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"0800 hours: Primary system activation successful. Subject showing increased marking luminosity. Containment measures holding."

I logged the entry on my salvaged datapad and surveyed the command center with satisfaction. The ancient ruins pulsed with blue-white light, responding to our activation sequence as predicted. Martinez efficiently directed security teams at checkpoints along the perimeter while technicians monitored our interface with the alien systems.

The ground trembled—the third such tremor in the last hour—but minor disruptions were expected. Breaking alien influence would naturally cause resistance. "Status report on Subject C," I called, crossing to the monitoring station.

Dr. Frakes looked up, concern evident. "Commander, her vitals are approaching dangerous levels. Pulse erratic, blood pressure unstable. I strongly recommend we pause the procedure."

Claire lay secured to the reinforced platform, her skin covered in pulsing silver patterns that mirrored the light sequences running through the ruins. Her markings had expanded into geometric patterns I hadn't observed before—further evidence of the alien contamination's progression.

"Is she still alive?" I asked.

"Yes, but at significant physiological cost. If we continue?—"

"Then keep going," I ordered. "Her discomfort is regrettable but necessary." The mission came first—always had since the day The Seraphyne crashed. My responsibility hadn't ended with the crash; it had only begun.

I'd seen it myself during the raid on the Nyxari settlement—how the artifacts we recovered had reacted to Duvane's silver patterns, how her markings had flared in response. Claire's patterns might be less extensive, but that made her easier to control, a perfect initial conduit while we deciphered the system's more complex functions.

Martinez approached from his patrol. "Sir, perimeter teams report unusual wildlife activity. Local creatures are evacuating the canyon."

"The systems are working," I nodded. "The native fauna recognize what's happening." I walked to the main display where multicolored patterns pulsed across the screens, spreading outward from our position. The marked women failed to understand that these silver patterns weren't gifts but control mechanisms, turning humans into unwitting puppets.

A stronger tremor shook the chamber, sending dust raining from the ceiling. One of the technicians called out, "Commander, seismic activity increasing significantly. Readings suggest structural instability."

"Expected resistance," I replied. "The system is purging alien influence." I didn't need their scientific doubts. Results spoke for themselves. The ruins had accepted Claire's markings as an access key, just as I'd theorized. The spreading energy fields confirmed the defensive network was now under our control.

A sharp cry from Claire drew my attention. Her body tensed against the restraints, markings flaring brightly as monitoring equipment sparked.

"Commander, she's approaching critical condition," Frakes insisted. "We need to stabilize her or we'll lose everything we've gained."

I calculated quickly. Claire's value as a test subject remained high. Losing her would mean finding another marked subject with similar sensitivity. Inefficient.

"Reduce power to subsystem three," I ordered. "Maintain minimum activation threshold only."

Frakes moved immediately, adjusting controls. Claire's convulsions gradually subsided, though her markings continued to pulse in rhythm with the ruins. Unconscious but alive—still useful.

The floor lurched violently. A support column cracked at the far end of the chamber. "Maintain positions," I ordered. "This is just resistance from the alien system."

A technician approached with fresh data. "Sir, energy signatures are spreading outward at an accelerating rate. We're detecting responses from similar structures across the region."

I studied the tactical map showing energy patterns radiating from our position. Perfect—a cascading activation of the alien defense network, now under human control.

"Continue monitoring and record all responses," I instructed. The ruins had awakened at my command. Action caused reaction. Change required force.

Martinez returned from the outer perimeter, dust covering his uniform. "Sir, something's happening with the weather patterns. The sky's changing color, and wind patterns have shifted dramatically."

Additional confirmation. The aliens had found ways to control this planet, making it inhospitable to humans who challenged them. Now that control was breaking down as we purged their influence.

For months I'd watched my people corrupted, one by one. The marks appearing on their skin—not random patterns but alien technology designed to subvert human loyalty. I'd watched Dr. Carter abandon her people for the alien cause. Others followed, all with the same silver contamination.

But I had found the counter-measure. The very technology they used against us would become their downfall.

Another tremor rocked the chamber. Equipment crashed to the floor. Support beams groaned overhead.

"With this technology secured, we'll purify every contaminated human and drive the aliens from our territory," I declared, my voice steady despite the ground shaking beneath my feet. "This is just the beginning."

Soon they would feel the full force of their own technology turned against them. Soon the marked women would be freed from alien influence.

"Stand firm," I ordered as tremor shook us all. "Humanity's future is being secured today."

* * *

They told me not to touch the ruins.

They didn’t say anything about touching him.

I came here to fix a broken system?—

not to be trapped underground with a Nyxari warrior whose touch sets my skin on fire.

Varek is everything I shouldn’t want: sharp, disciplined, utterly off-limits.

He doesn’t trust me. I can’t afford to want him.

But when a collapsing ruin forces us closer, the tension between us burns hotter than the failing tech around us.

Every brush of his hand, every clash of wills, pulls me deeper into dangerous territory?—

where survival means trusting him with my life...

and risking my heart for something even more perilous.

The world above us might be falling apart.

But down here, it’s not just the ruins breaking open?—

it's me.

Keep reading with Alien Guardian’s Vow!