Chapter 3 - Chapter 3: Zero-G Gauntlet

The groaning collapse of the Command Center sealed off their retreat, a symphony of tearing metal and hissing atmosphere providing a grim soundtrack to their flight. Sergeant Kiera Takanova and Lieutenant Commander Jian Li propelled themselves down a service tunnel, guided by the bright green path the interface painted onto the chaotic reality before them. Zero gravity was now less a unique environmental factor and more a lethal variable. Debris tumbled around them – broken consoles, torn wires, severed pipes – a deadly, slow-motion hail they had to dodge.The interface, ever present, was a lifeline. It highlighted floating hazards, displayed the dwindling oxygen levels in various sections of the platform, and constantly updated the remaining distance to Docking Bay 7 – initially a daunting several kilometers through the SOTP's twisting structure. Enemy icons flickered in adjacent corridors and ventilation shafts, showing that the horde was still actively pursuing them."Which way?" Jian Li gasped, pushing off a bulkhead towards a junction. His conventional training left him slightly clumsy in the zero-g chaos, relying on handholds and instinct while Takanova moved with the fluid, almost predatory grace of someone who had spent years mastering the physics of orbital environments."Left," Takanova ordered, already pushing off a frame with controlled force. "Interface shows it's the clearest path. Rerouting... structural damage reported ahead." The green line on the mini-map shimmered, recalculating, guiding them towards a different access tunnel. The SOTP Integrity bar continued its worrying descent.Their escape was a brutal, stop-and-go sprint through a dying station. Every few minutes, they encountered resistance. Undead, propelled by jerky, unnatural movements, lunged from maintenance hatches or clung to overhead pipes, their vacant eyes and fungal growths horrific against the backdrop of pristine (or formerly pristine) white bulkheads.Takanova's pulse rifle, its "Perfect Reload" buff from the Command Center still active according to the interface, sang its deadly song. Her gun manipulation was essential. In zero-g, recoil sent a shooter tumbling, but Takanova felt the feedback through the weapon as an extension of her own body. She could channel the recoil through her, using it for controlled boosts, slowing her momentum, or even pivoting instantly to acquire a new target behind her.A group of undead tumbled towards them from a ruptured atmospheric vent. Takanova didn't just shoot; she choreographed the combat. A burst here to propel one into a wall, a precisely angled shot there using her ability to curve the plasma bolt slightly around debris to hit a target clinging to a pipe, a rapid-fire sequence to incapacitate a cluster before they could spread out. Her ammo counter on the interface was dropping, but the "WEAPON EFFICIENCY" rating remained high under her touch.Jian Li, armed with a standard pulse pistol, fought effectively too, relying on Takanova's calls and the enemy icons on the interface to prioritize targets. "Oxygen levels critical in Section 4B!" he shouted, glancing at a console panel they zipped past, mirroring a warning on the interface. "We need to move fast or reroute around pressure failures!"The interface responded, highlighting sections of their path in yellow – areas with potential atmosphere loss or structural collapse. A "SIDE OBJECTIVE" blinked: "LOCATE PRESSURE SUIT CACHE." Completing it would provide protection through hazardous zones, but the path led them significantly off the direct route to Docking Bay 7. They had to make agonizing choices on the fly. Survival depended on a brutal calculus presented by the bizarre game overlay.A sudden, violent tremor rocked the station. A section of the corridor ahead buckled inwards, atmosphere venting into the vacuum outside with a silent, terrifying expulsion of debris. The interface flashed "HAZARD DETECTED - PATH BLOCKED." The green route immediately rerouted, sending them through a smaller, darker access tunnel."That was too close!" Jian Li yelled, pushing off a twisted piece of metal. "How much more of this platform can hold?""Interface says SOTP Integrity is at 40%," Takanova reported grimly, checking her own health bar, still recovering slowly from the strain of manipulating the Command Center console. They were battered, running on adrenaline, and constantly under threat.As they navigated the cramped tunnel, the interface suddenly displayed a green "FRIENDLY" icon ahead. Hope surged. They found a small cluster of survivors