The reactor chamber was a massive, circular cavern beneath the sea level.
In the center, the Core had expanded into a ten-foot sphere of absolute blackness, spinning inside a flickering magnetic field. The reactor drew the raw dark-matter energy from the eclipse above, channeling it through the stone pillars of the Gateway.
The air in the room was so cold that Vikram's breath froze instantly, falling as tiny ice crystals.
Devendra Malhotra was suspended in the air in front of the reactor.
His body was connected to the Core by dozens of thick, black dark-matter cables that ran into his spine and arms. His eyes glowed with a blinding, pitch-black light, and his skin was covered in silver veins that pulsed with bio-electric energy.
He looked down at Vikram, his voice echoing in Vikram's mind like a cold, iron bell.
"Vikram Rathod," Devendra said, his lips not moving. "You have arrived. Just in time to witness the rebirth of our city."
"It's over, Devendra," Vikram said, taking a step forward, his fists clenching. "The grid is broken. Your enforcers are defeated."
"The grid was just the scaffolding, boy," Devendra sneered. "The Core is complete. And you... you have brought me the final key."