The Hollow Warden

The ventilation shaft seemed to stretch forever, a metal labyrinth of shadows pressing in from every direction. Jarek wriggled through it, the cold steel chilling his elbows while sweat slicked his forehead. Funny, how the air could feel stale and freezing at the same time. Nestled in his jacket pocket, the shard pulsed faintly, its rhythm like some eerie, alien heartbeat beating in sync with his own. It would been almost comforting, if it didn't feel so... alive. It felt like he had a beating heart in his pocket.

Behind him, the faint but persistent humming of the drones sweeping through facility could be heard. Their robotic voices bouncing off the walls, reporting like clockwork to a command system Jarek could only imagine as a faceless overseer.

"Sector 3: clear. Advancing."

"Anomaly detected. Initializing scan."

He gritted his teeth, inching forward on his belly, trying to ignore the way the shard's hum seemed to creep into his mind, needling thoughts that weren't entirely his own. The holographic map on his wrist blinked faintly, "a hundred meters to the exit" Jarek was eager to get out of the facility. A long crawl through claustrophobic vents. No big deal, right? He tried not to think about the time Tek had joked about getting stuck in a shaft like this. "Imagine explaining that to the boss," Tek had laughed. Yeah, hilarious, Jarek thought grimly.

The shard's vibration intensified, the low, insistent hum that was not content to stay in the background anymore. Jarek felt like it would explode any moment from now. So he stopped to catch his breath. Images flickered through his mind, like someone else flipping through channels on his brain. He saw visions a city left in ruins, with it's buildings reduced to rubble. Lightning storms attacked the land with unnatural intensity laying waste to whatever was in their path. Jarek wondered if they were visions of the past or the future. Then suddenly, a low whisper, cut through Jarek thoughts. "You are not ready yet." The voice echoed in his mind. Snapping Jarek back to reality.

The words echoed through his mind, clear as day, but they were gone in an instant, leaving behind a headache sharp enough to make him crazy. He shook his head, trying to shove the visions back into whatever dark corner they'd crawled out of.

"Not now," he muttered, his voice barely more than a breath. "Talking to yourself in tight spaces? Definitely a sign you're doing great, Jarek". He mocked himself.

A sudden whir snapped him back to reality. A drone. Closer this time. He pressed himself flat against the vent's floor, feeling the cold bite into his skin as a red light from the drone's scanner swept past the shaft ahead. His hand crept toward his knife, his fingers brushing the hilt.

"Thermal signature detected," the drone chirped, its tone cheerful, almost mocking. "Isolating target."

For a heart-stopping moment, it hovered, and Jarek swore he could hear his pulse hammering louder than the shard's. But then it moved on, the sound fading into the distance. He exhaled, slow and measured, relieved he resumed crawling. "No time to sit around counting close calls". He whispered to himself.

When he finally reached the end of the shaft, the sight waiting for him wasn't much better. The exit was there, sure, but so were two guards, dripped out in sleek tactical gear. Their weapons were holstered, but their eyes were sharp, scanning the corridor like hawks on caffeine.

"Perfect," Jarek muttered. He couldn't exactly waltz out there. Not unless he wanted to add a couple of bullet holes to his collection of regrets. His hand dipped into his jacket, pulling out the small EMP device Tek had slapped together. Tek had called it "iffy but functional." Which, in Tek-speak, probably meant pray it doesn't blow up in your face.

With a flick, the device activated, glowing a faint blue. Jarek then tossed it through the grille, the clatter drawing the guards' attention.

"What the hell is that" one began, but the question was cut short as the EMP detonated. Lights flickered, drones stuttered, and for a blissful moment, everything electronic went dead.

Jarek moved. He kicked out the vent cover, dropping into the corridor with the kind of grace you only get when you've done this too many times to count. The guards were scrambling, their movements sluggish. He went for the nearest one, a punch to the throat, quick and brutal, followed by a knee to the gut. The second guard managed to grab his sidearm, but Jarek was faster, twisting the weapon away and knocking him out cold with the handle.

"Sorry, guys. Nothing personal," he muttered, stepping over them.

The exit's control panel blinked weakly, still rebooting. Jarek punched in the code from his comm unit. The panel buzzed indignantly, refusing him at first. His stomach churned.

"Don't do this to me," he hissed, tapping the screen again.

Finally, the lock clicked open, and the door slid aside. Rain greeted him, cold and relentless, soaking him to the bone as he stepped into the Shatterzone. Neon lights from the city beyond reflected off puddles, a kaleidoscope of chaos.

The shard in his pocket pulsed steadily now, its hum softer but still there, like it was biding its time. Jarek didn't look back. The job was done, but the knot in his gut told him this was only the prologue.