[POV Era]

  The air in the mountain foothills was cleaner, but also colder. After leaving Shadow’s small mound behind, the path became a constant incline that tested Chelsea’s physical endurance. However, she did not stop even once. The pain of losing the dog seemed to have transformed into a silent fuel that pushed her forward. Finally, after circling a rock formation that acted as a natural bastion, Settlement Number Four appeared before our eyes.

  It was not a simple cluster of tents. It spread around an old hydroelectric dam, a colossal concrete wall rising between two ravines. They had built additional walls with scrap metal, cargo containers, and steel beams, creating an improvised but imposing fortress. From afar, I counted ten people patrolling the outer perimeter with coordinated movements, carrying rifles that gleamed under the dim light. Two other men, armed with shotguns, stood guard in front of a heavy reinforced steel gate that served as the main entrance.

  "Chelsea, we’ve arrived," I whispered, stopping behind the st rocky outcrop to observe the panorama. "As I promised, I’ll help you get inside and we’ll search for Sora together. But once I confirm that you are safe with them, my path will go another way. This pce is the end of our shared adventure."

  Chelsea nodded slowly. Her face, framed by the colr of her bck combat suit, showed a mix of relief and a sadness she tried to hide. She opened her mouth to say something, perhaps a protest or an early farewell, but in the end she pressed her lips together and simply looked toward the dam.

  "System," I called internally while adjusting the straps of my backpack, "confirm the location of the biotic anomaly. Is it inside those walls?"

  "[Affirmative, Era. The thermal signatures of concentrated biotic energy emanate from the core of the settlement, specifically near the dam structure. It is a stable but high intensity signal. It is not human, but it does not match the aggressive frequency of the Ganuts. To enter without provoking an immediate conflict, it is suggested to project a narrative of helplessness. Humans at this level of desperation are more likely to accept new members if they perceive usefulness and ck of threat.]"

  "Understood," I replied. I turned to Chelsea. "You need to cover that suit. It is too advanced for them to see right now. Put the old jacket and those torn pants over it. We have to look like two more survivors who walked through hell."

  Chelsea obeyed quickly, hiding the sophisticated bck mesh under yers of dirty, worn clothing. I did the same, making sure the white gauntlets were hidden under the sleeves of my olive green jacket.

  "It’s time to go in," I said.

  As we approached the gate, the crunch of our boots on gravel alerted the sentries. Instantly, the ten perimeter guards converged on our position, aiming assault rifles and hunting shotguns at us. The tension in the air became electric. Chelsea tensed, but I slowly and deliberately raised my hands, keeping my palms open.

  "Stop right there. Not one step closer," shouted one of the gate guards, a man with a graying beard and eyes sunken from exhaustion. "Who are you and where do you come from?"

  "Don’t shoot," I excimed, forcing my voice modutor to sound more agitated and tired than usual. "We’ve been walking for weeks. We saw the dam lights from the hills and ran here looking for shelter. Please, we’re exhausted."

  The man did not lower his weapon. "Weeks? No one survives weeks out there without protection. How did you avoid the Ganuts? What are your names?"

  "My name is Era," I replied, maintaining eye contact. "Before the disaster I worked as a security guard at the city university. I had access to safe zones. That’s where I found Chelsea, she was one of the students. We hid in the basements and ate whatever we could find. We managed to get out recently and followed traces of food and supplies someone left on the path to the northeast. That’s why we’re here."

  The guards exchanged doubtful looks. The bearded man lowered his rifle slightly, but did not holster it.

  "Security guard, huh? That would expin how you’ve stayed so intact," the man muttered. "Drop your backpacks on the ground. We have to check them. We don’t accept contraband or anything that could put us in danger."

  I felt a sudden chill in my central processor. In my backpack were not only the spare suits, but the red egg pulsing with alien energy. If they found it, there would be no way to expin it.

  "System, they’re going to open the backpack. The egg… they’ll see it," I warned in my mind, entering a phase of logical panic.

  "[Calm, Era. I have initiated a short range visual and tactical interference protocol. For human eyes and their basic scanners, the red egg will be projected as a rge water thermos with an oddly ergonomic shape. The spare suits will appear as common thermal bnkets and the ship devices will appear as rusty hardware tools. Human biological perception is easy to manipute when they do not expect Css S technology.]"

  I watched as one of the guards rummaged through my belongings. My phantom heart pounded as his hands passed right beside the pulsing surface of the egg. The man pulled out a fshlight, a couple of cans of food, and the red "thermos," looked at it with disinterest, and put it back.

  "Looks like they’re just carrying junk and some food," the guard said to the leader. "They’re clean."

  The bearded leader sighed and finally holstered his weapon. "Fine. You can pass. But listen carefully. Everyone works here. There is no room for parasites. If you want water and food, you’ll have to earn it."

  The heavy steel gate opened with a metallic groan. As we crossed the threshold, the sound of falling water enveloped us. The settlement was full of life. I saw people washing clothes, repairing engines, and cultivating small gardens in wooden crates.

  "Hey, Sarah," the leader shouted at a young woman passing by carrying pstic buckets. "Take these two to the guest house in Sector B. Let them rest and give them something to eat. Tomorrow we’ll assign them to a cleaning shift."

  The girl, Sarah, gestured for us to follow her. As we walked, Chelsea pressed close to my side and whispered in my ear with an incredulous smile.

  "How did they not see the egg? It was right under their noses. And those gauntlets… Era, they looked like old engine parts when that guy touched them."

  "Apparently they camoufge themselves as Earth objects," I whispered back, allowing myself a small sense of relief. "It’s a security function of the ship. They didn’t want their technology to be detected by inferior species."

  Chelsea let out a nervous ugh. "Security guard, seriously? That sounded very natural. I almost believed it myself. Although technically, with what you did to that Armored, you could be an entire army."

  Sarah, the girl guiding us, turned to look at us with a kind smile. She had dirty blond hair tied in a braid and wore a grease stained work jumpsuit.

  "Don’t worry about the guards, they’re nervous," Sarah said as we crossed a walkway over a channel of clear water. "We’ve been lucky to find this pce. We control the dam, which means we have drinking water and some electricity for the perimeter lights. That’s what keeps us alive. As long as you don’t cause trouble, you’ll be fine. There are many people from the university here, you might know someone."

  Chelsea’s heart seemed to jump at those words. "Many people from the university? Is there a girl named Sora? Or a boy named Leo?"

  Sarah thought for a moment. "There are hundreds of people here, it’s hard to know everyone’s name. But most of them are in the housing near the dam sector. Tomorrow you can look for them in the community dining hall."

  We arrived at a small concrete building that must once have been a control office. Sarah opened the door, revealing a room with two cots and a small table.

  "Rest here," Sarah said. "I’ll bring you some soup ter. Welcome to the Dam."

  When Sarah left and closed the door, Chelsea dropped onto one of the cots, sighing deeply. Silence returned, but this time it was a silence charged with electric expectation. We were inside. We were close.

  "Tomorrow we’ll find her, Chelsea," I said, pcing my backpack on the floor.

  "[Era, I detect that the biotic anomaly is less than two hundred meters from this position. It is directly beneath the main dam structure. We must investigate as soon as the settlement sleeps.]"

  I looked at Chelsea, who was already closing her eyes from exhaustion. The search for Sora was about to end, but the mystery of the biotic energy was just beginning to reveal itself in the heart of the water.

  "Tomorrow," I repeated to myself, while my golden eyes scanned the room for hidden cameras. "Tomorrow we will know everything."