Project Prometheus Ch. 75 - Teaser (Patreon)

“Nats, you get those relay beacons placed?” Alex queried, looking over his shoulder at her.

“Yup! The beacons are set,” Natalya said, checking her wrist-mounted interface. “Signal should be stable now.”

“Good,” Alex nodded. “Qadira, you reading us?”

A brief crackle filled the channel, then the cool, articulate voice of the Aeldamari woman filtered through. “Loud and clear, sir. I assume you’ve found your way into the ruins?”

“We’re inside. Found the first of the egg clusters… well, what’s left of them,” Alex stated, his voice softening slightly.

“This queen is a cunning one, no question about it,” Qadira murmured. “Have you found anything that might indicate if she escaped?”

“No sign as of yet,” Alex replied. “But there are enough clues to follow in here, and we’ll torch every trace of these bastards we find. You should be able to patch into the beacon relay and guide us where we might miss something.”

“Understood. Accessing the nodes now.”

Their path continued deeper into the ruins, winding through half-collapsed corridors and forgotten chambers, the once-graceful artistry of Aeldamari design faded beneath the crust of time. They found more egg clusters along the way, some calcified and harmless, others partially intact—enough to make Matthias visibly twitch each time they passed a corner. Each one was destroyed without ceremony, by boot, flame, or blade. Nothing was left behind.

The group kept moving along, keeping their eyes open for anything that might still be moving. It was then that they found the first remnants of the former inhabitants of this academy. Many were clearly Aeldamari, going by who much their bone structure resembled Qadira’s. But there were others that were… different.

Some had only gone through the first phases of change, while others looking more insectoid than humanoid… like hybrids. The sight of these hybrids caused everyone to pause, as their bodies were not quite one thing or another. Their limbs were too long, and the eyes were fused into sockets not meant for compound sight. Aeldamari robes stretched across chitin-plated ribs. Natalya crouched beside one, expression hard as she studied it.

“These weren’t infected. They were changed.”

“Obeying her,” Shazza said from behind, voice tight with barely contained loathing. “Willingly or not.”

“Some of the academics might’ve seen her as the next evolutionary step,” Qadira said grimly through the comms. “Not realizing she saw them as tools, hosts to ensure her escape.”

Kasumi didn’t wait for permission. She raised her rifle and fired a single burst into the skull of the nearest hybrid.

“Whatever they were,” she said, “they’re not coming back.”

The team moved on, lighting the remnants aflame, purging every last piece. The acrid scent of smoke and seared flesh began to cling to their suits, the scent of ancient rot made real again. It was Gloria who spotted the first intact relic tucked into an alcove. It was an archival drive encased in gilded housing, miraculously untouched by moisture or decay. Qadira’s voice sharpened with interest as she watched Gloria approach it through her armor cam.

“That symbol in the bottom left corner… it’s a House crest! That’s a personal memory bank! Please, take it!”

“Copy,” Gloria said, wrapping it carefully. They found two more drives in the next hall, one of which was slender and smooth, likely a portable log recorder. Another, thicker and ornate, was clearly ceremonial in function.

“Any idea what we’re looking at here, Qadira?” Shazza wondered, curious about these relics.

“These are likely not anything combat or research related data,” Qadira noted, as Alex examined them. “But they matter. What’s left of my people may live inside those. Don’t let them fall into hands that won’t understand.”

“We’ll keep them safe,” Alex said, sliding the last of the drives into his satchel.