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Before Iros could react, something metallic and spherical zipped past us from the corridor we had just exited, faster than seemed possible.

It stopped abruptly, hovering silently in the center of the junction ahead, rotating slowly.

It was identical to the Guardian drone Iros had described from Rivera's reports—dull grey metal, studded with sensor arrays, a single multifaceted lens swiveling to assess us with cold, mechanical indifference.

"Guardian drone," I breathed, recognizing it instantly from Rivera's descriptions and the data I'd glimpsed on the terminal. "Automated defense. Still active after all this time."

"Ancestors preserve us," Nirako muttered, raising his spear, the obsidian tip shattered from the earlier encounter replaced with a sharpened bone point.

The drone emitted a low hum, its central lens focusing directly on us. A thin red targeting beam lanced out, sweeping across our group, pausing fractionally on each of us.

"Don't move," Iros ordered, his voice level, projecting calm despite the sudden threat. "It responds to movement and energy signatures. Stay calm. Let it scan."

I sensed Iros's protective instincts surge, his focus entirely on the drone, assessing its capabilities, calculating threat vectors.

Nirako and Pravoka tensed, falling into defensive postures.

My own heart hammered against my ribs, but my mind raced, analyzing the drone's energy signature, searching for the patterns Rivera had described.

The drone hovered, processing its scan. Its low hum deepened ominously.

Weapon ports, previously flush with the spherical surface, slid open along its equator, revealing the menacing emitters within.

It had identified us as unauthorized intruders.

Its programming, ancient but implacable, dictated elimination.

"Scatter!" Iros yelled, shoving me hard towards the relative cover of a fallen wall panel just as the drone unleashed a wave of shimmering energy.

The energy field washed over the junction like an invisible tide.

It hit me with less force than it seemed to hit the Nyxari—perhaps my markings offered some resistance, or perhaps my human physiology reacted differently—but the effect was still profoundly disorienting.

A wave of vertigo swept over me, my muscles locking momentarily, my vision blurring at the edges.

I stumbled behind the panel, fighting for equilibrium.

Looking out, I saw Iros, Nirako, and Pravoka staggering, momentarily incapacitated by the field's neurological effect.

The drone ignored them, its multifaceted lens locking onto me, recognizing me perhaps as the primary anomaly due to my markings' energy signature.

Its weapon ports glowed brighter, charging for a more focused, lethal attack.

"Jen, move!" Iros shouted, already pushing himself upright, shaking off the field's effects with sheer willpower, moving to intercept.

I didn't need telling. I scrambled sideways along the wall, seeking better cover just as the drone fired a concentrated beam of pure energy.

The beam struck the panel where I had been moments before with a deafening crackle, vaporizing a section of the ancient metal, showering the area with molten sparks.

The smell of burnt ozone filled the air. That would have killed me instantly.

Nirako, recovering quickly, let out a Nyxari warrior's roar and charged, thrusting his spear towards the drone's central lens.

The drone pivoted with impossible smoothness, easily dodging the clumsy thrust, and fired another beam that struck Nirako's spear shaft, blasting it from his grip and sending him staggering back, his arm smoking where the energy had grazed him.

Pravoka fired her projectile weapon, the small device barking sharply in the confined space. But the drone deployed a shimmering, translucent energy shield that absorbed the impact with barely a ripple.

This was bad. Very bad. It was fast, shielded, heavily armed, and clearly prioritized me as the primary target. Our weapons were pitiful against it.

"Jen! Its energy signature!" Iros called out, engaging the drone directly now, dodging its beams with incredible speed and agility, trying to draw its fire away from me. "The shield! Can you find a weakness? A frequency? Anything!"

I pressed myself against the wall, forcing down panic, focusing my senses entirely on the drone, on the energy patterns swirling around it. Mateha's breathing technique. Three short inhales, one long exhale. Center. Filter. Analyze.

The drone's shield hummed with power, a complex weave of energy frequencies.

But beneath the primary shield harmonics, there was.

.. something else. A resonance. A specific frequency pattern that seemed to regulate the shield's integrity.

It pulsed rhythmically. High frequency.. . structured... almost familiar...

"Got it!" I yelled, the insight hitting me like a physical blow. "The shield resonates! High frequency, specific pattern! Like the Lurker sonar, but technological! We need to match it, overload its regulators!"

I focused my will, visualizing the counter-frequency, drawing on the memory of the Lurker encounter, adapting the principle.

I began to hum, pitching my voice as high and pure as I could, shaping the sound, pouring my intent into it, projecting it outwards through my markings.

The effort was immense, draining, making my head pound, but I held the note steady, focusing the harmonic resonance directly at the drone.

My markings blazed, projecting the counter-frequency. The drone faltered, its smooth movements becoming slightly erratic as the harmonic interfered with its shield regulation systems. Its shimmering shield flickered visibly, thinning in places.

"Now!" I shouted, pouring every last ounce of energy into the harmonic projection.

Iros, Nirako, and Pravoka reacted instantly, understanding the opportunity.

Iros slammed his blade against a metal conduit, creating a piercing ringing tone.

Nirako, weaponless but undeterred, struck a crystalline panel with his fist, adding another high-frequency sound.

Pravoka fired her projectile weapon again.

My harmonic projection, the Nyxari warriors' sonic attacks, and Pravoka's projectile all converged on the drone simultaneously as its shield flickered and failed under the resonant assault.

Iros's heavy bone knife, thrown with unerring accuracy, struck the central lens, shattering it.

Pravoka's projectile slammed into the drone's casing just below the damaged lens.

The drone spasmed violently in mid-air, emitting a shower of sparks and a high-pitched electronic shriek of dying machinery. It wobbled precariously, then crashed heavily to the floor, bouncing once before lying still and silent, smoke curling faintly from its cracked casing.

Silence descended again, thick and ringing. We stared at the deactivated drone, chests heaving, the adrenaline slowly beginning to recede.

"Is it... deactivated?" I asked cautiously, pushing myself away from the wall, my legs trembling.

Iros approached the downed drone warily, blade still held ready. He nudged it with his boot. It remained inert. "Yes," he confirmed, relief evident in his voice. He turned to me, his golden eyes intense. "Your insight saved us, Jen. Again."

Nirako retrieved his spear shaft, examining the damage, then looked at me with newfound respect clearly visible in his expression. "The Sound-Seer hears truths we cannot," he stated simply. Pravoka merely grunted, reloading her weapon, but the lingering hostility was gone from her eyes.

We took a moment to catch our breath, the close call leaving us shaken but resolute. The encounter proved the ruins were not just decaying passively; ancient systems were still active, still capable of lethal defense. And it reinforced the terrifying power contained within this facility.

I looked down the central corridor, towards the pulsing red light that marked the path to the core. The greatest danger still lay ahead.