The group's footsteps echoed against concrete as they fled through the maintenance tunnel. Fluorescent lights flickered overhead, casting sickly yellow pulses across their desperate faces. The passageway opened into a massive water treatment facility—concrete channels, metal catwalks, and the constant background gurgle of flowing water.
Marcus took point, his M16 scanning methodically for threats. Javier followed, Amber's limp form cradled against his chest, her blood leaving a trail behind them. Eli stumbled between them, still dazed from the Cephalod's mental assault. Dale brought up the rear, revolver ready, his eyes constantly checking their six. Emily and Soo-Jin had appeared from somewhere, carrying hard drives and equipment salvaged from the command center.
Arthur's fingers flew across his keyboard, cycling through security camera feeds. The interface showed multiple angles of the drainage facility—overhead views of catwalks, long shots of concrete channels, close-ups of maintenance doorways. He spotted movement on the northeast entrance camera.
"Infiltrators at your two o'clock," Arthur said, his voice steady despite the sweat beading on his forehead. "At least eight of them. They're moving fast."
On screen, Marcus raised his fist, signaling the group to halt. "Which way, Commander?"
Arthur checked the schematics. "Take the catwalk down to processing level three. There's a maintenance shaft that leads to the outflow pipes."
The group moved quickly but carefully across the metal walkway. The clang of their footsteps echoed through the cavernous space. Arthur's eyes darted between camera feeds, tracking the approaching Infiltrators. They moved with that distinctive wrong rhythm that gave them away even without seeing their faces.
"They're closing in," Arthur warned. "Thirty seconds, maybe less."
"We're not gonna make it carrying Amber," Javier said, his breath coming in ragged gasps.
"Yes, you will," Arthur replied. He examined the facility layout again, looking for an advantage. "Dale, see that control panel on your left? That operates the overflow gates."
Dale spotted it—a metal box with a bright yellow warning label. "Got it."
"Hit it when I give the word. It'll flood the lower section and slow them down."
The first Infiltrator appeared at the far end of the catwalk, moving fast. Dale fired twice. The creature staggered but kept coming.
"Now!" Arthur shouted.
Dale slammed his fist against the control panel. Klaxons blared through the facility. Massive sluice gates groaned open somewhere below them. Water rushed through the channels, the sudden surge crashing against concrete barriers.
The group reached a junction just as more Infiltrators poured in from two directions. Marcus dropped to one knee, firing in controlled bursts. Three Infiltrators fell, their bodies already beginning to dissolve into that strange ashy residue.
"Left tunnel!" Arthur directed, scanning ahead through the security feeds. "Move!"
The tunnel was narrower—single file only. Javier went first with Amber, followed by Emily and Soo-Jin with their precious data drives. Marcus and Dale provided covering fire from the junction.
"Dale, I need you to hold them here for fifteen seconds, then fall back," Arthur said, calculating timing in his head. "Marcus, go with the others. Make sure they reach the outflow pipes."
"Roger that," Dale replied, sounding almost cheerful despite the circumstances. He reloaded his revolver with practiced efficiency.
On another camera feed, Arthur caught a flicker of movement on a high catwalk. A bulbous head peered over the edge—one of the surviving Cephalods. Its massive eyes scanned the scene below, focusing on Dale.
Arthur's stomach clenched. "Cephalod at your high right! It's targeting Dale!"
Remy looked up, his Remington ready. "I don't see—"
"It's there," Arthur insisted. He'd watched these creatures operate. They never stayed exposed for long, just long enough to establish telepathic control. "It'll poke out again between those pipes in three seconds. Right. About. There."
Remy adjusted his aim, the rifle barrel tracking to the spot Arthur had indicated. He waited, finger on the trigger.
The Cephalod's head emerged exactly where Arthur had predicted, a shimmer of psychic energy already forming around it. Remy fired once. The creature's head snapped backward, blue ichor spraying across the pipes. Its spindly body tumbled from the catwalk, plummeting thirty feet to the concrete below.
"Nice shot," Dale called out, still firing at the approaching Infiltrators.
Remy gave a tight nod, clearly unsettled by Arthur's prediction. "How did you know—"
"Pattern recognition," Arthur replied quickly. "Dale, time to go!"
Dale fired his last two rounds and sprinted after the others. The tunnel curved sharply, leading to a larger chamber filled with massive pipes. The smell of chlorine and other chemicals hung thick in the air.
"There's the outflow," Marcus pointed to a circular opening in the far wall, six feet in diameter. Water flowed through it, only about knee-deep at the moment.
"It'll take us outside the facility perimeter," Arthur confirmed, checking the schematics. "But you'll be exposed for about sixty yards before you reach cover."
Javier had set Amber down against a pipe, checking her wounds. The tourniquet on her arm had held, but fresh blood seeped from the gash in her side. "She won't make it much further without medical attention."
"None of us will make it if we stay here," Emily said, her voice clinical but strained. "Those Infiltrators will have reinforcements soon."
A shriek of metal echoed from the tunnel behind them. The Infiltrators were forcing their way through.
