Trench fired first.
The gunshot cracked through the Control Room, but the bullet never reached its target. Instead, it vanished midair, swallowed by the unnatural distortion around the figures. The creatures did not recoil, did not hesitate. They surged forward, their forms flickering between states of being—one moment solid, the next slipping through reality like smoke.
Darling scrambled backward, pulling Emily with him. "We can't fight them like this!"
Trench gritted his teeth. Then what the hell are we supposed to do?
One of the figures lunged directly at him. Trench braced for impact, but instead of colliding, it passed through him. A wave of searing cold burned through his body, and for a split second, his mind wasn't his own.
Flashes of something alien—an expanse of shifting geometry, an overwhelming chorus of voices, a place where light bent in ways that should not be possible. Then, just as quickly, it was gone, leaving him gasping, gun shaking in his grip.
Emily cried out behind him. One of the entities had reached her, its hand-like appendage hovering just inches from her forehead. It wasn't attacking. It was watching.
Darling fumbled for his device, recalibrating its settings with shaking hands. "If we can't fight them, we have to sever the connection. Shut down the Control Point before they fully stabilize!"
Trench pushed through the pain and sprinted for the console, but one of the entities shifted to block him. This time, it didn't phase through—it hit him hard, an unseen force slamming him against the wall. His vision blurred, stars bursting behind his eyes.
Emily gritted her teeth, her hands shaking. The whispers in her head were no longer distant—they were clear.
"Let us in."
She clenched her fists, her mind resisting, pushing back against the voices. "No."
The Control Point pulsed violently, growing unstable. Darling slammed his hand onto the console. "Now or never!"
A sharp pulse of energy erupted from the device. The figures spasmed, their forms distorting wildly. The room filled with a deafening hum, and then—
Silence.
When Trench's vision cleared, the figures were gone. The Control Point was dormant, its pulsing glow dim and flickering. The only sound was their ragged breathing.
Darling wiped sweat from his brow, his voice unsteady. "That… was too close."
Emily remained frozen, staring at the empty space where the figures had been. She swallowed hard. "They're not gone."
Trench pushed himself upright, chest heaving. "No," he muttered. "They just know we're here now."