Steelheart's warning was clear—Darkblade or his team members were in the vicinity. Alan showed the message to Torbin, whose expression grew serious.
"We should continue as planned," the young dwarf decided after a moment's thought. "Altering our schedule would appear suspicious. But we'll take the service corridors to the junction rather than the main passages."
They gathered the necessary equipment into carrying cases and departed the workshop, with Torbin locking it securely behind them. Instead of returning the way they had come, the dwarf led Alan to a smaller door at the end of the corridor, which opened onto a narrower passage clearly designed for maintenance access.
"These service routes parallel all major corridors," Torbin explained as they navigated the utilitarian passage. "Less comfortable but more direct—and less frequented by visitors."
They proceeded through a complex network of service corridors, occasionally passing Guild workers who nodded respectfully to Torbin but showed little interest in his companion. Alan was grateful for the relative anonymity, though he remained tense, aware that discovery could come at any moment.
After about twenty minutes of walking, climbing narrow stairs, and passing through maintenance hatches, they reached a small chamber humming with energy. The space was dominated by a complex arrangement of crystals, pipes, and mechanical regulators—the junction mentioned in their briefing.
"Primary Distribution Junction E-7," Torbin announced. "The problematic section is there." He pointed to a crystal array at the center of the installation, where several large blue-white crystals were mounted in a circular configuration.
Alan approached carefully, immediately noticing the uneven glow of the crystals—some pulsed brightly while others seemed dimmer, creating an asymmetrical energy flow visible even to his untrained eye.
"The imbalance is obvious," he noted, setting down his equipment case. "Let's take some measurements to quantify the pattern."
They spent the next hour conducting a detailed analysis of the junction, with Alan using the Guild's instruments while applying his scientific understanding of wave patterns and energy flows. The work was genuinely engaging, allowing him to temporarily set aside his concerns about Darkblade and focus on the fascinating physics of this world's energy systems.
What he discovered was remarkable. The crystal array was experiencing what he would have called quantum decoherence in his world—the carefully aligned energy patterns were gradually shifting out of phase with each other, creating interference that reduced overall efficiency.
"It's a cascading resonance misalignment," he explained to Torbin as they reviewed the measurements. "Each crystal is slightly affecting the resonance frequency of its neighbors, creating a progressive shift that eventually disrupts the entire array."
Torbin looked impressed. "That explains why replacing individual crystals only provides temporary improvement. The new crystal initially resonates correctly but is gradually pulled out of alignment by the existing pattern."
"Exactly," Alan confirmed, pleased by the dwarf's quick understanding. "The solution isn't replacing components but recalibrating the entire array simultaneously to establish a stable harmonic pattern."
"Can that be done without shutting down the junction entirely?" Torbin asked, concern evident in his voice. "This node supplies critical systems throughout the eastern quadrant."
Alan considered the problem, applying principles of quantum field manipulation from his research. "Theoretically, yes. If we introduce a precisely calibrated counter-resonance pattern, we could gradually shift the existing crystals back into proper alignment while they continue functioning."
Torbin's eyes widened. "A dynamic recalibration? That's never been attempted on a junction of this size. The precision required would be extraordinary."
"It's challenging but not impossible," Alan replied, already sketching a diagram of the process. "We'd need to create a temporary control circuit using smaller crystals to generate the counter-resonance pattern, then gradually adjust it as the main array responds."
As they discussed the technical details of this approach, Alan found himself fully immersed in the problem-solving process, his scientific mind engaged with the fascinating challenge. For brief periods, he almost forgot he was a fugitive in an alien world, facing a closing window for return to Earth.
They were deep in technical discussion when a sound from the corridor outside the junction chamber caught their attention—voices approaching, one of them carrying the distinctive authoritative tone of someone used to commanding others.
Torbin reacted quickly, moving to a control panel and activating what appeared to be a routine maintenance sequence. "Continue your measurements," he said quietly to Alan. "We're conducting authorized maintenance. Your credentials are in order."
Alan nodded, focusing on the instruments before him while trying to project the confident demeanor of a Guild consultant rather than a nervous fugitive. He kept his back to the entrance, hoping to avoid direct scrutiny.
