The superheated blade of the plasma torch bit into the generator’s armored casing like a hot knife through wax. For a fraction of a second, time seemed to stand completely still in the Harvest Chamber.

Aris watched the blue plasma sever the primary cooling lines. Liquid coolant sprayed outward, in

The shockwave dissipated, leaving a ringing silence in its wake. The sterile, hyper-illuminated Eclipse Harvest chamber was unrecognizable. Medical equipment had been reduced to shrapnel, the heavy UV-containment generators were sparking, smoking ruins, and the reinforced walls were dented where the

The mechanical screech echoed again, closer this time, bouncing off the damp concrete walls of the subterranean maze.

Before Aris could even process the sound, the flashing red emergency lights above them sparked violently and died. The hum of the backup generators ground to a halt.

Absolute, su