Vikram stepped under the massive stone arch of the Gateway.
In the center of the floor, a circular stone hatch had been blown open, revealing a flight of metal stairs that led straight down into the darkness.
As Vikram descended, the sound of the battle above faded, replaced by the heavy, rhythmic thumping of the Core. The vibration was so intense that the metal stairs shook under his feet, and his teeth rattled in his jaw.
The air was freezing, the temperature dropping with every step he took. The walls of the tunnel were covered in a thick layer of frost, and the brickwork was cracked, pulsing with a faint purple light.
"Vikram," Rhea's voice crackled through his earpiece, barely audible over the electromagnetic interference. "The Core is at ninety percent capacity. The Rahu-Ketu cloud is directly overhead. If you don't reach the capacitor in three minutes, the stabilization cycle will finalize."
"I'm close," Vikram said, his voice echoing in the narrow tunnel.
He reached the bottom of the stairs. The corridor before him was filled with thick, black dark-matter cables, running like giant veins along the floor toward the central vault room. He followed them, his Prana guiding him through the darkness.