"How many Cephalods are left?" Marcus asked, reloading his M16.
"Just one," Arthur answered, scanning the feeds. "It was on the upper level, moving parallel to your position." He paused, focusing on a shadow that seemed darker than it should be. "Wait. I can't see it clearly, but I think—"
The wall to their left exploded inward. Chunks of concrete flew across the chamber as a massive pipe burst. Water sprayed in a high-pressure jet, temporarily blinding everyone. Through the chaos stepped the final Cephalod, its movements surprisingly graceful despite its awkward proportions.
Before anyone could react, the creature raised both arms. Marcus and Remy dropped to their knees, bodies convulsing as the Cephalod invaded their minds simultaneously.
"Shoot it!" Arthur yelled.
Javier went for his side arm, but his hands shook violently. The Cephalod's influence was spreading, affecting everyone in the chamber. Even Emily struggled, her movements becoming sluggish and uncoordinated.
"I can't... hold it steady," Dale gasped, the gun wavering wildly in his grip.
Arthur watched in horror as his team faltered under the psychic assault. The Cephalod stepped further into the chamber, its massive head tilting slightly as it concentrated its power. Its needle-like teeth gleamed in what might have been satisfaction. In the distance the heavy footsteps of infiltrators rushing to finish them off grew louder every second.
So-Jin alone seemed less affected, perhaps due to not being target as bad due to being unarmed and seen as less of a threat.
"Need... more... time," Dale ground out, fighting for each inch of movement.
Arthur's mind raced. There had to be something—some environmental advantage, some overlooked weapon. The interface showed him the room from multiple angles. The burst pipe. The knee-deep water pooling on the floor. The electrical boxes on the far wall.
"Need... more... time," Dale ground out, fighting for each inch of movement.
Arthur's mind raced. There had to be something—some environmental advantage, some overlooked weapon. The interface showed him the room from multiple angles. The burst pipe. The knee-deep water pooling on the floor. The electrical boxes on the far wall.
Soo-Jin stood at the edge of the catwalk, her small frame trembling. Her eyes fixed on the Cephalod, pupils dilated with a mixture of fear and something darker. Rage. Pure, unfiltered rage that sliced through the creature's mental assault.
Chang's face flashed in Soo-Jin's mind—his nervous smile, his gentle hands on the steering wheel, his body severed in two on the safehouse floor. Arthur could tell what she had imagined by the way her breathing changed, becoming deep and purposeful. Grief crystallized into determination in real-time.
"Soo-Jin, don't—" Arthur started.
But she was already moving.
A primal scream tore from her throat as she launched herself at the Cephalod. Her body collided with the alien, smaller but driven by perfect fury. The creature's spindly arms windmilled, its concentration broken by the unexpected physical assault.
They teetered at the edge of the catwalk. The Cephalod's massive head swiveled, those black eyes widening in what might have been surprise. Soo-Jin locked her arms around its narrow torso, her face pressed against the pulsing crimson suit.
"This is for Chang," she whispered.
Then they fell.
The splash echoed through the chamber as both human and alien hit the water below. The telepathic pressure lifted instantly, like a vice releasing from everyone's temples.
Javier recovered almost immediately and aimed his pistol down, but his hand trembled.
"I can't get a clear shot," Javier hissed. "They're too tangled."
Arthur saw it clearly. The Cephalod was using Soo-Jin as a shield, one spindly arm wrapped around her throat as they drifted toward the central channel. Luckily or unluckily the giant glass dome helmet it wore also made the alien pretty buoyance and the two floated away,
"Soo-Jin!" Arthur called out, hoping she could hear him "Let go of it! Push away so they can shoot!"
She thrashed harder, trying to break free. The Cephalod's grip tightened. Arthur sensed the calculation in those black, empty eyes. It understood human empathy as a tactical weakness.
"Current's pulling them toward the main outflow," Marcus said, tracking their movement with his rifle barrel. "Ten seconds and they're gone."
Arthur's mind raced through options. They couldn't shoot without hitting Soo-Jin.
"Can anyone reach them?" Arthur asked, desperation edging into his voice.
Marcus shook his head. "Too far."
The Cephalod and Soo-Jin drifted further away, the water's flow increasing as they neared the main channel. Soo-Jin's struggles weakened. Her eyes wide with fear and determination.
"I'm sorry," Arthur said, the words catching in his throat.
The rushing water swept them around a bend, carrying them deeper into the drainage system. Gone.
"We've lost her," Eli whispered.
"No," Arthur said firmly. "We haven't. They're heading for the southeast outflow. You can intercept them."
Javier immediately contested the idea. "What about Amber? She'll die if we don't rush to a hospital soon!
"And what about Soo-Jin, you just wanna leave her to die or worse?" Marcus entered the conversation, almost pushing Javier, but stopping due to amber laying in his arms.
Behind them, the sounds of approaching Infiltrators grew louder—footsteps splashing through flooded tunnels, getting closer with each second.
"We have to move," Emily said, her voice flat with shock. "Now."