Niam

NIAM

T he pod hissed open. I sucked in air, my lungs burning as if I’d been drowning. My body shook, aftershocks of pain rippling through me from the implant removal. I stumbled out, gripping the edge of the pod to keep from falling.

The memory of those voices haunted me as I stumbled from the pod. Had it been real? Or just dreams born from pain and desperation? But when I reached for that sense of presence, I found only empty data streams.

No. I couldn’t think about that now. Couldn’t let myself wonder about voices in the machine. I had to focus on escape, on survival.

The medbay spun around me. I blinked hard, trying to focus. I had to get out of here. Now.

My legs wobbled as I took a step. Then another. The cold floor shocked my bare feet, helping to clear my head. I made it to the door, peering out into the corridor.

Empty. Good.

I started down the hallway, keeping close to the wall for support. My thoughts raced, plans and contingencies flashing through my mind. I couldn’t leave alone. Laren was still here, trapped in her cell. The last of the temple girls. I had to get her out too.

Footsteps echoed in the distance. I ducked into an alcove, pressing myself against the wall. Two guards walked by, their conversation drifting to me.

“Did you hear about the new shipment coming in?”

“Yeah, fresh meat for the grinder. Poor bastards don’t know what they’re in for.”

My fists clenched. More innocents to be sacrificed to the temple’s hunger. No. I wouldn’t let that happen. Not anymore.

When the coast was clear, I continued on. The familiar corridors felt alien now, shadows lurking in every corner. I navigated carefully, using my knowledge of the patrol routes to avoid detection.

Finally, I reached Laren’s cell. I placed my hand on the access panel, praying my authorization still worked. The door slid open with a soft hiss.

Laren sat on her cot, staring blankly at the wall. Her once vibrant brown hair hung lank and dull around her face. She didn’t even look up as I entered.

“Laren,” I whispered, kneeling beside her. “It’s me, . We’re getting out of here.”

No response. I gently touched her arm. She flinched, curling in on herself.

“It’s okay,” I soothed. “I’m not going to hurt you. We need to go now. Can you stand?”

Slowly, painfully slowly, Laren’s eyes focused on me. Recognition flickered in their depths.

“?” Her voice was barely audible.

“Yes, it’s me. We don’t have much time. I need you to come with me.”

I helped her to her feet, supporting most of her weight. We shuffled out into the corridor. Laren moved like a puppet with cut strings, responding only to simple commands.

“Left foot. Now right. Good. Keep going.”

We made it halfway down the hall before an alarm blared. Red lights flashed, bathing everything in an eerie glow. They’d discovered my escape.

Panic clawed at my throat, but I forced it down. I still had one advantage. My connection to the system might be gone, but I knew them inside and out. I led us to a maintenance panel, prying it open with shaking hands.

“What are you doing?” Laren asked, the first unprompted thing she’d said in months.

“Buying us some time.”

I manipulated the circuitry, bypassing security protocols. The alarm cut off abruptly. That would slow them down, but not for long.

We continued on, moving as fast as Laren’s weakened state allowed. Just as we reached the main corridor, voices approached. Two guards rounded the corner, stopping short when they saw us.

“Oracle ?” One of them frowned. “What are you doing here?”

I pulled the hood of my robe lower, grateful for its concealing shadow. The irony didn’t escape me. For years, I’d worn it to hide the grotesque implants forced into my skull, sparing others the discomfort of seeing such a visible sign of the Temple’s control.

Now, it served a different purpose. The hood shielded my newly healed skin from prying eyes, masking the absence of those very implants. The medbay’s regenerative technology had done its work well, leaving only a thin layer of fresh skin where metal and circuitry once protruded.

“Everything is fine,” I said, infusing my voice with the calm authority I’d cultivated over years of Temple service. “I’m escorting this girl to a special... procedure.”

The guards exchanged glances, uncertainty flickering across their faces. I held my breath, praying they wouldn’t question me further.

The guards exchanged a glance.

“We weren’t informed of any-”

“Are you questioning the will of the High Priest?” I snapped. “Perhaps you’d like to explain your insubordination to him directly?”

They paled visibly.

“No, of course not, Oracle. Our apologies.”

I nodded curtly and swept past them, Laren stumbling along beside me. We turned the corner and I let out a shaky breath. It had worked. We were almost there.

The exit loomed ahead, our gateway to freedom. My pulse thundered in my ears as we approached. Just a few more steps...

I led us towards the emergency escape passage on sublevel one north, my heart pounding with each step. The unfamiliar corridors stretched before us, dimly lit and eerily silent. I’d never set foot in this part of the temple before, relying solely on my memory of the schematics I’d studied countless times.

“Where are we going?” Laren whispered, her grip on my arm tightening.

“There’s a hidden exit,” I murmured back. “We’re almost there.”

A lie, but one I hoped would keep her moving. The truth was, I had no idea how much further we had to go. The maze-like layout of the sublevel made navigation a challenge, even with my intimate knowledge of every corridor and chamber.

We crept forward, every shadow a potential threat. The hum of machinery grew louder as we descended deeper into the bowels of the structure. The air grew thick and stale, carrying the faint scent of ozone and decaying metal.

Laren’s breathing became more labored, her steps more uncertain. I could feel her anxiety rising, threatening to overwhelm her.

