The geometry of the drain pipe entrance provided the only defensible asset against the impending organic assault.
Lucian initiated Kinetic Triage Protocol 7, focusing his remaining, unstable energy reserve on two critical systems: Tactile Sensory Amplification and Precision Micro-Motor Control in his hands.
All other high-draw functions remained inert. He was a static, power-starved turret, and the narrow sub-level pipe was being converted into his Optimized Kill Zone.
The threat was the kinetic unpredictability of the scavengers.
Lucian needed to eliminate variables and force their momentum into a single, predictable line. He began the construction of a non-electronic, multi-stage defense array.
The process was agonizingly slow, conducted in near-total darkness, with only 40% optical clarity and minimal motor function. Every movement was a power-to-time trade-off, each centimeter of movement costing calculated milliseconds of life support.
Stage 1: Structural Funneling. Lucian's objective was to reduce the functional width of the access tunnel.
The pipe itself provided an initial restriction, but side panels of fractured, rusted ventilation grating lay nearby.
He used his rebar brace as a primary anchor point, leveraging his remaining actuator strength to shift the heaviest grating sections, wedging them to reinforce the walls of the pipe.
This action reduced the functional width from 1.5 meters to a near-absolute choke point of 0.8 meters. The calculation was simple: a compressed space dictates a single-file, longitudinal assault.
This eliminated the possibility of flanking maneuvers or coordinated multi-unit entry, simplifying the defense matrix by 500%.
The structural instability was an acceptable risk.
The pipe groaned under the added stress, but Lucian assessed the Collapse Probability at 1.2%, insufficient to warrant diversion of resources. The successful creation of the choke point provided a 99% guarantee of a sequential engagement, which was the only type of combat his low-power state could sustain.
Stage 2: Kinetic Dissipation and Friction Reduction. The next threat was the speed of the two remaining smaller units, designated Beta-1 and Beta-2, which were confirmed to possess high-speed, scavenged hydraulic augments.
Their low-fidelity navigation systems relied entirely on consistent ground friction. Lucian needed to introduce a variable that would induce a sudden, unrecoverable kinetic deviation.
He located a defunct hydraulic pump near the maintenance closet. The pump contained a residue of thick, bio-synthetic engine lubricant; in other words, an asset of immense immediate value.
Lucian used his multi-tool to scrape the viscous fluid, applying this material to the ferrocrete floor immediately outside the 0.8-meter choke point. This created a Zero-Friction Zone (ZFZ).
The lubricant distribution was sparse but strategically placed to catch the main force vector of the scavengers' forward momentum. The sudden loss of traction, combined with their already high velocity, would force a predictable over-compensation in their crude stabilization algorithms, momentarily disabling their low-grade augments and making them vulnerable targets.
Stage 3: Micro-Filament Termination Array. This was the terminal, close-quarters defense.
Lucian deployed the remainder of his salvaged monofilament wire; it was the thin, brittle copper threads he'd stripped from the ZVA. He did not string them horizontally as a tripwire; that defense was computationally predictable and had already been used against the Alpha unit.
Instead, he wove the threads into a complex, vertical Micro-Filament Grid (MFG) inside the narrowest point of the pipe. The grid was anchored not to the wall, but to his own augmented wrist assembly.
The wires were not designed to sever tissue or metal, but to snare and halt kinetic energy. Any significant momentum impacting the MFG would result in a violent, multi-point kinetic arrest, transferring the scavenger's forward energy directly into a severe, physical tension on Lucian's arm.
This direct connection provided an immediate, low-latency sensory input (a High-Fidelity Tactile Warning) completely bypassing his power-starved electronic sensors.
It was a purely mechanical, zero-energy-cost early warning and immobilization system.
Energy Triage Status: Life Support Cache remaining: T - 4 hours, 12 minutes. Power allocated to defense construction: 1.5% of total reserve. Efficiency: Optimal.
The corrosive effluent dripping down the pipe walls, a mix of polymer waste and spent reactor coolant, continued to erode the exposed synthetic tissue on Lucian's hip.
He categorized the internal pain and localized tissue degradation as a Severity 6 Tissue Erosion Alert, irrelevant to the immediate tactical objective.
The auditory input escalated. The remaining Junk Dogs were communicating in high-frequency, emotional bursts in what could be considered at best a chaotic, inefficient system of coordination.
They were reacting to the failure of their Alpha with rage and confusion. This biological inefficiency was the primary variable Lucian relied upon. The kill zone was fully established, optimized for the sequential destruction of low-intelligence organic threats.
Lucian lay still, monitoring the tension on the MFG, awaiting the inevitable impact.