The pod shuddered violently as Elias fought to stabilize it. Hull integrity was dropping by the second, alarms screaming in a high-pitched shriek that cut through the fog of panic clouding his mind. His fingers were white on the control grips, sweat stinging his eyes inside the helmet.
"Hull integrity at 48%! Life support compromised!" Sentinel shouted.
Elias exhaled sharply through gritted teeth. "I know, I know!" He searched the sensors, his eyes darting across the asteroid field below. One chance. One shot to survive.
A small, rocky planetoid floated nearby, barely large enough for the pod to land on. Its surface was jagged and uneven, but it was the only option. He pushed the pod's thrusters to maximum, skimming the asteroid's surface at impossible speed.
"Caution: G-forces approaching critical threshold," Sentinel warned.
"Too late for caution," Elias muttered, tightening his harness. The pod slammed into the asteroid with a violent jolt. Metal screamed under stress, sparks showering across the cockpit. The impact rattled his teeth and nearly ripped him from the harness.
He coughed, his lungs burning, as the pod skidded across the rocky surface. The emergency thrusters flared, bouncing the craft violently. The hull cracked audibly, and a hiss of escaping air made his chest tighten.
"Rear compartment breach detected! Oxygen flow critical!" Sentinel's voice was calm but firm—a mirror to Elias's own fear.
He slammed a manual seal into place, holding it as the pod trembled. The air hissed as the panel warped under stress, but it held. For now.
Then he saw it through the viewport.
The shadow. Dark and angular, almost geometric in form, hovering above the asteroid like a predator circling wounded prey. It had followed him through the void, through every trick, every evasive maneuver. And now it waited.
"Sentinel… it's still here," Elias said, his voice tight.
"Affirmative. Shadow entity maintaining orbit. It is scanning the pod and surrounding terrain," the AI reported.
Elias's stomach twisted. The pod was failing. Hull cracks ran like spiderwebs across the alloy, life support was unreliable, and the external environment was hostile. But the shadow wasn't just observing—it was learning. Waiting for him to make a mistake.
He unbuckled, pushing himself toward the emergency hatch. The pod's internal sensors flashed warnings as the breach panel groaned. He had to inspect the hull. He had to see what he was dealing with.
Outside, the asteroid was strange—almost alive. Tiny fissures across the rock pulsed faintly, like veins beneath skin. The shadow hovered, reacting to every flicker of light, every movement he made.
"Sentinel… what is this asteroid?"
"Unknown. Fissures emit energy pulses similar to Protocol fragment. Suggest caution," the AI advised.
Elias swallowed hard. Something beneath the surface was alive. And it knew he was here.
He stepped onto the jagged surface in his survival suit, boots crunching over the alien rock. Sparks from the pod's breach panel flickered against the asteroid's strange veins, casting eerie shadows that danced in the low light.
The fissures pulsed brighter as he approached. A low hum vibrated through the ground, synchronizing with the pulse of the shadow above. Elias's chest tightened. The asteroid wasn't just a rock. It was a beacon, a trap, or both.
"Sentinel… I need a plan," he whispered.
"Options limited. Recommend scanning alien structure. Data may provide insight into Protocol fragment and shadow entity," Sentinel replied.
Elias nodded, forcing himself to move forward. He approached a larger fissure, a crack large enough to peer inside. The walls glowed faintly with the same energy signature he had detected from the alien device earlier.
He swallowed. The fissure pulsed again, and the pod shivered violently. Outside, the shadow's form flickered in response. Something beneath the asteroid was reacting to him.
"Sentinel… it knows I'm here," he said.
"Affirmative. Probability of hostile interaction: high," Sentinel confirmed.
Elias drew his sidearm, gripping it tightly. The asteroid quivered underfoot, almost as if breathing. Tiny rocks levitated slightly before crashing back down, sending showers of dust into the low gravity.
Then a flash of light burst from the fissure, blinding him for a second. A low hum filled the void around him, vibrating through his chest and resonating with the pulse from the shadow above. The energy signature was massive, far larger than the pod or the drones—the Protocol fragment was alive here, somehow interacting with the asteroid itself.
Elias's mind raced. He realized the pod's crash wasn't just a misfortune—it had been herded here. Every evasive maneuver, every slingshot, every pulse the shadow had sent—it was all designed to guide him here, to this place.
"Sentinel… this isn't random," he muttered. "We've been herded."
The asteroid quaked again. The fissures widened, glowing brighter. Sparks from the pod's breach panel leapt into the cracks, illuminating strange machinery buried beneath the surface. Not natural. Not human. Alien technology, synchronized with the Protocol fragment, pulsing with a rhythm that matched the shadow above.
Elias's breath caught. The stakes had escalated. He was no longer just a pilot surviving a chase. He was in the center of something ancient, powerful, and alive.
The shadow's pulse flared in unison with the fissures. The ground beneath him vibrated. The alien machinery slowly rose from the cracks like a skeletal hand reaching toward the stars.
"Elias… immediate evacuation recommended," Sentinel warned.
He stepped back, heart pounding. But he knew he couldn't leave yet. The alien device was here. The Protocol fragment was here. And the shadow… it was learning, watching, waiting for his next move.