Echo of the Rift

Kyle collapsed to his knees, clutching his head in his hands, his rifle clattering to the concrete floor. He felt the last remnants of his will leaving him, as the icy, alluring darkness pulled him in, promising peace, oblivion, relief from pain, if only he surrendered, if only he let it in. But at that very moment, when he was ready to plunge into this nothingness, he heard Lina’s desperate cry: «Kyle, hold on! Don’t you dare give up!» – and felt a sharp, burning prick in his neck. The neuro-stabilizer. A cold, sobering wave rolled through his body, driving away the alien voice, and Kyle, staggering, rose to his feet with immense effort, his vision slowly clearing. The shadows were still there, they hadn’t gone anywhere, but their mental pressure on his mind had noticeably weakened.

«I’ve got it! I’ve got it!» Eva shouted, her voice full of tension, but also triumph. «In the old records… there’s a protocol! «Northern Shield’ used an experimental wide-band frequency pulse to suppress local anomalous manifestations! I can try to launch it through this terminal, but I need time to bypass the security systems and reroute the energy! Keep them away from me! At all costs!»