said. "You have my word."
"Your word means nothing," Helia said flatly. But she stepped back, letting Klaus work.
Klaus moved carefully, pulling tools from his kit. "This is going to hurt," he warned. "When I disconnect the suppressor, your core will surge. Like taking off a pressure valve. You need to stay calm. Don't let Veyra spiral."
"I'll manage."
"Helia should be close. Your bond stabilizes you, remember? Having her nearby might help."
Helia moved closer, reluctant but practical. She positioned herself where she could see both Klaus's work and the tunnel entrances.
Klaus's hands moved to the suppressor's clasps. "Ready?"
Nero nodded.
Klaus released the clasps.
Pain exploded through Nero's chest.
Not like before. Worse. His core surged, Veyra flooding through him without the suppressor's dampening. It felt like his chest was tearing apart from the inside. He gasped, hands clenching.
"Stay calm," Klaus said urgently. "Breathe through it."
Nero tried. But Veyra was building, expanding, looking for release. His vision blurred. The chamber spun.
"Nero." Helia's voice cut through the pain. "Look at me."
He focused on her. Her face. Her eyes.
"Breathe," she said firmly. "In. Out. Match my breathing."
He tried. In. Out. Following her rhythm.
Slowly-painfully slowly-the surge began to ease. Veyra still pulsed strong, uncontrolled, but it wasn't tearing him apart.
Klaus worked quickly, examining the suppressor. "The primary coupling is cracked. And the stabilization circuit is failing. I can fix both, but I need time."
"How much time?"
"Two hours. Maybe less if-"
The tunnel groaned.
Different from before. Not structural stress. Something else.
Klaus froze. "Did you hear that?"
Another sound. Distant but clear.
Mechanical. Precise.
Footsteps.
"They found us," Helia whispered.
Klaus was already moving, grabbing the suppressor, shoving it and his tools back into his pack. "The collapse must have registered on Archive sensors. They're checking the Transit Spine."
"How did they know to look here?" Helia demanded.
"I don't know!"
"Another convenient coincidence?"
"Not now!" Klaus pulled Nero to his feet. Without the suppressor, Veyra blazed like a beacon. "We need to move before they lock onto his signature."
The footsteps grew louder. Multiple units. Coordinating.
They ran deeper into the Transit Spine, leaving safety behind, racing toward an unknown destination with a guide who might be leading them to salvation or straight into Archive hands.
And Nero's core burned uncontrolled, calling out to anything that knew how to listen.