The voices grew louder, and then stopped at the chamber entrance. "This junction serves the upper eastern quadrant?" asked a male voice—cold, precise, and somehow threatening despite its neutral tone.
"Yes, Enforcer Darkblade," replied another voice that Alan recognized as belonging to a Guild official who had been in Steelheart's forge the previous day. "As you can see, maintenance work is currently in progress."
Alan felt a chill run down his spine but continued his work, carefully adjusting dials on the resonance analyzer as if completely absorbed in the technical task.
"Who authorized this maintenance?" Darkblade asked, his tone suggesting the question was more than casual interest.
"Forgemaster Steelheart himself," the Guild official replied promptly. "The junction has been experiencing efficiency issues. That's one of his assistants and a visiting consultant specializing in crystal resonance patterns."
A tense silence followed, during which Alan could almost feel Darkblade's scrutiny on his back. He forced himself to continue his measurements, keeping his movements deliberate and professional.
"The consultant," Darkblade said finally. "What's his name and origin?"
Before the Guild official could answer, Torbin spoke up. "Dr. Thomas Chen, from the Western Provinces," he said, using the alias they had established in their cover documentation. "He's been working with us for three days on this specific issue. Would you like to see his Guild authorization?"
Another silence, this one stretching uncomfortably. Alan resisted the urge to turn around, instead making a note on the diagram before him as if completely focused on his work.
"That won't be necessary at this time," Darkblade finally replied, though his tone suggested reluctance rather than satisfaction. "We'll continue our inspection of the eastern quadrant. The Academy appreciates the Guild's cooperation in this matter."
"Of course, Enforcer," the Guild official responded smoothly. "Ironhammer values its relationship with the Academy. We're happy to assist in your... security concerns."
Footsteps retreated down the corridor, and Alan finally allowed himself to exhale. He turned to find Torbin looking relieved but tense.
"That was closer than I'd like," the young dwarf murmured. "Darkblade is known for his thoroughness. We're fortunate he didn't insist on examining your credentials directly."
"He seemed suspicious," Alan noted, keeping his voice low.
"Definitely. We should finish our work here quickly and return to the workshop by a different route." Torbin glanced at the corridor. "The fact that he's personally inspecting the eastern quadrant suggests they may have information narrowing down your location within the city."
They completed their measurements with increased urgency, then packed the equipment and prepared to leave. Torbin led them through an even more circuitous route back to the workshop, using maintenance shafts and service tunnels that seemed rarely traveled.
Upon returning to the workshop, they found a message waiting—a small crystal on the central table that glowed softly when Torbin approached it. The dwarf placed his palm over the crystal, closing his eyes briefly as if receiving information.
"From the Forgemaster," he explained to Alan. "He requests that we proceed to the crystal refinery this afternoon rather than tomorrow as originally planned. He believes it would be... educational for you to observe the refinement process firsthand."
The emphasis suggested there was more to the request than professional development. "Did he say why the change in schedule?"
"Not explicitly, but the timing suggests it relates to our encounter with Darkblade. The refinery is in the western quadrant—moving there would take us away from the eastern quadrant where the Containment Team is currently focusing their search."
Alan nodded understanding. "When should we leave?"
"After midday meal. We have time to organize our findings from the junction inspection first." Torbin moved to the central table and began arranging their notes and measurements. "Actually, this works well with your proposed solution. The refinery has equipment that could help us create the counter-resonance array you described."
They spent the next hour documenting their analysis of the junction problem and outlining Alan's proposed solution. The work was engaging enough that Alan temporarily set aside his concerns about Darkblade, focusing instead on the fascinating physics of the crystal energy systems.
As they worked, Alan carefully probed for information that might help with his larger goal of understanding interdimensional travel. "These crystals channel energy between different states," he noted, examining one of the specimens. "Is it possible they could connect to energy patterns from... other realms entirely?"
Torbin looked up with interest. "You're referring to trans-dimensional resonance? That's advanced theory, even by Guild standards."
"Just a theoretical interest," Alan said casually. "In my previous work, I encountered some unusual resonance patterns that seemed to originate outside normal energy fields."