With the psychic bio-drones neutralized, Ethan, Ziak, and Kiaz began their descent through the alien structure, following the largest of the pulsating veins that snaked across the chamber walls. The vein throbbed with a slow, rhythmic pulse, its internal light casting an eerie glow on their surroundings.
The passage was narrow and claustrophobic, the organic walls pressing in on them. The air grew thicker, heavy with the cloying odor that permeated the structure. The pulsing veins seemed to writhe and shift around them, as if the very walls were alive.
As they moved deeper, they encountered new and unsettling phenomena. Sections of the walls would occasionally secrete a viscous fluid that sizzled and smoked, forcing them to take evasive action. Strange, fleshy protrusions would extend from the walls, pulsating with an internal light before retracting back into the organic mass.
"This place is like a living organism," Ethan murmured, his senses on high alert. "It's reacting to our presence."
"The Cellucas have integrated their technology with biology," Kiaz observed, his weapon raised cautiously. "This structure is both a fortress and a living being."
The pulsing vein led them through a series of increasingly bizarre chambers. In one, they encountered a pool of bubbling, luminescent liquid, the surface teeming with small, writhing organisms. In another, they had to navigate a field of pulsating tendrils that lashed out with surprising speed and force.
Ethan, still wielding his limited hydrokinetic abilities, used jets of superheated liquid to clear their path, while Ziak and Kiaz provided cover with their energy weapons. The organic nature of the structure made their usual tactics less effective. Energy blasts seemed to be absorbed by the pulsating walls, while the superheated liquid caused the organic material to react unpredictably.
At one point, they found themselves in a chamber where the walls were lined with pulsating sacs, each containing a small, writhing creature. As they passed, the sacs burst open, releasing the creatures into the chamber. These creatures, small and insectoid, possessed razor-sharp claws and teeth, forcing them into a close-quarters battle within the confined space.
Ethan, relying on his enhanced strength and speed, proved surprisingly effective in the melee, his fists smashing through the creatures' chitinous armor. Ziak and Kiaz, using their energy weapons with precision, managed to clear a path through the swarm.
The journey through the organic structure was a grueling test of their endurance and adaptability. They had to constantly adjust their tactics, learning to fight within this alien ecosystem. The pulsing vein continued to guide them deeper, towards an unknown destination within the living fortress.