Chapter 995: The Fugitive [Pt 3]
With her mind infused with Giovani's memories, Ciara moved swiftly through the corridors of the base, easily cutting down any resistance that dared to stand in her path.
The knowledge she had obtained allowed her to navigate the complex layout with uncanny precision, bypassing security measures and outmaneuvering the remaining guards.
She only had one goal now... The Control Center!
As she arrived at the Control Center, a grim determination burned in her eyes. She surveyed the room, the nerve center of the entire base, filled with flashing screens and consoles. Without hesitation, she approached the main control panel, her fingers dancing across the holographic interface.
With a series of swift keystrokes and encrypted commands, Ciara overrode the control protocols, disabling the safety measures that held the destructive potential of the base at bay.
Alarms nearly blared, and warning lights began to flash, but she remained unyielding in her purpose.
In no time, everything went dead silent and dark, leaving her in complete control.
"This should do it." A wicked smile curled on Ciara's lips as she initiated a sequence of random, uncontrolled explosions throughout the base.
Each detonation would echo through the corridors, ripping apart sections of the facility with merciless force. Panic would ensue as the chaos consumed the once orderly stronghold.
'I can't allow any breach in information to be leaked from this place...'
The fact that she had interrogated Giovani and gotten information from him, and the fact that her next target was already determined... she couldn't let her enemies ever suspect those things.
And just as when she stole Isotope XY, she intended to remove the tiniest shred of evidence that she was present here.
... Even if that meant the death of innocents.
'Collateral damage.' Her hollow thoughts echoed as she stared at the control panel that displayed the timer before the process would be initiated.
'I should go.' Knowing the time was limited, Ciara swiftly left the Control Center, leaving chaos and destruction in her wake.
The path was littered with fallen guards and pools of blood, evidence of the carnage she had wrought. She paid none of them any mind as she deftly arrived at her target location.
Reaching her spacecraft, she entered the cockpit and swiftly prepared for departure. The engines roared to life, vibrating with the anticipation of imminent escape.
The base, which would soon now be a smoldering wreck, stood on the precipice of its ultimate demise.
"This is goodbye..."
And thus, as she began to take flight...
~BOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOMMMMMMMMMMMMMMMM!!!!~
... The explosions began.
*********
Drawing upon the wellspring of Aether within me, I allowed its raw power to surge through my veins, far surpassing the capacity of the dampeners that sought to suppress it.
With an outpouring of pure energy, I invoked [The Hermit], freezing time within the confines of the base.
As the luminous waves of magic rippled outward, the world around me came to a standstill. Every living being and object was suspended in a tableau of suspended animation, trapped in the ethereal grasp of stillness.
Only I remained untethered, moving freely in this temporal sanctuary.
Kuzon and Aloe stood before me, their figures locked in motionless poses, their expressions frozen in a mix of surprise and concern at the suddenness of the blast.
I knew that their abilities were still suppressed, their powers held in check by the ingenious dampeners that dotted the base.
'Their abilities are still suppressed, and since they've not tried to break through the dampeners, they'll most likely remain in stasis.'
Exerting such control over time exacted a heavy toll. Though I possessed the ability to exempt Kuzon and Aloe from the effects of [The Hermit], doing so would require an immense surge of Aether, far beyond what I could afford to expend.
With the dampeners overridden, I was already channeling an unprecedented amount of energy. The spell itself, an immense drain on my reserves, threatened to deplete me by the second.
The luxury of tripling my energy consumption was one I could not afford.
'Plus, I still don't know what is behind all of this. It might require me to expend even more power.'
Taking flight through the immobile lobby, I propelled myself toward the epicenter of the explosion.
"[Spatial Awareness]." I muttered.
The spell granted me the ability to extend my senses across the entire base, probing the fluctuating energies that permeated the air, seeking out anomalies that might hold the key to unraveling this enigma.
'I see. The problem is the control center...'
Using [The Chariot], in addition to Spellcraft, I remotely began to solve the problem that would have doomed the entire Base. In no time, literally, I was going to stop the imminent chaos.
However...
'This reeks of sabotage. Someone must be behind this.' My thoughts echoed.
And amidst the frozen tableau, my heightened perception caught sight of a spacecraft attempting to depart.
The energy emanating from the craft possessed an unmistakable peculiarity, distinct from the harmonious hum that resonated within the base.
'What is this?' Intrigue gnawed at my consciousness, compelling me to press forward, driven by an insatiable thirst for the truth.
>VWUSSSHHH!<
In an instant, I vanished from my location and appeared right on top of the object of interest.
I alighted upon the spacecraft, its sleek exterior poised for departure, yet frozen in time just before it could escape the embrace of the base.
'Suspicious...'
'[The Tower]' Merging with the ethereal essence of the vessel, I phased through its metallic walls, materializing within the confined space of the cockpit.
My gaze fell upon the pilot, their countenance etched with a mixture of determination, satisfaction, and a hint of guilt.
"What... is this?" My eyes widened in shock as I took in the sight of a familiar face.
Her brown hair appeared wilder than I remembered, and the purple dye that was strewn among some strands was foreign to me, but still... there was no way I could ever mistake such a face.
"Ciara?"