Chapter 52: Chapter 10.5: The Swarm Approaches The Command Lounge hummed with a familiar comfort, a peace they had bled for with their own sweat and sacrifice. Jin sat in the center of the room, the Kageyoshi resting across his lap, its presence a silent, grounding weight.
’Your form is improving,’ Asha’s voice noted, her tone clinical but with a hint of something that might have been approval. ’Your efficiency has increased by 7.3%. However, your humming is statistically detrimental to maintaining a low profile.’
Jin’s lips twitched. ’It helps me focus,’ he thought back, a flicker of amusement in his mind. ’And you’re one to talk about being distracting.’
"Jin. Just a heads-up," Asha’s tone shifted, the clinical data replaced by urgency. "Two additional cryo-pods have successfully attained stable revival parameters. All critical life support matrices are green. The conditions for revival are optimal."
Jin’s eyes opened. The peaceful atmosphere in the room tightened as the others recognized his "listening to Asha" face. He looked at Sera, who was already watching him from the command table, her gold eyes sharp.
"Two more pods are stable," he said, his voice quiet but clear. "We can wake them."
Before the spark of hope could fully ignite, Asha’s voice turned grim. "An intricate issue has emerged. Long-range motion sensors are detecting a significant biomass convergence. Heat signatures consistent with a Crawler pack. Estimates suggest thirty to forty entities moving deliberately toward the Command Wing."
The color drained from Jin’s face. Two more lives hanging in the balance, and a small army of nightmares gathering at their doorstep. His first thought wasn’t for his own safety, but for the innocent, sleeping girls and the three women who had become his family. His eyes immediately found Sera’s.
"Sera," he said, his voice tight. "They’re coming."
Sera was already standing, her body radiating a calm authority that cut through the rising tension. "Clara, full sensor data on our perimeter, now."
Clara, who had been calibrating her new shield emitter, didn’t even flinch. Her fingers flew across her tablet, and the holographic display in the center of the room flickered to life, a 3D map of their sector appearing. It was immediately choked with a swarm of red heat signatures, pouring through vents, maintenance tunnels, and service passages, all converging on their location.
"They’re everywhere," Rosa whispered, her usual smirk gone. She instinctively touched the plasma daggers at her hips. "This isn’t random. How are they this organized?"
"Analysis suggests each encounter allows them to adapt tactics and coordinate more effectively," Jin relayed Asha’s assessment.
Sera began to pace, her mind racing. "Time frame for the cryo-pods?"
"Twenty-four-hour safe window for revival," Jin said, the two timeframes creating a brutal, ticking clock in the room.
Jin frowned, really trying to focus. "Wait, Asha’s been keeping an eye on them while I was knocked out"
The three girls paused whatever they were up to and gave Jin a focused stare.
"Indeed," Asha’s voice echoed in his mind. "The Crawlers ramp up activity during the Vault’s ’day’ hours. When faux-night hits, reaction times drop by ~23% and sensory acuity by ~31%."
Jin blinked, trying to wrap his head around it. "So, she’s saying they’re more lively during the day but kind of sluggish at night, like when you wake up at 3 AM and stumble to the bathroom half-asleep."
Rosa raised an eyebrow. "Great."
Asha interjected, "It’s worth mentioning that these individuals display a remarkable propensity for aggression when engaged directly. Curiously, though, their patrol activities seem to wane, and their detection abilities take a noticeable hit during the night."
"But they’ll still eat your face if they notice you," Jin added helpfully.
Clara’s eyes lit up behind her glasses. "T-That’s actually huge information! I-If their detection range is.. is reduced by almost a third..."
"We could get much closer before triggering a response," Sera finished, her tactical mind already adjusting. "How did you notice this pattern?"
Jin rubbed his head and said, "Asha says she actually kept track of their movements. She noticed the pattern."
"Then we time our move for the deep night cycle," Sera declared, her voice decisive. "Twelve hours from now, when they’re at their slowest. That gives us five hours to execute and extract before they’re back to full speed."
"The vault’s faux-night cycle hits hard and lasts roughly five hours," Sera added. "That’s our window—we hit during deep night, use the slowdown, and extract before they’re fully active again."
Sera’s voice was carefully neutral as she laid out the plan. "Now—assignments. Clara, I want those modifications to the shield emitter perfect. Test everything twice. Rosa, inventory every weapon, every tool, every possible advantage we have. Map out your trap placements and have alternatives ready."
"And me?" Jin asked, his hand resting on the hilt of the Kageyoshi.
Sera studied him for a long moment. "You need to rest and eat. We need you at full energy. She hesitated, then continued more quietly, "You should spend some time with Asha reviewing the routes," Sera said. As Jin nodded, a new notification blinked into his vision.
[PRIORITY QUEST INITIATED]
[DESIGNATION: OPERATION NIGHTFALL]
Classification: Strategic Rescue Mission | Time-sensitive
Primary Objective:
Successfully infiltrate Environmental Control Station C-7 during the Vault’s night cycle to trigger fire suppression systems, providing cover for team extraction of two cryo-pod subjects from Sector D-4.
