Page 66 of Broken Sentinel

"Can I help?" I move closer, watching his hands manipulate the control systems with practiced ease.

"Know Unity emergency protocols?" he asks without looking up.

"Sentinel training included facility security," I confirm. "What are you trying to access?"

"Level three emergency beacon. Needs authorization override and power reroute."

I study the panel, recognition clicking into place. "This is an earlier model than what I trained on, but the core architecture is similar." I point to a secondary access point. "Try themaintenance bypass. Should let you circumvent the authorization protocols."

Vex follows my suggestion, and the panel responds with a soft hum. "Good call." He sounds genuinely impressed. "Cover the western approach. I'll have this active in ninety seconds."

I return to my lookout position, stretching my enhanced hearing to its limits. The Unity vehicle has changed course, engine sounds growing slightly louder as it turns toward our location.

"They're definitely coming this way," I report, my stomach flipping with nerves. "Estimate three minutes until visual range."

"Nearly there," Vex responds, his focus absolute as he works the controls.

I scan our surroundings, mapping potential escape routes. The terrain offers several options, but all require crossing open ground at some point, which is risky if the Unity patrol has enhanced scanning equipment.

A soft chime from inside the station breaks my concentration. Moments later, Vex emerges, satisfaction evident in his predatory smile.

"Beacon activated. Transmitting false environmental emergency signals." He joins me at the perimeter. "Should have Unity's full attention in thirty seconds."

"Vehicle approaching from the northwest," I warn. "They'll have direct line of sight in approximately two minutes."

"Time to disappear." Vex gestures to a rocky outcropping to the south. "We'll circle back through the ravine. Longer route but better concealment."

We move quickly, staying low as we navigate away from the station. I keep my hearing focused on the Unity vehicle, tracking its progress by engine sounds and occasional voice fragments.

"They've spotted the beacon," I report as we reach the ravine's edge. "Calling it in to base now."

"Perfect." Vex leads the way down a steep path that would be treacherous without enhanced reflexes. "They'll focus on the station long enough for us to clear the area."

The ravine provides excellent cover, its winding path invisible from above. As we move deeper, the sounds of the Unity vehicle fade slightly, though I still catch fragments of their communication.

"Your hearing range is impressive," Vex notes as we navigate the narrow passage. "Most modifications don't achieve that level of sensitivity without severe tradeoffs."

"What kind of tradeoffs?"

"Sensory overload. Inability to filter. Some early wasteland adaptations produced enhanced senses but left the recipients unable to function in normal environments." His eyes flick to me, assessing. "Your mother's work avoided those pitfalls. Precision engineering rather than crude survival adaptations."

The casual reference to Elara Thorne still jars me—this woman I barely remember who apparently designed me like some kind of science project.

"Lucky me," I mutter.

Vex stops suddenly, turning to face me fully. "Do you have any idea how many have died from failed modifications? How many suffer daily from adaptations that keep them alive but in constant pain?" His amber eyes gleam in the dim light. "What you have is a gift, Sentinel. A chance to experience the best of what modification offers without the costs most of us pay."

The intensity in his voice catches me off guard. Before I can respond, my ears pick up a new sound—the whine of a drone engine, distinct from the patrol vehicle.

"Surveillance drone," I warn, automatically dropping into a defensive crouch. "Coming from the north."

Vex moves without hesitation, pulling me deeper into theravine where an overhanging ledge provides cover. The space is tight, forcing us close together as we press against the rock wall. His body radiates heat against mine, our enhanced metabolisms running hotter than standard human norm.

"Hold position," he whispers, his breath warm against my ear. "These drones use movement detection more than visual scanning."

We freeze as the drone's whine grows louder, passing almost directly overhead. In the confined space, I'm acutely aware of Vex, the steady rhythm of his heartbeat, the coiled tension in his muscles, his distinctive smell that makes me want to breathe in deeply.

His eyes meet mine, amber irises reflecting what little light filters into our hiding place. Something electric passes between us, a recognition of shared experience, of bodies that operate beyond standard human parameters.

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