The ground trembled.
Not with the certainty of an earthquake, but with the subtle, warning thrum of structural compromise. Old supports grinding. Stone remembering gravity. Cael froze mid-step, his scanner's screen flickering with red error lines.
[ENVIRONMENT ALERT]
Stress detected in primary ceiling arc
Probability of collapse: 78%
Estimated failure window: 0.6 Sparks
Recommendation: Evacuate to Zone B Subtunnel
He squinted down the corridor.
Zone B. That meant north. Or what the schematic said used to be north. Most of the directional bearings were useless now—the Earth had shifted, twisted. Compass lines didn't point where they used to.
But this? This was instinct. The voice in his mind—cold, neutral, maybe a little smug—was right. Staying meant being buried alive.
He clipped the scanner to his belt and grabbed the crate. It was heavier than it looked, probably because of the foldable shelter module inside, but he wasn't leaving it. Tools were life now.
The lights above buzzed, then burst—one by one, in a sequence of popping glass and sparks. The entire corridor groaned. A piece of ceiling crashed behind him, missing his back by a foot.
Cael didn't run—he calculated.
One glance told him which load-bearing walls were compromised, which sections had less debris, which angles would funnel force. The mind of a builder was always working, even when the world was falling apart.
A sealed door waited at the end of the tunnel. He slammed his palm against the manual override and whispered a prayer to physics. The lock hissed, and the door unsealed just enough for him to wedge in the crate, then his shoulder.
He slipped through just as the tunnel behind him collapsed.
Stone roared. Dust blasted through the crack like a living thing. Cael hit the floor, clutching the crate, vision blurred by choking gray.
Silence returned in stages. First the distant crumble faded, then his heartbeat slowed, and finally the interface returned—like a ghost that had been watching all along.
[STATUS: Shelter Secured]
Zone B Subtunnel – Structural Stability: 63%
Temporary Safety Achieved
[TASK UPDATED]
Deploy Shelter Pod (Tier I)
Recommended Location: 4 meters forward – stable ground detected
Cael coughed, wiped blood from his lip, and stood. He could barely see, but the scanner projected a faint light, tracing a circle on the dust-caked floor ahead. A shallow alcove.
He dragged the crate forward, popped it open again, and activated the Deployable Shelter Module.
The system responded with a smooth hiss. Metal segments unfurled like petals, locking into place with a series of magnetic snaps. In under two minutes, a small hexagonal dome—barely enough for one man—stood beneath the stone.
It wasn't much. It had no bathroom, no food, no comfort.
But it was his.
He crawled inside, set the printer into recharge mode, and finally, allowed himself to exhale.
The system chimed softly.
[PROJECT COMPLETE]
Shelter Pod Constructed – Tier I
Morale Boost: +2%
New Feature Unlocked: Blueprint Engine: Basic Tier
Now that was interesting.
Another window opened—blue, elegant lines sketching themselves into place. A library of structures, all simple: walls, doors, ramps, ventilation shafts.
Tools for surviving. Tools for growing.
Cael reached forward and touched one: Basic Water Collector – Tier 0.5
A start.
He leaned back, the shelter buzzing gently around him. The stone outside shifted with every breath, but within the pod, the air was warmer, lighter.
He was alone. Still starving. Still unarmed.
But now?
He had a plan.