Callisto: Bound to the Alien Commander |18+

Chapter 43

© Myranda Rae 2023. All Rights Reserved.

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Aside from a single crack in the walkway outside, everything looks normal. The buildings appear sturdy. A tiny glimmer of hope blooms in my chest. I was expecting catastrophic damage, rubble, and ruin. This looks manageable. This looks like everything might be alright.

From the corner of my eye, I notice a flash of movement. Olexa is sprinting at full speed across the courtyard toward the control tower. The glimmer of hope quickly fades away.

Turning to look at Ronan, he makes eye contact and gives me an encouraging nod but it does nothing to ease the knot forming in my stomach. This is bad. Something is very wrong. His expression is closed-up, completely poker-faced. He's trying to hide from me. Whether he realizes it or not, that is just as telling as if he let me see what he is really feeling.

"I will take you to your rooms," he suddenly turns, guiding me in the opposite direction.

"No, no way!" I press my heels into the ground. "I'm staying with you."

His chest moves rapidly with each breath, he doesn't have time to argue right now. He knows it. I know it. Narrowing my eyes, I wait for him to decide if it is worth wasting the time.

A gruff, angry sigh escapes from his lips before he turns, continuing toward our original destination.

"We're staying together." My voice is softer now than it was just a moment ago.

The scowl on his face soften, not completely, but some.

When we reach the control tower, the cracks in the side of the building make my heart stop.

"Stay by my side," he grips my arm tightly as we make our way up. It's obvious that the building is damaged. We haven't seen anything yet, but there are times the ground feels uneven. The floor is slanting beneath our feet.

Inside the control room, I expect panic. I brace myself as we step inside. What we're met with is more frightening. No one is panicking. Pale-faced and silent, everyone is absorbed in the screens in front of them. There is no disorder, no frantic hysteria. This is too serious for that. There is no time for it. Everyone has buckled down, swallowed down their fear, and is working, as quickly as possible, to fix it.

Santi and Clarisse immediately join the others in looking at the screens. I'm overwhelmed by the sheer amount of moving parts. The screens are flashing, changing every second to reflex a new development or different set of data. I don't know where to look.

Caelum is using a strange laser tool, like a sander, to fix a deep crack in the glass that keeps the Ulaar contained.

"There are two layers," Ronan dips down slightly to speak quietly to me. "The Ulaar is behind a polymer shield that contains the radiation. The glass is a secondary layer of protection that is meant to hold in the event that the polymer is damaged."

"What happens if a person were to come into contact with Ulaar, like, what if it touches your skin?"

"Notice that Caelum is not wearing his skin armor. To date, Ulaar is the only substance that can penetrate it. If it touched you, death would be instantaneous."

"The polymer sustained no damage," Caelum looks over his shoulder. "The door is broken, the glass is cracked, and the steel track is bent. The door cannot open more than a sliver."

The glass wall surrounding the tank of swirling pinkish electricity is cracked in several places. I can see where the track for the sliding door is slightly turned inward.