STARLIGHT UNBOUND by Deus Ex Machina - HTML preview

STARLIGHT UNBOUND

made it harder to fill his lungs. We’re in. We’re really doing this.

Harun led the way, his bag bouncing with every step. Lucien followed closely, feeling Lyra ’s presence behind him, her footsteps a whisper against the grated floor.

The hatch sealed shut with a dull, mechanical hiss that echoed down the passage. The sound felt final. Trapping.

“This is the easy part. Stay focused.”

Her words were meant to reassure, but Lucien caught the edge beneath them—the unspoken warning that the hardest part was yet to come.

The passage stretched ahead, a narrow corridor bathed in the cold glow of embedded strip lights. Their pale illumination, shifting shadows along the damp walls, as if something unseen was moving within them.

Lucien moved carefully, boots scuffing against the slick metal grating. The rhythmic thrum of energy coursing through the cables lining the passage pulsed in his ears, blending with his own heartbeat. It ’s not the sound. It’s what’s underneath it—the kind of sound that makes you feel like something’s waiting.

His fists clenched, knuckles whitening. Focus. Don’t think. Move.

Harun glanced over his shoulder, his eyes narrowed but calm. “We’ve got about fifty meters to go. The terminal ’s at the end of this route. Stay close and stay quiet.”

Lucien nodded, scanning the tangled network of optic cables running along the walls. They pulsed faintly, a heartbeat within AstroSYS itself. This isn’t just a passage. It’s part of the system. The same one we’re trying to break into. The thought sent a shiver down his spine. What happens if it decides we don’t belong here?

A bead of sweat rolled down the side of his temple, and he forced his mind to stay on task.

Behind him, Lyra’s voice came quiet but firm. “You’re doing fine. Just keep moving.”

There was something grounding in the way she spoke —unwavering, steady. Lucien focused on the sound of her footsteps behind him, the subtle pattern of her breath.

The lights flickered.

Lucien froze, breath caught in his throat. For a split second, the passage was swallowed by darkness.

His pulse spiked, ears straining for the telltale click of security measures locking into place, the whir of drones activating. But then, just as quickly, the lights returned, flickering unsteadily before stabilizing.

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