We left the dusty silence of the forgotten observation post behind and re-entered the active labyrinth of the 73P base. The plan was bold to the point of insanity, a roll of the dice in a game where the odds were brutally stacked against us. Access the research level through a material transfer conduit, a secondary artery used to transport byproducts or samples of the Chimeric Compound. The path was dangerous, but also, hopefully, unexpected for those searching for us.
We moved with the silent precision that only fear and urgency can command. Kael knew the route: a convoluted path through little-used service corridors and loading ramps that would take us to the level containing the transfer chute access. The search sirens seemed to have diminished in frequency, but the base's drone sounded more vigilant, with security patrols moving through the main corridors with methodical regularity.
We reached the entrance to the transfer duct. It was a reinforced metal opening in the wall of a wide service tunnel, sealed by a heavy hatch. Unlike the access panels to the ventilation ducts, this one seemed to have a more robust security system. Kael took out a small, flat electronic device and began working on the hatch's control panel. The device's small screen glowed faintly in the dim light, displaying lines of code and progress bars. The silence was total, broken only by their tight breathing and Kael's soft tapping on the panel.
"It's an old control system," Kael whispered, still staring at the screen. "It's not directly linked to the main security grid. But you have to watch out for the internal pressure and motion sensors. And the transfer cycles."
Transfer cycles? The idea of being inside when the conduit activated to move material wasn't comforting. "We have to time it perfectly," I said, feeling a pang of anxiety.
"I've got it," Kael replied. "There's a ten-minute gap between cycles at this hour. Enough time to reach the exit point if we move quickly. But there's no margin for error."
The hatch clicked softly as it unlocked. Kael nodded to me, indicating he was ready. He opened the hatch just enough for us to slide inside. The air that came out of the shaft was much cooler than in the tunnel outside, and with a chemical smell more intense and pungent than anything I'd smelled before on base. It was the scent of the Chimeric Compound in its most concentrated form, a spicy, metallic mixture that burned my nostrils.
We slipped into the darkness of the shaft, Kael closing the hatch behind us. The interior space was larger than the lower service shafts, designed for transporting material, but still confined. The floor was a metal grate, and below it, in the light from our flashlights, I could see some kind of channel through which the material was evidently transferred. The walls of the shaft showed obvious signs of corrosion, iridescent stains and pitting in the metal, confirming the reports in the briefcase.
We advanced crouching, moving as quickly as we could. The sound of the base's machinery was muffled here, but the hum of the nearby pipes was more powerful. Every vibration, every change in temperature, put us on alert. Kael's warning about the pressure and motion sensors meant every step had to be careful, every step deliberate.
The air in the shaft grew more oppressive as we advanced. Despite our thermal suits, the cold was penetrating, and the chemical smell clung to everything. I could feel an irritation on my exposed skin, despite the layers of clothing. It was an unsettling sensation, a constant reminder of the lethal nature of the material moving along this very track. Jaxson Cole, adventure writer, literally crawling through a vein in the base's dark heart, pumping out the poison someone wanted to sell to the solar system.
"Five minutes left," Kael whispered, checking her device. Her voice sounded tense.
We quickened our pace, the fear that the transference cycle would activate before we reached the exit giving us renewed strength. The conduit seemed to stretch on endlessly, a straight line through the icy darkness. The anomalous ice formations on the walls were more numerous here, some twisting into strange, almost organic shapes. They were both beautiful and terrifying, the physical manifestation of the invisible danger that surrounded us.
Suddenly, we heard a change in the hum of the pipes. A rising sound, like liquid being pumped through at high pressure. My heart skipped a beat.
"The cycle!" Kael exclaimed, his voice now urgent. "We have to hurry!"
We ran, crouching, through the conduit. The sound of the material moving beneath the grate became deafening, a cold, violent torrent. I felt a stronger vibration in the ground beneath my feet. A frigid mist with an even more potent chemical smell began to seep from the transfer channel, despite the seal.
We were a few meters from what Kael had identified as the exit point. I saw it: a side access hatch in the shaft wall. Our only hope. The air turned thick and stinging. I felt my throat close, my eyes water.
Kael reached the hatch, manipulating the control panel with quick fingers. The progress bar on his device filled with agonizing slowness. Meanwhile, the sound of material in the duct reached a crescendo, and the icy mist grew thicker. I could feel a burning sensation on my exposed skin, despite the intense cold.
"Almost!" Kael growled, his eyes fixed on the screen.
The air became unbreathable. I felt my vision blur. The Chimeric Compound. We were too close. Its effects.
The hatch made an unlocking sound.
"Now!" Kael shouted, flinging it open.
With a last desperate effort, I launched myself toward the opening, feeling the frigid, toxic air close in around me. I slipped through the hatch, falling into a larger space with breathable, though cold, air. Kael followed immediately, closing the hatch behind him with a metallic clang.
We stood there, panting, coughing, the chemical smell still lingering in our nostrils. We were out of the material transfer chute. Alive. Just barely. I looked around, trying to get my bearings. We were in a small access room, similar to others I'd seen on the base, but with a door that led to a corridor I didn't recognize.
"Where... where are we?" I asked, my voice hoarse.
Kael leaned against the wall, trying to catch his breath. "Research level," he replied, his voice strained. "Sector Gamma-7. Right next to Hanson's lab."
We had made it. We had passed through the poisonous conduit and reached our destination. We were in the heart of Aqua-Sol's fortress, just feet away from Doctor Hanson and the secrets she guarded. But we knew the real danger was just beginning. We were in enemy territory, exposed, with the possibility of detection at any moment. Rescuing Hanson and exposing the truth depended on the next few minutes. And the distant sound of search sirens, however muffled, reminded us that time was running out. The climax tightens, and we are right in the middle of it, breathing the danger-laden air on the 73P research level.
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