Mission Parameters:
- Timeline: 12 hours preparation, 5 hours execution window
- Team Composition: 4 members, coordinated assault
- Threat Level: EXTREME (30-40 Crawler entities)
- Success Condition: All team members survive, both cryo-subjects successfully revived
𝚏𝕣𝕖𝚎𝚠𝚎𝚋𝚗𝐨𝐯𝕖𝕝.𝕔𝐨𝕞 Success Rewards:
- +500 EXP (Mission Completion)
- +750 EXP (Zero Casualties Bonus)
- New Passive Skill Unlock: ’Pack Tactics Disruption’
- Cryo-Revival Protocol Access
- Bond Events Unlocked with all team members
- Potential New Team Members: 2x Unknown Cryo-Subjects
Failure Consequences:
- Death of team member(s)
- Loss of a sector
- Failure to expand the survivor group
- Potential cascade failure of remaining cryo-systems
Current Sub-Objectives:
□ Rest and Recovery (6 hours minimum)
□ Memorize tactical routes with Asha
□ Equipment familiarization and testing
□ Final briefing and team coordination
___
Jin stared at the glowing screen, the sheer number of words and statistics making his head spin. "Asha, this looks... really complicated."
"It’s a high-stakes rescue mission with multiple moving parts, Jin. I thought you’d appreciate having it broken down into simple checkboxes you can actually understand."
’Thanks, I think?’ Jin thought back, a flicker of annoyance warring with his genuine appreciation for her help. "So, the odds are better than last time, right?"
"Significantly so. Do try to avoid permanent death this time. It creates an excessive amount of paperwork."
Later, after the others had dispersed to their tasks, Jin found Sera still at the command table. Her posture was a bit more relaxed now, gone was the tactical leader calling the shots just moments before; now she was just a young woman staring at the holographic maps, maybe taking a moment to soak in what was coming up.
"Hey," Jin said softly, approaching her. "You okay?"
Sera looked up quickly, her gold eyes narrowing. "I’m totally fine," she replied sharply, sitting up straight in her chair. "Why wouldn’t I be?"
Jin noticed her hands were shaking a bit before she brought them together, and her shoulders were just slightly tense.
’She’s lying,’ Asha noted clinically in Jin’s mind. ’Her heart rate is elevated. Pupils are dilated. She is experiencing a significant stress response.’
Jin settled into the chair beside her despite her prickly response. "That sounds really stressful."
"It’s not really that stressful, it’s just more about strategy," Sera said, a bit on the defensive, but her tone had softened. She pointed at the holographic screen. "We’ve got equipment issues, the Crawlers are all over the place, and then there are the cryo-subjects... If I mess up even one thing..."
Sera lost her cool just a bit. "People could die. Because of my decisions." Her gold eyes locked with his, and for a second, he noticed the fear she was doing her best to mask. "You... you just don’t get it."
"I understand you, Sera. But if I think too hard about all the scary stuff that might happen, my brain gets all fuzzy and I can’t think straight."
He scratched his head, looking genuinely puzzled. "I’m just trying to do what’s right, and I need to be prepared to lend a hand. I know your plan will work."
Sera stared at him for a long moment. "You make it sound so simple."
"Isn’t it?" Jin asked with innocent confusion. "I mean, you’re really good at the planning stuff, and Clara’s amazing with all the technical things, and Rosa’s... well, Rosa’s Rosa. So I just need to do my part and trust everyone else to do theirs."
"That’s..." Sera struggled for words, her sharp tongue momentarily failing her. "That’s actually... not completely idiotic."
"Thanks!" Jin beamed as if she’d given him the highest compliment. "Asha says I’m really good at accidentally saying smart things even when I don’t understand them."
"Your AI has far too much personality," Sera muttered, but there was less bite in her voice.
"Yeah, she’s always making fun of me," Jin said cheerfully. "Sera, can I ask you something?"
"What?" she said warily.
"Did you ever feel nervous before things went bad? You know, like when you had to make some major choices?"
Sera quickly put her guard back up. "I wasn’t scared; I was ready for it. They’re not the same thing."
"I..." Sera faltered, then seemed to gather herself. "I... I was taught to always have a plan, and two backups. And a third, in case the first two failed spectacularly. It’s... a lot of pressure."
"Wow," Jin said, his eyes wide. "That’s... a lot to carry."
"It’s the price of leadership," Sera said, her voice quiet but firm. "It’s not about being fearless. It’s about being afraid and doing it anyway."
She looked at him, her gold eyes softening slightly. "Like you do. You don’t have the training, the technical knowledge, the experience... but you have something else. You have courage. You have a way of seeing things that cuts through the noise. That’s... that’s your strength."
Jin felt a warmth spread through his chest, a quiet affirmation of the bond they were building. "I... I just do what feels right."
"I know," Sera said, a small, genuine smile touching her lips. "And it’s working. For now."
She looked back at the holographic map, her expression serious once more. "We have a plan. We have the tools. We have each other. We can do this."
Jin nodded, his own resolve hardening. "Together."