Elias's chest heaved as the pod trembled under the aftershocks of his escape. The asteroid, jagged and alive beneath him, pulsed faintly, resonating in rhythm with the shadow above. The Observer-class fleet hovered at the edge of sensor range, angular hulls shimmering like black crystal, synchronized with the alien core in the asteroid.
And the Protocol fragment… it was screaming inside his mind.
"Integration required," the fragment whispered, not with words, but with intent. Elias could feel it probing, reaching, testing boundaries he didn't know he had. Failure was not an option.
"Sentinel… what do we do?" he gasped, gripping the controls as the pod groaned under stress.
"Evasive options exhausted. Probability of fleet engagement: 92%," the AI replied.
Elias's stomach dropped. They weren't just hunting him—they were preparing an assault. And the asteroid's alien core pulsed in sync with the shadow, as if orchestrating the entire system.
He forced himself to focus. The pod's thrusters flared to maximum. There was a narrow corridor along the asteroid belt ahead, jagged but potentially enough to buy distance. He twisted the controls violently, dodging debris, sparks flying from the damaged hull.
Outside, the shadow pulsed. Faster. Louder. A silent heartbeat that seemed to echo across space itself. And then the fleet moved.
The Observer ships surged forward, energy beams slicing through the void like frozen lightning. Elias weaved through the asteroid field, narrowly avoiding impacts that would have shattered the pod in an instant. Every shot that missed him carved glowing craters into the rocky surface.
"Hull integrity: 44%! Life support critical!" Sentinel shouted.
He ignored it, heart pounding. The Protocol fragment pulsed again, stronger, threading through his neural interface like living electricity. He could feel it nudging him, testing his reflexes, predicting his actions.
Then the first ship fired directly at him. The beam tore through space, bright and jagged, aimed with precise calculation. Elias yanked the pod into a desperate barrel roll. Sparks and shards of rock flew past. The pod groaned under the strain, alarms screaming.
"Sentinel… it's learning faster than before!" he shouted.
"Affirmative. Fleet adaptation rate increasing exponentially. Shadow influence evident," the AI confirmed.
Elias's mind raced. He couldn't outrun them forever. And he couldn't fight them head-on; the pod's weapons were already insufficient against even one Observer.
Then he remembered the alien core in the asteroid. It had pulsed violently when he interacted with it. It had responded to his neural input. Perhaps… he could use it as a weapon.
He calculated the distance, energy readings, and sync patterns. It was risky. Deadly risky. But it was the only chance.
"Sentinel… prepare emergency link to asteroid core," Elias commanded.
"Link feasibility: 27%. High risk of catastrophic feedback," the AI warned.
"Do it," he said firmly. "I don't have a choice."
The pod's interface flickered violently as Sentinel attempted the connection. Elias felt the Protocol fragment stir, flaring inside his mind. It resisted, testing him, trying to assert control—but he held firm.
The asteroid pulsed. The alien core glowed brighter, synchronized now with the pod's neural interface. Sparks of energy arced between the pod and the fissures in the rock, and Elias felt a surge of power flowing into the pod.
"Elias… energy feedback increasing exponentially!" Sentinel shouted.
He gritted his teeth, forcing himself to maintain focus. The Protocol fragment inside him screamed, but this time, he pushed back. He twisted the pod toward the fleet, channeling the energy surge into the targeting systems.
The lead Observer ship flinched as the pulse hit. Energy erupted across its hull, jagged arcs of alien power tearing through shields. Sparks flew, systems failed. The ship shuddered violently, and the rest of the fleet faltered, hesitation spreading through their ranks.
Elias's chest heaved, sweat stinging his eyes. The asteroid pulsed in response, the shadow above recoiling slightly. The Protocol fragment flared, almost as if acknowledging his control.
But the victory was temporary.
Another pulse surged from the asteroid—and this one was different. Darker. Sharper. It wasn't just energy. It carried intent. And the shadow entity pulsed in perfect synchrony, angrier, faster, calculating.
"Elias… multiple hull breaches detected! Critical systems failing!" Sentinel warned.
He twisted the pod violently, skimming through a narrow fissure in the asteroid belt. Lasers screamed past, chunks of rock spinning into the void. Sparks erupted across the pod's panels, systems failing one by one.
And then he saw it.
A massive spike of alien energy erupted from the asteroid's core, forming a crystalline lance of light that shot toward the fleet. The Observer ships scattered, but the lead ship's shields flared, and one beam connected directly with the pod.
The pod shook violently. Metal screamed. The neural interface burned in his mind, the Protocol fragment now thrashing, trying to assert full control. Elias gritted his teeth, holding on, willing himself to survive.