The heavy vault door of the Special Collections Archives thudded shut with a satisfying, deeply resonant clunk that echoed like the final note of a grim opera.
For the first time in what felt like an eternity, Axel allowed himself to take a breath that didn't taste primarily of dust, blood, or impending doom.
The air inside was cool, still, and thick with the scent of old paper, binding glue, and something vaguely like cedar. It was the smell of history, of forgotten knowledge.
To Axel, right now, it smelled like paradise.
"Home sweet temporary home," he said, leaning back against the cold steel of the door, his Maglite beam playing over rows upon rows of tall, metal shelving units packed with archival boxes and leather-bound ledgers.
"Rate it a solid ten on the 'not actively trying to eat me' scale. Good call, Mia."
Mia was already moving, her earlier tension replaced by a pragmatic energy. "Let's make sure it stays that way." She pointed to a heavy locking bar mechanism on the inside of the door. "Help me with this. If that Juggernaut does find us, I'd rather it had to work for its dinner."
Together, they wrestled the thick steel bars into place, the metallic scrape and click echoing satisfyingly. Secure. For now.
"Alright," Axel said, once they were done.
"First order of business: inventory and a moment to not be actively fleeing for our lives. System, status report on the Acting Chancellor, if you please. And maybe an award for 'Most Creative Use of Office Safety Equipment in a Hostile Takeover'."
[SYSTEM STATUS: Axel – Acting Chancellor. Stamina: Low (27/100). Adrenaline Dissipating. Minor Abrasions and Contusions. XP Gained (Juggernaut Evasion & Obstruction, Skitterling Encounters): 75. Current XP: 90/250 (Level 1). New Skill Unlocked: Improvised Tactics (Passive – Minor bonus to effectiveness when using non-standard items in combat/problem-solving).]
[No awards available in current System build. Suggest submitting a feature request.]
"Improvised Tactics, huh? So, my official title is now 'Acting Chancellor of Clever Crap'?"
Axel mused. "I'll take it." He looked at Mia, who was already pulling out one of the emergency protein bars from her meager stash. "We need to eat, drink what little water we have, and then figure out this observatory rescue mission."
They settled in a small clear space, sharing one of Mia's cardboard-flavored bars and a few precious sips of water from the bucket she'd managed to save.
The silence, punctuated only by their own quiet chewing and the faint hum that seemed to be part of any old building, was a luxury.
"So, this group of yours," Axel began, breaking the quiet. "Kai, the… uh… 'practical idealist, lover boy, perfect sidekick with lots of power'?" He raised an eyebrow, a hint of a smirk playing on his lips.
"Sounds like quite the character reference. Is he aware of his official sidekick designation?"
Mia actually flushed slightly, a charming contrast to her usual pragmatic demeanor.
"He's… enthusiastic," she admitted. "And surprisingly strong. He was a physics major, always tinkering. After the Awakening, he… he could do things. Push things with his mind, stronger than me. He called it 'Force Affinity' or something equally dramatic." She smiled faintly.
"He's a good guy, Axel. Loyal. He'd try to protect everyone, even if it's a stupid idea."
"Sounds like my kind of idiot," Axel said, meaning it. Enthusiasm and loyalty were commodities more precious than gold right now. "And the professors? Armitage and Hanson?"
"Professor Armitage taught Ancient Civilizations. He's got a mind like a steel trap for history and patterns.
Dr. Hanson… she's a sociologist, specialized in crisis behavior and group dynamics. Both incredibly smart, both tougher than they look.
They were trying to keep the students calm, organize things when… well, when I last saw them."
Her voice softened. "There were others too. A few engineering students, a couple from the agri-science department… some just regular people. And yeah, I think a few more were… changing, like me."
Axel nodded, his System already cross-referencing this information, building profiles. "And the observatory? What's the strategic advantage there?"
"It's on the highest hill on campus," Mia explained. "Good visibility. Solid stone construction, old-school. Fewer ground-level access points. And Kai was convinced he could get the old backup generator there working, maybe even the radio telescope for long-range communication, if we found solar cells or another power source."
