​Kulu didn’t flinch this time. He took a deep breath, the air in the room finally clear of the metallic sting.

"My life was already yours by the deal of the Boars. But my heart... my heart is a debt I don’t think I can ever pay back."

> ​[NOTIFICATION: SUBSTANTIAL LOYALTY GAINED]

> Kulu’s Trust Level: [DEVOTED]

> [QUEST PROGRESS: 65%]

> [Civilization Progress: 3.5%]

​"Save the poetry for the Fox," Hana said, turning toward the ledge. "We’ve wasted enough time. The bunker is waiting, and I want to see what’s inside."

Then, she stopped, and this time, before he could suddenly grip her into his arms, she did the talking first.

​"Hold me," she commanded, not even looking back.

​Kulu stepped forward immediately. This time, when he lifted her, his hold wasn’t jerky or hesitant. He tucked her against his chest with a protective firmness, his wings beating once, twice, before they dove off the high ledge.

​The flight this time was slower than the last time, when it felt like he wanted to hurry and be done because he could not handle the heat coming from her.

His feathers whistled, and while he kept his gaze on their destination, he also glanced down at her.

As they spiraled down toward the lower terrace, Hana saw the glowing bundle—the wrapped fusion cell—sitting exactly where Kulu had left it, isolated on the dirt.

The Boars and the Falcon Elders were standing in a wide circle around it, whispering in fear.

​They touched down softly.

Hana stepped out of Kulu’s arms and walked straight toward the hatch.

While Caspain gave Kulu eyes, that meant he wanted to pluck out the falcon’s feather for hogging Hana’s attention this whole time.

But Kulu did not even look at him or listen to his provocation. He simply stared at Hana as she walked like a woman who knew exactly what her goal was.

​"Everyone back!" she barked.

Hana looked at the heavy bundle. She knew she couldn’t just grab the cylinder with her hands, so she used the thick leather hide as a buffer, gripping the power cell through the layers of skin.

It was heavy and vibrated against her palms, but she managed to lift it and carry it a short distance to the door.

​Her eyes searched the metal frame until she found it—a hexagonal slot hidden behind a small, spring-loaded panel.

​This has to be it, she thought.

She lined up the cell and slid it in. The fit was perfect. There was a sharp clack as the internal locks grabbed the battery.

The keypad screen flickered these words,

> [AEGIS CORP. AUTHORIZATION CONFIRMED]

> [INITIATING UNSEAL SEQUENCE...]

The mountain seemed to groan as the unsealing began. Then, with a hiss of pressurized air, the massive steel door retracted inward and slid into the rock wall with a smooth, oiled silence.

A blast of cold, sterile air hit Hana’s face—the smell of a world that had been dead for a thousand years. She stared into the dark, flickering hallway, her analytic mind already mapping out the rooms.

But she did not go in immediately. She looked at the power port where the battery was currently slotted.

The blue light was still flickering through the thick leather hide she’d used as a buffer, and she could feel the faint, sharp heat of the radiation through the air.

> ​[SYSTEM: EMERGENCY POWER CONNECTED]

> [STATUS: FUSION CELL LEAK PERSISTING. REMAINING LIFE: 4 HOURS.]

> [ADVICE: SECURE REPAIR TOOLS IMMEDIATELY.]

​Four hours, Hana thought. If that thing dies, the door might lock us in—or out—forever.

​She couldn’t just leave it leaking. She needed to fix the container before they spent the evening hauling crates. In a matter of two hours, the sun would set.

She looked into the dark hallway, her eyes adjusting to the dim, flickering red emergency lights.

​"Taga, keep your brothers outside for one minute," Hana commanded. "Caspian, Raiden, Kulu—stay at the threshold. Do not touch the walls and keep anyone from coming in, get it?"

"Are you going in alone?" Raiden asked, and she nodded.

"Yes, I need to find something first."

With that, she stepped onto the cold, industrial tile, her bare feet feeling every ridge in the metal flooring. She didn’t know where she was going, but she followed the flickering UI in her vision.

> [MAP UPDATED: MAINTENANCE HUB LOCATED 5 METERS TO THE LEFT]

> [CONTENTS: RADIATION SAFETY GEAR & TOOLKIT]

How convenient.

The system only seemed to help when it was crucially important.

Hana found a recessed locker in the wall. It had a manual lever. With a hard tug of the lever, the door creaked open, revealing a set of heavy, lead-lined safety gloves and a compact metal box with a handle.

> [ITEM SECURED: AEGIS CORE-REPAIR KIT]

How long had it been since she saw real-world tools? How long had it been since she saw, well, a world that wasn’t all grass and caves?

She did not know how this number came about, but once they started looking through the things, she would surely find some clues.

Hana grabbed the gloves and pulled them on. They were heavy and went up to her elbows, but as soon as they were on, the prickly sensation on her skin stopped.

She grabbed the toolkit and walked back out to the power port where the ’Heart’ was slotted.

"What are you doing, Hana?" Kulu and Caspian asked at the same time, and Caspian bared his fangs at Kulu.

"Stop copying me, bird brain." Caspain hissed, and Kulu turned to him.

"I did not copy you." He said. "I am simply curious about what Hana is doing."

"Yeah, I’m curious too. Go be curious about something else."

Ah, did Caspian find a new arguing mate? But it seems like Kulu can’t exactly keep up with his erratic argument.

Raiden, never one to miss an opportunity, used the chance to perch next to Hana and watched her with wide, curious eyes.

"Whatcha doing, Hana?" He asked softly, and Caspain snapped.

"Not you too, fox!"

"I’m stopping what I call the poison from leaking out," Hana said bluntly.

"Isn’t that dangerous?" He asked, and she shook her head.

"Not when I’m wearing safety gloves." She said, and he nodded, his nine tails fraying behind him, but Captain grabbed all of them at once, causing Raiden to flinch violently.

"Caught you, you sneaky fox."

"Hana, the big bad lizard is trying to rip my beautiful tails off!" He wailed, but Hana let them argue.

She had other things to worry about.

She knelt by the port and pulled the battery out just enough to see the crack in the glass. She opened the kit, finding a tube of fast-drying ceramic sealant. She applied it carefully, the laser-welder tool in the kit hissing as it fused the material over the breach.

> [REPAIR COMPLETE: CONTAINMENT STABILIZED]

> [FUSION CELL LIFE EXTENDED: 72 HOURS]

Hana let out a breath she didn’t know she was holding. She pushed the battery back into the slot and stood up, peeling off the heavy gloves.

"Now," she said, looking at the boys. "The power is stable."