Chapter 79: The Enemy Signal

“We need to get to the geo-grid,” Ember said.

“Let’s split up for now. Em, you, Marcus, and Alex go to the Geo-grid. The rest of us will try to find everyone else,” Aiden directed.

“Fine,” replied Marcus. “But can someone tell me when we got a Geo-Grid?”

“It’s always been there. Everything needs a backup energy source,” Ember replied. Her tone was matter-of-fact.

Dragging Marcus and Alex along, Ember moved carefully and quickly. Experiencing this kind of darkness was demoralizing. Especially since it should be light outside. It was obvious there was a problem with the base.

Ember, who appeared calm on the surface, was actually the most panicked. She was unable to access the CE. It would not respond, no matter how much she called. She could only hope it would come back online soon.

The silence was suffocating. Only the shuffling of their feet and their breathing was heard. Moving through the darkened corridors, the base felt like a tomb. When they finally reached the Geo-grid, Ember had Marcus and Alex check the regulators and other aspects of the base.

The discovery led to them learning that the base was running on fumes. It is not completely shut down, but the small amount of power it still has will fade quickly.

“Is there anything you can do?” Ember asked them.

Both men shook their heads. They had no way to get the systems back up. Ember could only sigh. Running her hand through her hair, she let out a ragged breath.

“Let’s go,” she breathed.

“Where?” Alex asked.

“Go find everyone else. We need to figure out what is happening and fix it asap,” Ember replied quickly.

Back in the darkened corridors, she sighed again. Their steps echoed, and Ember listened. Using the sound of footsteps as a way to ground herself. She needed to figure out what was working and what wasn’t. With the little energy they had now, she needed to ensure they had enough for the next few days at least.

As they approached the main hall, they heard the sound of chatter. Aiden had found everyone and herded them to the main hall. Ember allowed herself to relax for a moment when she saw Aiden.

The situation was not resolved, but seeing Ember made her feel that she did not have to carry the burden herself.

“Is everyone alright?” she asked, her eyes flickering past everyone.

“No one’s hurt. Just a few bumps and bruises,” Aiden reassured.

Ember let go of a breath she was holding. She addressed everyone. “Now is not the time to panic. We need to take inventory of what we have access to. Bring it to the main hall, then we will talk further.”

“Already on it. We already brought the majority of the things. We have some water and food to last for a few days. Sarah has been hoarding nutrient solution, so we are set for a few days.” Adrienne’s reply was prompt.

Ember cast grateful eyes on Adrienne. She was always efficient as Aiden’s secretary, and she was more efficient now. She had only just thought of supplies, but Adrienne had already begun to collect.

“Don’t look at me like that. It might be dark, but I can still see your silly look,” Adrienne admonished.

Ember ran her fingers through her hair. Closing her eyes, she suppressed the emotion. She would thank Adrienne at a later date.

What was supposed to be Ember and Aiden’s departure date became a waiting game. Thanks to the watch Alex always wore, they had some measure of time. The darkness in the base lasted for two days.

During those two days, the air became increasingly thin. Ember called out to the CE occasionally. There was no answer.

Just as despair was about to set in, a light flickered on. The relief that washed over Ember was something she never thought she would experience. The hum of the base echoed in her ears. The base was covered in a faint red glow.

It was not the light they normally saw, but the hum was back, which meant at least part of the problem was solved. Ember tried once more to contact the CE. Her face lit up when she got a response.

But her heart sank when she saw the words that appeared on the interface.

[Alert: Sanctuary Compromised]

[A parasitic entity has attempted to breach the system. To protect its core functions, the Covenant Engine was forced to enter a temporary lockdown. All external communication, including communication with the Architect, was severed.]

What kind of entity? Is it gone? Ember asked. Her mind was frantic, running through scenarios where she would have to fight some sort of invisible enemy.

[The threat has been neutralized. The issue occurred because of previous systems still linked to the previous Lust System. The Covenant Engine is now stable. There will be no future issue.]

The main lights flickered back on, bathing the room in a golden glow. Ember smiled when she saw it. The collective sounds of relief came to her ears. She caught the others standing and stretching, bathing themselves in the light.

The CE continued speaking as Ember watched them.

[The issue came from a rival system that is active in the area. It is an aggressive form of the Lust System you had previously acquired. It is called the Dominance Lust System. Whereas the Lust System was mild. This system demands sexual activity as compensation for its continued use.]

A new image appeared in Ember’s mind: a map of a region. A red dot appeared. A city located near Mount Pleasure. As she stared at the map, she found that she knew the place. It was the tech hub, Veridia.

[Valentina has made a base here. The Spire. She is the one who activated the system. From the information I was able to gather, she does not know who the system is trying to locate. She is currently capturing people to be slaves in her base.]

Valentina? She’s here? Ember’s eyes flickered. Her hand trembled slightly. This was not a person she wanted to hear anything about. Aiden already belonged to her, but it didn’t mean he would not find the others from her past life.

Ember comforted herself. Even if Valentina found them, she had the CE. There was no way she would lose to Valentina. Slaves? Why slaves?

[The Dominance Lust System works by enslaving people to generate Lust Energy.]

[Mission: The shadow city]

[Objective: Identify Valentina’s base. Access her capabilities and determine her intentions.]

[Knowledge is your most important weapon]

Taking a ragged breath, she faced Aiden, who was looking worriedly at her. At this time, he was not seeing what the CE was showing to Ember. He was instructing the group to check the base.

Ember shook her head, indicating she did not wish to talk now. She would wait until they were alone before saying anything. For now, they needed to focus on making sure the base is safe.

She and Aiden also needed to leave in order to get the parts for the neural vessel. It would be some time before they could come back to the base. During this time, they would need to rely on everyone here to keep the base running.

There was also one more thing Ember had been thinking of adding to the base before she left. She had seen it in the CE Forge before, but wanted to wait. Now, it appeared it would be good for her to buy it before she left.

It would at least give them a sense of security.

The main hall was now empty. Everyone had gone to complete their tasks.

“Aiden, we have a problem. I don’t want to get them involved just yet. It’s about Valentina,” Ember remarked.

Aiden’s brow furrowed at the mention of the name. They had not seen Valentina since the ’car accident’. Being busy with their own thing didn’t give them time to think about her. Now, she became a thorn in their side.

“She has a system,” Ember half whispered. “That system just fought with the CE. The CE won.” Her prideful voice at the end made Aiden shake his head.

But his eyes grew serious when he heard she had a system.

“What kind of system?” His voice had an edge to it. He gripped Ember’s hand tightly.

“Dominance Lust System.” Ember was not sure how to say it, so she made her voice as even as she could.

Aiden pursed his lips when he heard the name. “Is it anything like the Lust System?”

“Apparently, it enslaves people. So I can’t say it’s like the Lust System.” Concern etched her words. If people were being enslaved to create Lust Essence for Valentina, Ember expected there to be a lot of people who would be disappearing soon.

Knowing what she does about Valentina, it was good enough that people did not disappear in large quantities. But she remembered when they first arrived, she got information about the Spire taking people away.

Ember never expected that it was actually Valentina’s base.

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