บท 12: Chapter 12: A Desperate Attempt
Jax gritted his teeth as he continued to descend the tower of cells, his arms straining under the weight of Vissi's limp body. Her faint blue glow, once vibrant, had dimmed to a barely perceptible shimmer, leaving him uneasy. He adjusted her weight on his back, his eyes scanning the rows upon rows of cells stacked like a twisted monument to suffering. The prisoners trapped inside were nothing more than skeletal figures, their faces hollow, their bodies shrunken by starvation and dehydration.
The descent felt like an eternity, each step echoing in the vast, cold chamber of the Necrolythians. Jax's mind raced with questions, but there was no time for answers. His only focus was to bring Vissi back to full strength. Without her powers, they had no chance of finding Rhys or making it out alive. And right now, she was too weak to even walk on her own.
As they reached the bottom, Jax paused, turning his head to survey the chamber. He noticed several massive metal doors embedded into the walls, each leading to unknown parts of the Necrolythian containment facility. He debated whether to try one of them but quickly decided against it. Without knowing where those doors led, there was a high chance of getting even more lost—or worse, stumbling into another Necrolythian patrol. For now, staying in the cell block seemed the least dangerous option.
His eyes darted back to the cells. Every one of them held someone barely clinging to life—prisoners reduced to husks by the Necrolythians' cruel conditions. He knew he couldn't count on any of them for help. Their gaunt faces told him all he needed to know: they were too far gone to even stand, let alone fight.
Jax continued to move through the massive chamber, his eyes scanning for any sign of a power source—something, anything that could recharge Vissi. Her ability to bend space would be their only way out of here. As he passed more cells, he saw prisoners leaning against the bars, their bodies so malnourished that their cheekbones stuck out in sharp angles. Some had sunken eyes that barely flickered with recognition as he passed, while others stared blankly ahead, lost in their own suffering.
"They're not even people anymore," Jax whispered, a chill running down his spine. "Just ghosts."
As he turned another corner, he stumbled upon a group of mercenaries in one of the cells. Their uniforms were tattered, their bodies frail. Jax immediately recognized the hollow look in their eyes—a look he had seen on soldiers who had lost too much. He crouched by the cell, hoping to get some information.
"Hey," he whispered, "can any of you talk? I need help."
One of the mercenaries turned his head slowly, his lips cracked and dry. He tried to speak, but all that came out was a hoarse rasp, barely more than a dry whisper. The others in the cell tried to respond as well, but their attempts were just as futile—soft, pained noises that barely registered as human.
"Damn," Jax muttered. "They've dried up."
He knew there was no use pushing them further. These mercenaries were too far gone, their bodies deprived of moisture, their minds broken. Jax's heart sank as he stood, ready to continue his search for an escape. But before he could take a step, a loud, metallic rumble echoed through the chamber.
One of the enormous metal doors began to slide open with a grinding noise that sent a shiver down Jax's spine. He quickly ducked behind a stack of cells, his body tense as he watched the scene unfold. From the doorway emerged a Necrolythian—its skeletal form patched with metal plates that gleamed under the dim lighting. The creature moved with eerie precision, its hollow eyes glowing faintly as it surveyed the room.
Beside the Necrolythian floated a smaller drone, its spherical body buzzing softly as it hovered above the ground. Jax watched as the drone moved from cell to cell, a thin red beam of light scanning the prisoners inside. The Necrolythian remained still, its attention focused entirely on the drone's work.
Jax's breath caught in his throat as he saw what the drone did next. It approached a cell containing a dead body—a prisoner whose life had clearly expired days ago. Without hesitation, the drone's scanner turned bright red, and a beam of plasma shot out, disintegrating the corpse in an instant. Nothing remained but a faint wisp of smoke, and the drone moved on to the next cell, leaving the still-living prisoners to suffer for a little while longer.
"That's how they keep this place running," Jax whispered to himself. "They clear out the dead and they bring in replacements."
The drone continued its slow, methodical sweep of the cells, scanning each prisoner one by one, erasing the dead and ignoring the living. Jax's mind raced as he ducked lower, moving further behind the stack of cells to avoid the drone's line of sight. He knew that if the drone spotted him, it would do far worse than scan him.
The drone's buzzing grew louder as it neared his hiding spot, its red beam lighting up the cells one after another. Jax felt his pulse quicken. They were running out of time. The drone's search was systematic, and soon it would reach them.
As the drone inched closer, Jax considered his options. There was no way he could take down the Necrolythian or the drone in his current state, and Vissi was still unconscious. They were backed into a corner, with the drone moments away from discovering them. Desperation gnawed at him, but he forced himself to stay calm.
Just before the drone turned the final corner, Jax gently laid Vissi down on the cold floor, careful to keep her hidden from sight. She remained unconscious, her glow faint but still present.
"I'll be back for you," he whispered, his voice thick with tension.
Without wasting another moment, Jax took off from behind the stack of cells, sprinting out into the open. His boots clanged loudly against the metal floor as he moved, deliberately drawing attention to himself. The drone immediately turned its scanner toward him, its red light locking onto his rapidly moving form.
"Come on, you piece of scrap!" Jax shouted, his legs kicking against the floor as he ran down the narrow passage between the rows of cells. He could hear the drone buzzing behind him, its plasma cannon charging with a high-pitched buzz. The Necrolythian also chased Jax, its skeletal frame moving towards him at blinding speeds.
Jax darted left, dodging behind a tall pillar of cells just as a blast of plasma scorched the ground where he had been standing moments before. The heat from the shot singed the back of his jacket, and he cursed under his breath.
"Just keep moving," Jax muttered to himself. "I just need one opportunity."
He zigzagged between the towering stacks of cells, the drone hot on his trail. Each second felt like a lifetime, his mind racing as he calculated his next move. He knew he couldn't outrun them forever, but he had to wait for an opportunity, something that might never present itself. The drone fired again, narrowly missing him as he ducked behind another set of cells.
Jax's lungs burned, his muscles aching as he pushed himself to keep running. He glanced over his shoulder, seeing the drone and the Necrolythian closing in. Their cold, methodical movements were relentless, and Jax knew it was only a matter of time before they caught up.
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