Garden Of Eden: Divine lineage

The air beyond the door was different—colder, heavier, with a faint metallic tang that reminded Huia of blood. The corridor led to a cavernous chamber filled with towering light emanating from a book. Pulsing streams of light ran through conduits, connecting the racks like veins carrying lifeblood through the conduits as Huia continued walking toward the book, his hand out.

What looked to be some artificial organism—a blind man with dreadlocks so long they touched the floor—appeared and disappeared as if it were a hologram. His eyes began to glow golden, yet he pressed forward. The vision of sleek armor with a bird-shaped head and face adorned in gold, but he powered through it.

The chamber hummed with energy, the vibrations low and constant, as though the room itself were alive. Huia swallowed hard, his boots clicking softly against the pristine floor as he stepped inside against waves of golden light pouring toward him.

Each rack bore symbols and glyphs indecipherable to him, though their patterns felt vaguely familiar. He scanned the space, looking for anything resembling the item they might have been sent to retrieve. His eyes landed on a central pedestal at the heart of the chamber, bathed in a focused beam of golden light. It was an open book, elevated in the golden beam of light radiating from it.

That has to be it, he thought to himself. His fingers itched with a mixture of excitement and nervousness. Excitement and trepidation filled him as he approached the pedestal. Every step toward it seemed to amplify the chamber's hum.

When he reached out to take the book, he hesitated, his instincts screaming to check for traps. He glanced around, noting faint patterns of light shimmering on the floor. Was it a glyph that, upon activation, served as a pressure sensor? Or motion detectors, as some would say?

He crouched, his hands hovering near the levitating open book. "No sudden moves," he muttered under his breath. His mind raced through the countermeasures they'd been taught during training. From his belt, he unclipped a small, spherical device made of interlocking diamond-shaped pieces, each etched with glyphs—a signal jammer—hoping to dissuade any potential trap. Activating it, he watched as the shimmering patterns on the floor flickered and disappeared.

He reached out again, his hand trembling slightly as his fingers brushed against the book's cold, hard surface before the book landed softly on the floor. A voice echoed through the chamber, sharp and mechanical. "Unauthorized retrieval detected. Initiating lockdown protocol."

Huia's heart sank. The hum of the chamber grew louder, and the golden light bathing the pedestal shifted to an ominous red. Panels on the walls slid open, and a line of glyphs lit up until a bright light flashed toward Huia.

"Ah, hell," Huia muttered, snatching the book and shoving it into his pack. He sprinted toward the exit. He had a bad feeling about what had just happened.

Meanwhile, Adinim and Akhaqia rifled through the passenger luggage compartment with precise yet hurried movements. Their mission was clear: pick the locks—not to steal valuables, though Adinim was sorely tempted—but to sift through belongings, find suitable disguises, and blend in among the passengers.

Their ultimate goal being? Access the train driver's latch and sabotage the train, forcing compliance from everyone onboard and threatening to blow it up with a Netherflare. Things, however, were already spiraling out of control. The plan hinged on buying Huia enough time to recover the item they were after while drawing attention away from him.

Every second counted; the train had to be delayed before it left Hassa Currie. If they crossed into Equilibrium Heaven, their fates would be sealed—they were illegals, and execution on sight was the only outcome waiting for them there, seeing as they were currently trying to set up a heist on the tracklance at the moment. Things might even be worse.

Adinim's hands worked with practiced efficiency, his crest activated while he entered a space where he was searching for anything that might give them an edge in bypassing the safety system of the luggage. When he finally did, he paused, holding up a suitcase so that they could initiate their parts in the plans.

"This might be something," he said, handing it to Akhaqia. Before Akhaqia could respond, the track lance's internal speakers crackled to life. "Attention: Security breach detected in the containment chamber. All personnel, please report to designated safety zones. Lockdown initiated."

Adinim's eyes met Akhaqia's. "Huia." Akhaqia nodded grimly. "We need to move. Now."

The two of them bolted toward the nearest access hatch, navigating the labyrinth of corridors on the tracklance with a speed born from their desperation. The announcement had already triggered a flurry of activity among the passengers and crew, who were scrambling to secure their belongings or find shelter. The chaos provided some cover, but it also made it harder to move quickly.

As they rounded a corner, they nearly collided with Shiriaru Hira, who had his weapon drawn. "Where are you guys headed?" he demanded, his eyes darting between them. "Passengers are meant to go that way. You are headed the wrong way, sire."

Huia's lungs burned as he sprinted down the corridor, the book bouncing in his pack. His anxiety grew after he could hear the relentless thud of the footsteps behind him, and energy weapons charging with a high-pitched whine. He skidded to a halt at a junction, glancing frantically between the three branching paths, wondering which way to go.

Think, Huia. Think! After doing so much thinking, he darted down the leftmost corridor, hoping it would lead him closer to the extraction point. The soldiers followed, their pursuit methodical and unrelenting. He spotted a maintenance hatch ahead and threw himself at it, yanking the handle with all his strength.

The hatch creaked open, and he squeezed through, slamming it shut just as a searing red-hot beam scorched the wall inches from his face. He could smell his hair burning. The maintenance shaft was narrow and dimly lit, its walls lined with pipes and wiring.

He scrambled through it, his breath coming in ragged gasps. The sound of the footsteps faded slightly, but he knew it was only a matter of time before whatever it was found another way to track him. "Huia!" Adinim's voice echoed from somewhere ahead.

"Adinim? I'm here!" Huia shouted back, relief flooding his voice. Moments later, Adinim and Akhaqia appeared at the other end of the shaft, weapons at the ready. "What the hell happened?" Akhaqia demanded as Huia crawled toward them.

"There's panting from the relentless, excruciating run he just had. A book," he said," Huia panted, holding up his pack. "It triggered a lockdown. Soldiers are everywhere."

Adinim helped Huia to his feet, his expression grim. "We need to get off this tracklance now." Looking at Huia, Adinim had a puzzled look on his face; he looked stranger than usual. Now one of his eyes turned golden, with the other still being onyx black.

Before he could say anything, he was interrupted by Akhaqia's statement. "Easier said than done," Akhaqia said, peering down the shaft. "We've got company."

While they could hear the soldiers coming down the hall, the opposing hall was full of motion sensors.