The engineering room was bathed in a deep, oppressive red glow, the only illumination provided by the emergency lights lining the ceiling and floor. Equipment sat inert and lifeless. The soft hum of machinery had fallen silent, leaving only the sounds of their own movements and breathing.
Hank paused for a long moment, closing his eyes and stretching out with his precognitive senses, searching for that telltale pulse of danger — the countdown that had warned them before. But he felt... nothing. The ticking pressure was gone. Whatever was summoning the Ryans, it had stopped — at least for now.
He let out a breath and turned back toward the others. Maya and Erin were both on their feet, albeit Erin was still unsteady. Hank quickly helped them move out into the main area with Mercer. Together, they began gathering the heavy power plant components, hoisting them onto the grav-sleds with careful urgency. The pieces were awkward and delicate, but they made steady progress.
Corbin had already peeled away from the group, moving with practiced efficiency to the remains of the hyperdrive, beginning the delicate process of unhooking its connections from the makeshift portal.
They were just settling into a rhythm when the first sound pierced the heavy silence: a metallic clang, distant, echoing from deeper inside the facility. Hank's head snapped up. A second later came the unmistakable sharp crack of gunfire — not once, but several times, muffled but clear.
It was coming from the direction of the testing labs — both the animal experiments and the robot proving grounds.
The group froze for a heartbeat, staring at each other in the dim crimson light.
Something else was awake in the station.
