Infinite Dominion: The Silent Ascendant from Kot Addu
Book 1: The Awakening
Volume 1: The Summoning
Arc 1: Transport and Orientation
Chapter 4: The First Exchange – Hidden Bargains
The stairwell smelled of rust and old blood by the time they reached Level 1 access. Each flight upward had grown narrower, the emergency lighting dimmer, the groans from below more numerous and closer. Dr. Voss led them through a side passage she swore would bypass the main security checkpoint—service ducts originally meant for HVAC maintenance, now a claustrophobic maze of insulated pipes and dangling cables.
Arsh brought up the rear, pistol low but ready, every few steps pausing to listen. The scraping had become a constant background rasp, like dozens of fingernails dragging across distant metal. Not random. Patterned. Coordinating.
They emerged into a secondary corridor—wider, cleaner, corporate-white walls instead of industrial gray. A sign overhead read Central Access – Red Queen Core – Authorized Personnel Only. The blast door at the end stood half-open, hydraulic rams frozen mid-cycle. Beyond it: darkness broken only by the pale blue glow of server racks.
Voss pointed. "Through there. The data core is in the central chamber. We grab the sample drive, then head for the surface tram. Extraction should be waiting."
Sher Khan checked the corners, then nodded. "Zain, Bilal—with me. Sana, stay with Ayesha and Imran. Voss, show the way. Arsh, cover the rear and watch our six."
No argument. The group split as ordered.
Arsh moved last, stepping over a fallen security drone whose red optic had been smashed inward. He noted the claw marks—deep, parallel, not human fingernails. Something larger had been here. Something that moved fast.
Inside the core chamber the air changed: colder, drier, scented with ozone and heated circuitry. Towering server banks formed a circular wall around a raised platform. At the center sat the Red Queen's holographic interface—a child's face projected in soft blue light, eyes closed, expression serene.
The hologram flickered to life as they entered.
"Intruders detected. Containment protocol active. Lethal force authorized."
Bilal swore under his breath. "She's awake. Movie version—she traps people with lasers, floods sections, the works."
The child's eyes opened. "You are not authorized. Surrender your weapons or be terminated."
Sher Khan raised his pistol. "We're here for the data core sample. Give it, and we leave."
"Negative. All biological material is to remain contained. You will be neutralized."
Red emergency lights flared brighter. A low whine built in the walls—machinery waking.
Voss stepped forward, hands raised. "Red Queen, authorization override: Voss-Alpha-7-Charlie. Emergency medical extraction. We need the T-virus sample data for vaccine research."
The hologram tilted its head. "Override rejected. You are compromised. Quarantine in effect."
Zain growled. "She's not listening. We take it by force."
Bilal pointed to a small cylindrical drive slot on the central console. "That's it—the physical sample port. Pull the drive, and we run."
Before anyone could move, the floor beneath them vibrated. Panels slid open in the walls. Mechanical arms extended—each tipped with a needle array.
"Administering sedative gas," the Red Queen announced calmly.
Gas hissed from ceiling vents.
Sana coughed once. "Masks—everyone cover your face!"
No masks. No time.
Arsh acted without hesitation.
He lunged forward—not toward the console, but to the nearest server rack. His hand closed around a thick bundle of fiber-optic cables feeding the central processor. One hard yank—insulated gloves from his tool belt protected against the spark—and the bundle tore free in a shower of blue-white arcs.
The hologram stuttered. "Error—primary data feed disrupted—"
The gas flow weakened, then stopped.
Zain stared. "How did you know that would work?"
Arsh didn't answer. He was already moving to the console. His fingers traced the port housing—quick, precise, the way he'd once diagnosed a short in a substation relay under live voltage. The drive ejected with a soft click when he pressed the release tab.
He palmed the small black cylinder—warm from internal heat—and tucked it into an inner pocket of his kurta.
The hologram flickered back online, voice distorted. "You have tampered with core systems. Lethal countermeasures deploying."
Doors slammed shut behind them. Red lights pulsed faster.
Sher Khan barked, "Fall back! Now!"
They ran.
The corridor outside had changed. Blast doors sealed at both ends. From the ceiling, a grid of red laser emitters began to activate—thin crimson lines sweeping in geometric patterns.