"Ambitious," Axel said, impressed.
"Okay, System, let's have it. Route analysis to the Atheria University Observatory from current location.
Factor in known Blighted concentrations, probable Juggernaut patrol patterns – assuming it gets bored of playing with its rock pile – and any convenient caches of tactical snacks."
[SYSTEM ANALYSIS: Route to Atheria Observatory plotted. Distance: Approx 1.8 km via primary service tunnels and select secure surface transversals. Estimated Travel Time (Cautious): 3-4 hours. Multiple High-Threat Zones indicated. Juggernaut signature currently static but within 500m radius of previous tunnel collapse – alternative routes being calculated. No tactical snack caches detected on optimal path. Suggest rationing.]
"Figures," Axel sighed. He looked at Mia. Her hoodie was torn at the sleeve, revealing a nasty scrape from their earlier encounters. She looked exhausted but resolute.
He felt an unexpected pang of… something. Responsibility, sure. But also a strange sort of protectiveness. And maybe a tiny bit of awe at her resilience and those surprisingly potent brick-hurling skills.
His internal monologue, never one to miss an opportunity, unhelpfully supplied a mental image of her fiercely defending him with a telekinetically-wielded office chair. He mentally told it to get back in its Freudian box.
"We need a better plan than just 'run and hope'," he said. "And better gear." He stood up, shining his Maglite around the archival vault. "This place is full of history. Maybe some of it can help us make some."
They began a more thorough search. Most of it was, as expected, mundane: university financial records from the 1950s, minutes from forgotten committee meetings, doctoral theses on obscure poets.
But then, in a mislabeled box tucked away in a dusty corner, Mia found something.
"Axel, look at this."
It was a set of old, rolled-up architectural blueprints. Not for the main campus, but for the original Atheria College, built in the late 1800s, much of which was now the foundation and deep basement levels of the modern university.
And detailed among them were forgotten passages, sealed-off rooms, even an old, disused storm drain system that seemed to run remarkably close to the hill the observatory stood on.
"Well, hello there, Miss 'Intuitive Pathfinding'," Axel said, a slow grin spreading across his face as they unrolled the crackling parchment.
"Looks like your ancestors were also fans of secret tunnels." He glanced at Mia, whose eyes were shining with discovery. "This could be our route. Off the beaten path. Maybe even Juggernaut-proof, if these passages are small enough."
[SYSTEM UPDATE: New topographical data ingested. Cross-referencing with existing campus schematics. Route to Observatory via 'Historical Access Tunnels' calculated. Reduced Blighted encounter probability by 45%. Juggernaut Evasion Probability: 85%. Warning: Structural integrity of historical tunnels: Unknown. Potential for uncatalogued hazards: High.]
"High risk, high reward," Axel murmured.
"The motto of every successful (or spectacularly doomed) Chancellor."
He looked at Mia. "So, what do you say? Ready to delve into Atheria's even deeper, darker, and probably spider-infested history to save your friends?"
Mia met his gaze, a new spark of determination, and perhaps even a touch of excitement, in hers. "Someone has to. And it looks like 'someone' is us."
She even managed a small, genuine smile. "Besides, who knows? Maybe we'll find some truly ancient, forgotten snacks down there."
Axel laughed, the sound surprisingly light in the heavy silence of the vault. "Now you're talking. A Chancellor, a Rebel Telekinetic, and a quest for ancient university snacks.
This apocalypse just keeps getting weirder."
But as they began to trace the old routes on the map, a new, more urgent alert flashed on Axel's System.
[CRITICAL ALERT: Bio-signature detected – Juggernaut Class – Proximity rapidly decreasing. Obstruction bypassed. Estimated arrival at current tunnel network nexus: 7 minutes.]
Axel's smile vanished. "Scratch the rest and regroup part," he said grimly, already moving towards the vault door.
"Our oversized friend is coming for a library visit."