[The Ross Ice Shelf - Antarctica]
The world here was white and dead. The wind screamed at 100 miles per hour, carrying ice shards that could strip flesh from bone. The Poseidon Fleet hovered at the edge of the frozen continent.
Alex stood on the observation deck of the Leviathan Hunter. He was wearing a thermal-regulated combat suit, looking out at the endless expanse of white.
"Sector 7G is inland," Dawn reported. "Fifty miles deep. The ice is two miles thick. And the weather conditions are preventing our sensors from locking onto the entrance."
"Can the Leviathan fly us there?" Alex asked.
"Negative," Dawn replied. "The magnetic storms at the pole are interfering with the anti-gravity engines. If we fly inland, we crash. We must go by ground."
Alex looked at the jagged ice ridges. No tank could cross that terrain. It was a frozen hellscape.
"Then we don't cross it," Alex said. "We crush it."
[The Purchase]
Alex opened the System Store. He switched the tab to [Planetary Exploration] -> [Extreme Environments].
Item: Arctic Snow-Crawler. Cost: $1 Million. (Too small).
Item: Thermal-Core Hovercraft. Cost: $50 Million. (Too fragile).
Item: The Behemoth (Siege Land-Carrier). Cost: $75 Billion.
[Description: A nuclear-powered mobile fortress. 200 meters long. Equipped with Plasma-Drills and Void-Treads. Designed to conquer Class-5 Death Worlds.]
"That one," Alex tapped the screen.
[Transaction Processing...] [Expenditure: $75,000,000,000.] [Delivery: Immediate.]
[The Beast Rises]
The ice shelf exploded. From the swirling snow, a monster emerged. It looked like a tank the size of a cathedral. It had eight massive treads, each one taller than a house. On its front was a spinning, glowing red Plasma-Drill that melted the ice instantly.
THOOM. THOOM.
The ground shook as The Behemoth idled. Its exhaust vents pumped out heat that turned the surrounding snow into steam.
"All Praetorians," Alex ordered. "Board the Behemoth. We are going in."
[The Journey]
Inside the Behemoth, it was warm. The bridge was a fortress of steel and screens. Alex sat in the commander's seat. "Forward."
The massive machine lurched forward. A ridge of ice blocked their path. The Behemoth didn't turn. It drove through it. CRUNCH. The Plasma-Drill spun up. The ice vaporized. The Behemoth carved a tunnel through the glacier, moving at 60 miles per hour.
[The Ambush]
"Warning," Dawn alerted. "Hostile signatures detected. The Council knows we are here."
From the snowdrifts ahead, white shapes emerged. They were Ice-Stalker Droids—mechanical spiders with laser cannons. Hundreds of them. They opened fire. Lasers scorched the hull of the Behemoth.
"They are annoying," Alex said, bored. "Activate the Tesla Defense Grid."
On the roof of the Behemoth, massive coils extended. ZAP. Bolts of blue lightning arced from the tank, chaining between the enemy spiders. BOOM-BOOM-BOOM. The droids exploded into scrap metal.
"Don't stop," Alex commanded. "Drive over the wreckage."
CRUNCH. The Behemoth rolled over the remains of the Council's defense line, flattening them into the snow.
[The Entrance]
After an hour of destruction, they reached the coordinates. Sector 7G. There was no base. Just a massive, flat plain of ice.
"It's underneath," Alex said. "Dawn, scan for the cavity."
"Detected," Dawn replied. "Two miles down. There is a massive hollow structure."
Alex looked at the floor. "Drill."
The Behemoth tilted forward. The massive Plasma-Drill pointed straight down at the ice. WHIRRRRR. The sound was deafening. The drill bit into the ice shelf. Steam geysered up. The massive tank began to descend, burrowing into the earth like a metal worm.
Down. Down. Down.
One mile. Two miles.
Suddenly, the resistance vanished. The drill broke through the ceiling of the cavern.
[The Hollow Earth]
The Behemoth fell through the hole, landing with a massive THUD on a metal floor. The dust settled. Alex looked at the main screen.
They weren't in a cave. They were in a City. An underground metropolis powered by geothermal energy. Towers of black chrome stretched from the floor to the ceiling. Thousands of Council soldiers were mobilizing. Tanks were rolling out. Jets were launching from underground hangars.
"Welcome to The Sanctuary," Alex whispered.
He stood up. He checked his pistol. "Open the ramp. Let's say hello."