Derek wasn’t sure he’d heard that right. NOVA’s climate control kept temperature and humidity perfectly stable, yet a cold shiver slid down his spine like ice.

  “Vanda, could you repeat that?”

  “I’m detecting unusual partial biological readings coming from the central structure, several hundred meters ahead, deep inside. Configuration... uncertain. ‘Partially humanoid’ is the best description I can give you.”

  Derek gazed up at the colossal pyramid of matte-black metal, towering kilometers into the sky. Its peak disappeared into a ring of clouds swirling around it, as if caught in its gravitational pull.

  He sighed. “Of course our destination had to be that terrifying structure. Let’s hope it’s just a mutant rat infestation or something, and the sensors are just… confused.”

  “They’re not,” Vanda replied flatly.

  “Figures,” he muttered. That damn AI never brought good news.

  On the surface of the pyramid, countless rectangular windows hinted at corridors and living quarters within. Who knew how many aliens had lived there millions of years ago? What did they look like, and how did they think?

  One thing was certain: their technology was so advanced, it made his own NOVA armor look like something crafted by cavemen.

  Derek blinked. “Vanda, something’s off. It’s way too quiet here. The Kolaar Node is supposed to be inside that building, and no one’s trying to stop us anymore. Just a moment ago, they were firing cannons at us and chasing us with an army. It doesn’t make sense.”

  “I agree.”

  “Could it have something to do with their religion?”

  “Why do you say that? What does religion have to do with this?”

  Derek shrugged. “I don’t know. When people act irrationally, it’s usually because they’re in love or following some absurd religious commandment. And I doubt I’m their type, especially after firing plasma rounds at them.”

  “Oddly enough, you might be right,” Vanda said.

  “It doesn’t seem odd at all for me to be right. In fact, it’s pretty normal,” Derek quipped.

  Vanda ignored him. “It could be that the locals consider this place too sacred to enter. Other cultures have exhibited similar behavior toward areas they deemed sacred or forbidden for various reasons.”

  “See? Told you.” Derek smirked.

  “Or there’s another obvious explanation.”

  “What other explanation?”

  “They might be afraid of whatever’s hiding here, the creatures lurking inside the black pyramid ahead.”

  Derek swallowed hard. He really should stop talking to her. “Well, yeah, that would make sense. Have you figured out what they are? Animals? Aliens? Wardilai themselves?”

  “No, but I’m running a database search. I’ll let you know as soon as I find a match.”

  Derek nodded. He didn’t like the idea of facing unknown creatures inside the pyramid, but the odds of anything in there being a real threat to his NOVA armor were basically zero.

  He advanced at a steady pace toward one of the entrances, his armored boots striking the ground with dull, rhythmic thuds that echoed through the silence.

  A plain, rectangular opening at the building’s base. From afar, it had seemed small, but as he approached, its sheer scale became apparent. An entire army could march through it. In this place, maintaining a sense of proportion was almost impossible.

  “Vanda, are you recording?”

  “Of course. If we make it out alive, this footage might be worth almost as much as the artifact you’re trying to steal.”

  “For the last time, I’m not stealing it. But I appreciate that you’re finally starting to see things from the right perspective.”

  The tale has been taken without authorization; if you see it on Amazon, report the incident.

  “Sure. You’re such a positive influence on me.”

  Derek smirked.

  As soon as he stepped inside, darkness swallowed him whole. The NOVA suit’s night vision activated instantly, making the change in lighting almost imperceptible. The walls of the massive corridor were jet black, smooth, and impossibly flawless. Nothing seemed capable of marring this material, not the elements, not even the passage of time.

  Could there be some kind of self-repair system preventing the environment from deteriorating, like what happens in living organisms? But even living things eventually age and break down.

  Still, the material was tough as hell. If he had to fire in there, ricochets would be a serious concern. None of his weapons, not even plasma rounds, could breach those walls. And taking a plasma round to the face on the rebound would be a problem, even for his Neutronsteel armor.

  It was hard to imagine what the air might smell like in a place like this. NOVA’s air filtration system didn’t allow him to satisfy that curiosity.

  A deep unease twisted in his gut, an undeniable sense of being an unwelcome intruder. This place wasn’t meant for humans. Maybe he wasn’t defiling a sacred site, but he was definitely trespassing on forbidden ground.

  “Any movement from our friends?” Derek asked. His throat was lined with wool.

  “All quiet.”

  “Perfect”, Derek nodded. “We’ll grab the artifact and get out of here. Easy.”

  “Do you actually believe that?”

  “Not for a second.” He turned into one of the smaller, darker side corridors.

  In this pyramid, small was a relative term. The corridor was at least twenty meters wide, with walls covered in orderly carvings that resembled cuneiform writing. Shiny black panels, likely screens, dotted the walls. Ancient monitors that alien beings might have once watched or even touched.

  Yuki would have been in awe of this place. She would’ve given anything to explore its secrets, to unravel the mysteries etched into its walls. Her relentless passion for discovery had been one of the things he loved most about her, and also part of what had taken her from him.

  Derek clenched his fists and forced the knot in his throat back down. He was here to uncover the truth about what had killed her that damn night. The Kolaar Node held the answers, and he had never been this close. This wasn’t the time to mourn. It was the time to act.

  Even though everything looked brand new, it was a dormant structure. An unnatural silence filled the air, no hum of machinery, no voices, no footsteps.

  Derek frowned. “Nothing about this place makes sense.”