“I can’t,” she gasped, suddenly stopping. “I can’t do this.”

“Yes, you can,” I insisted, tugging gently on her arm. “We have to keep moving.”

But Laren shook her head violently, pulling away from me. “No, no, no. They’ll find us. They always find us.”

Her voice rose with each word, echoing off the metal walls. I clamped my hand over her mouth, my own panic surging.

“Shh,” I hissed. “Please, Laren. We’re so close.”

Footsteps sounded in the distance, accompanied by muffled voices. My blood ran cold. They were coming.

I grabbed Laren’s hand and pulled her into a nearby alcove, praying it would be enough to conceal us. We huddled together in the darkness, hardly daring to breathe.

Two guards walked past, their conversation drifting to us.

“...don’t understand why we’re wasting time down here. The Oracle wouldn’t come this way.”

“Orders are orders. Besides, better than cleaning up after the initiates’ meals. Did you see the mess in the dining hall?”

Their voices faded as they moved on, but the danger remained. We couldn’t stay here.

“Come on,” I whispered to Laren. “We need to keep going.”

She nodded, some of the fight returning to her eyes. We emerged from our hiding spot and continued down the corridor, our pace quickening.

We came to a junction, three identical passages branching off in different directions. I hesitated, doubt creeping in. Which way?

“Left,” I decided, hoping my instincts were right.

We hadn’t gone far when we encountered our first major obstacle - a heavy security door, its access panel glowing an ominous red.

“No,” I muttered, frantically searching for a way to bypass it. My old codes were useless now, stripped away along with my neural implants.

Laren tugged on my sleeve. “, look.”

She pointed to a small vent near the floor, barely large enough for a person to squeeze through. It was our only option.

I pried off the grate, wincing at the screech of metal. “You first,” I told Laren. “I’ll be right behind you.”

She hesitated for a moment, then nodded and crawled inside. I followed, pulling the grate back into place behind us.

The vent was cramped and dusty, filled with cobwebs and the skittering sounds of unseen creatures. We inched forward on our hands and knees, the metal digging into our skin.

After what felt like an eternity, we reached another grate. I peered through the slats, relieved to see an empty corridor beyond. We emerged, stretching our aching limbs.

“Where now?” Laren asked, her voice small and uncertain.

Before I could answer, the distant sound of an alarm cut through the air. My stomach dropped.

“They know we’re gone,” I said. “We need to hurry.”

We broke into a run, no longer bothering with stealth. The corridors blurred around us as we raced towards what I hoped was freedom.

We rounded a corner and there it was - the emergency escape passage. My heart leapt when I saw the nondescript metal door, our gateway to freedom.

“We made it,” I whispered to Laren, relief washing over me.

But as I approached the control panel, my hands trembled. The familiar interface felt alien without my neural implants. I input the access code, praying it would work.

Nothing happened.

“No, no, no,” I muttered, trying again. The panel blinked red, denying us entry. Panic clawed at me.

“What’s wrong?” Laren asked, her voice rising. “Why isn’t it opening?”

“I’ll figure it out,” I said, forcing calm into my voice. “Just give me a minute.”

I tried every override code I knew, my fingers flying over the keypad. Each attempt was met with the same mocking red light. Sweat beaded on my forehead as I worked, hyper-aware of every second ticking by.

“They’re coming,” Laren whimpered. “I hear them. We have to go back.”

“We can’t go back,” I said, not taking my eyes off the panel. “Just a little longer. I’ll get it.”

But Laren’s breathing grew ragged, her body shaking. “No, no, we can’t... they’ll find us. They always find us.”

“Laren, please,” I begged, reaching for her. “We’re so close-”

She shoved me away with unexpected strength, her eyes wild with fear. “No! I won’t let them take me again!”

Before I could stop her, Laren bolted back the way we came, disappearing around the corner.

“Laren!” I called after her, my voice echoing in the empty corridor. But she was gone.

I stood frozen, torn between chasing after her and continuing my attempts at the door. The sound of approaching footsteps made the decision for me. Guards were coming from both directions. I was trapped.

My mind raced, searching for a way out. There were no vents, no maintenance hatches, nowhere to hide. I pressed my back against the unyielding door, my last hope of escape.

As the footsteps grew louder, I steeled myself for what was to come. I wouldn’t go down without a fight, even if it was hopeless.

The first guard rounded the corner, weapon raised. I tensed, ready to spring-

A blur of movement caught my eye. Something massive barreled into the guard, sending him flying. More shouts and the sounds of combat filled the air.

I blinked, trying to process what I was seeing. A giant figure tore through the guards like they were nothing, moving with terrifying speed and grace. In seconds, it was over. Bodies littered the floor, and silence fell once more.

The figure turned to face me, and I got my first clear look. It was a Shakai male, towering over me with bronze skin and hair a mix of deep blue and silver. His face was all sharp angles and hard planes, undeniably alien yet breathtakingly beautiful.

But it was his eyes that held me captive. They glowed with an inner fire, a double ring of blue and green.

He took a step towards me, and I pressed myself harder against the door, my heart pounding. “Who are you?” I managed to ask. “What do you want?”

A predatory smile spread across his face, chilling me to my core. “I've come for you, little one,” he said. “And it's a good thing that I did.”