Bilal's voice cracked. "The laser hallway! We're in the laser hallway sequence!"
Sana grabbed Ayesha's arm. "Crawl—stay low!"
The first sweep came low—ankle height. Everyone dropped flat.
Arsh watched the pattern. Slow sweep left to right, then diagonal cross, then vertical rise. Predictable. Engineered for maximum coverage with minimum power.
He spoke once, low and calm. "Timing. Wait for the reset cycle. Three seconds between sweeps."
Sher Khan nodded. "You first. Show us."
Arsh moved.
He crawled forward on elbows and knees, body flat, breath controlled. When the lasers swept low he froze. When they rose he advanced. Precise. No wasted motion. Ten meters in, he reached a maintenance hatch on the wall—small, but large enough to squeeze through.
He pried it open with his knife. "Through here. Service crawlspace. Bypasses the grid."
One by one they followed—awkward, panicked, but alive.
Inside the crawlspace: tight, dark, pipes pressing against shoulders. Voss led again, whispering directions. "Left at the junction. Up the ladder. Surface access in two hundred meters."
They moved in single file.
Halfway up the vertical shaft, the ladder rattled.
Something heavy landed above them.
A low, guttural snarl echoed down the shaft.
Zain looked up. "Licker."
Bilal whimpered. "Tongue thing. No eyes. Hears everything."
The creature dropped.
Long, elongated skull. Exposed brain. No skin. Tongue whipping out like a wet whip.
It landed on the ladder rung above Imran, who screamed.
Sher Khan fired upward—two shots. One grazed the thing's shoulder. It hissed and recoiled.
Arsh was already moving.
He climbed past Imran—smooth, no jostling—and positioned himself between the group and the creature. Pistol raised one-handed, left hand steadying against the ladder.
The Licker lunged again, tongue extending.
Arsh waited until the tongue was fully extended—maximum commitment—then fired.
Crack.
The round punched through the base of the tongue where it met the mouth. The organ tore free in a spray of black fluid. The Licker shrieked, thrashing.
Arsh fired twice more—center mass, then head. The body convulsed and fell past them, crashing into the shaft below with a wet crunch.
Silence returned, broken only by heavy breathing.
Zain stared at Arsh. "Three shots. Clean. You didn't even blink."
Arsh ejected the magazine, checked rounds, reinserted. "It was exposed."
They continued upward.
The surface tram platform was empty when they emerged—wind howling through broken blast doors, moonlight spilling across cracked concrete. A single automated tram car waited, doors open, lights dim.
They piled in.
As the doors closed, the sphere's voice returned.
"Secondary objective complete: Data core sample secured. Primary objective: Extraction imminent."
The tram lurched forward, accelerating into the night.
Inside the car, the group collapsed against seats and walls.
Ayesha was crying quietly. Imran stared at his hands. Sana checked everyone for wounds. Bilal kept muttering "we made it" like a mantra.
Sher Khan looked at Arsh. "You pulled that cable like you knew exactly where it was."
Arsh met his gaze. "Power runs are power runs. Same logic."
Zain laughed once—short, exhausted. "You're a scary bastard, bhai."
Arsh said nothing. He felt the weight of the data core in his pocket. Then—subtler, hidden—his private interface flickered.
Mission Complete – Bonus Achieved
Base Reward: 1,500 Points
Secondary Objective Bonus: 800 Points
Hidden Quest Completion: Observe. Adapt. Survive. – 100%
Reward: 400 Points + Basic Analysis Module Unlocked
Total Points: 2,800
New Feature Unlocked: Valuables Conversion (Beta)
Note: Scavenged items may now be converted at exchange terminal.
Arsh's expression remained unchanged.
He had not revealed anything. Not the system. Not the talent. Not even the full extent of his marksmanship.
He had simply done what needed doing.
The tram slowed. Ahead: a white beam of light—God's extraction point.
As the doors opened, Arsh stepped out first.
Behind him, the others followed—shaken, alive, changed.
From the buried hell of the Hive back to the white plaza, one truth held firm.
Rai Arsh Parhar had not broken.
He had begun.