huddled in a utility closet, terrified and unarmed. A scientist, two engineers, and a maintenance worker.The interface added a new "SIDE OBJECTIVE: ESCORT SURVIVORS TO DOCKING BAY 7." It also updated the survivor icons with debuffs: "PANICKED," "INJURED." This wasn't just about their escape anymore; the "game" was giving them a moral choice, wrapped in objective markers."Sergeant? Is that... is that you?" the scientist, Dr. Aris Thorne, whispered, eyes wide."Dr. Thorne? We're heading for the escape shuttles. Docking Bay 7. Can you move?" Takanova asked, already assessing the narrow tunnel ahead on her interface. Escorting them would be exponentially harder. More bodies to protect in zero-g combat, moving at the pace of the most injured.The interface, cold and impartial, updated the difficulty of the "ESCORRT" objective to "HIGH." Completing it would grant a "MAJOR SUPPLY DROP" and an "XP GAIN" (whatever that meant in this horrifying context), but failure risked everything.Jian Li looked at Takanova, his gaze unwavering. "We can't leave them," he said, his voice firm despite his earlier panic.Takanova nodded. Years of military programming warred with the absurd overlay, but the core instinct of a soldier held true. "Alright. Stick close. Thorne, can you guide us through this section? Any knowledge of shortcuts or less damaged routes?"Dr. Thorne, despite his fear, straightened slightly. "Yes, there are emergency maintenance routes... less used... might be safer."The interface immediately updated the green path, integrating Dr. Thorne's knowledge, showing a new, slightly longer but potentially less hazardous route. It was uncanny how the "game" incorporated real-world information.Escorting the group was a nightmare. They moved slowly, awkwardly in zero-g, needing constant guidance and protection. Takanova and Jian Li formed a protective screen, Takanova using her manipulation ability not just to kill, but to control the environment around the survivors – deflecting small debris, using controlled bursts to propel obstacles out of their path, her pulse rifle providing covering fire whenever enemy icons appeared.They fought their way through sections where gravity flickered erratically due to system damage, making movement disorienting and combat unpredictable. They navigated past sections venting atmosphere, the interface warning them moments before they hit the hazard zone, forcing difficult mid-route corrections. The SOTP groaned and shuddered around them, the structure groaning under impossible stress.The "ANALYZING ALIEN SIGNATURE" data stream, still accessible via a side window on the interface, continued to scroll, hinting at the 'Game World Origin' and 'Harvest'. Was the SOTP the harvest? Were they the players in some cosmic, cruel game? The thought was maddening, but the immediate threat demanded all their focus.They finally reached the approach to Docking Bay 7. The interface showed a massive cluster of red enemy icons blocking the entrance. A final wave. A boss fight? The "SURVIVE" timer for the overall escape objective had elapsed, replaced by "OBJECTIVE: REACH DOCKING BAY 7 - COMPLETE." But the "ESCORRT SURVIVORS" objective was still active, requiring them to get the whole group inside."Looks like the welcome party," Takanova said, her voice flat, raising her rifle. Her ammo was critically low, her own health bar was in the red, and the SOTP Integrity was below 30%."There! I see shuttles!" Jian Li pointed towards the bay entrance, visible through the mass of undead icons. Two escape shuttles were visible, docked and seemingly intact. And there were other friendly icons near them – other survivors who had made it!But between them and the bay was the largest concentration of undead they had seen yet, including several larger, more menacing icons the interface labeled as "INFECTED BRUTES" – grotesque, oversized figures swollen with fungal mass.The interface displayed a final "SIDE OBJECTIVE: CLEAR PATH TO SHUTTLES," awarding maximum "XP" and "SUPPLY DROPS" upon completion. The "LAST STAND" wasn't over; it had just moved."Okay, team," Takanova said, turning to the terrified survivors huddled behind them. "This is it. Get ready to move the second we clear a path. Jian Li, Thorne, stick with me. We punch through."With the fate of the SOTP and perhaps humanity hanging in the balance, Sergeant Takanova, fueled by adrenaline and the bizarre tactical data stream of the game interface, braced for the final, desperate push into Docking Bay 7. The zero-g gauntlet wasn't over; it was culminating in a brutal, final battle for the escape shuttles.