  “Everyone feels confused sometimes,” Vanda replied, apparently trying to be supportive.

  Derek shook his head. “Not me. Look, we’re in a gigantic structure at the center of a city that must have been heavily populated. This could’ve been a gathering place or a government hub. And yet, nothing here suggests anything like that. It feels like walking through the corridors of a warship.”

  “Are you sure?” Vanda asked.

  Derek nodded. “Yeah. There’s an air of martial efficiency I’ve seen plenty of times on battleships and in barracks. This place wasn’t meant to serve the city. Rather, the city, and this building in particular, was meant to contain whatever was inside here.”

  “Whatever it was, after all this time, there won’t be any trace of it left.”

  Derek cast another glance at the control panels and circuits, still in perfect condition, like time hadn’t touched them. “I hope you’re right, Vanda. Are the creatures you detected, whatever they are, still far off, deep in the pyramid?”

  A metallic clang echoed from the darkness of the corridor, loud, sudden, and way too close.

  Derek held his breath. “You heard that?”

  “If you heard it, I heard it too,” Vanda replied.

  “Can you figure out what it is?”

  Silence.

  When Vanda didn’t respond, it meant she was dealing with something important and couldn’t spare the resources to answer. Oh yeah, something was definitely about to happen.

  With a mental command, Derek redirected energy into the armor plating, increasing its mass slightly. In such an enclosed space, mobility wouldn’t matter much. Better to prioritize resilience.

  He deployed the plasma cannons but retracted them almost immediately, remembering the ricochet risk. Close combat would have to suffice.

  He activated the Plasma Edge Gauntlets. Two golden, blazing blades, each about fifty centimeters long, extended smoothly from the backs of NOVA’s hands. The glow from the blades lit up the gloomy corridor, casting flickering shadows on the black walls.

  A scraping sound echoed from behind. He spun sharply, his display registering a sudden spike in his heart rate. If the NOVA allowed it, he was sure he’d already be drenched in sweat.

  “I’ve got them,” Vanda finally said. “The structure’s materials were interfering with the sensors, but I managed to compensate.”

  “Let’s skip to the part where you tell me what’s coming,” Derek snapped.

  “I don’t have an exact answer. They’re the same creatures I detected before we entered. They’re no longer deep inside the pyramid. They’ve moved closer without me noticing, maybe due to sensor interference. I’m getting a clearer reading now, but I still can’t fully process the data. Whatever they are, they appear to be both biological and synthetic.”

  Derek narrowed his eyes. “They’ve sent humanoid drones?” He’d dealt with those zombie-like hybrids before: dead soldiers stitched together with robotics. Disgusting, but ultimately harmless against the NOVA.

  “No, Derek. I’ve never seen anything like this. The synthetic components appear to be made from the same material as the pyramid. It’s… impenetrable to sensors.”

  “…and to my weapons,” Derek muttered. It felt like his mouth had suddenly gone dry.

  “And it’s not just one. There are dozens, closing in from all directions.”

  Derek’s mini-map flared to life, lighting up like a Christmas tree as red dots appeared along the edges.

  Every dot was converging on his position. The way they had all materialized out of nowhere, perfectly positioned to surround him, felt more like a premeditated ambush than a random infestation of brainless creatures.

  The scraping of metal grew louder and reverberated through the dark corridor like the claws of predators closing in. Each skittering sound made the walls feel narrower, the space more suffocating.

  “Activate tactical analysis. I need a route, a strategy, something to get me out of trouble and straight to the artifact!”, Derek said.

  “Derek, we don’t need tactical analysis. If you stay here, those things will tear you apart. We need to get out. Now.”

  “No!” His voice echoed louder than he intended, ringing through the corridor, but he didn’t care. They already knew he was there, and he had never been this close to reaching it. This was what he came for. The artifact wasn’t just another mission. It was the key to everything. Answers, closure… maybe even peace.

  He clenched his fists inside the gauntlets, the metal creaking under the pressure.

  If he walked away now, he might never get another chance.

  A clatter of metallic footsteps echoed in the distance, both ahead of him and behind. His escape route was already cut off. He had missed the narrow window of time to leave without a fight.

  There had to be someone behind this attack. Maybe the planet’s inhabitants had figured out how to use Wardilai tech and were orchestrating the ambush. No way extinct aliens from millions of years ago had planned this.

  “The plan doesn’t change,” Derek said, crouching like a runner at the starting line.

  “Derek, why is that artifact so important to you? Does it have something to do with Professor Yuki Shinoda?”

  Derek’s expression hardened. This was definitely not the right time to have that conversation, assuming such a time even existed. He funneled every ounce of power to the leg actuators.

  “Vanda, bring the reactor to one hundred and ten percent.”

  The overheating indicator shot past the safety threshold within seconds.

  He felt his heartbeat slow. As usual, once the stress peaked, a strange calmness washed over him. He readied himself, plasma blades raised in front.

  Twisted figures emerged ahead. Some skittered along the floor, others crawled across the walls and ceiling. They moved like insects, with sharp, jerky motions and the constant metallic clicking of their joints. A faint yellowish glow emanated from their eyes.

  “Vanda, listen carefully. You said those beings are partly biological. I need you to highlight the organic parts of their bodies on my display whenever I get close to one.”

  “Understood.”

  Here we go.

  Derek unleashed the stored power in his actuators, propelling himself forward like a plasma round. His glowing blades spread wide like angelic wings, while NOVA’s crimson eyes lit up the ceiling, burning like the fire of a demon.