The staircase groaned under Daniel's weight as he descended into the darkness. Dust drifted in lazy spirals through the beam of light from his handheld lamp. The air below was colder, thicker—untouched for years.
The drone hovered ahead, projecting faint blue scans against the cracked walls.
"Subterranean structure detected," the AI whispered. "Structural stability: sixty-two percent. Proceed with caution."
Daniel stepped carefully, boots scraping against broken concrete. At the bottom of the staircase, a narrow corridor stretched forward. Rusted pipes lined the ceiling, dripping slow, hollow echoes into the silence.
Then he heard it.
A sound.
Not mechanical. Not wind.
Footsteps.
Daniel froze.
The drone's light flickered toward the far end of the corridor—and caught movement.
A figure stepped from behind a collapsed support beam.
Human.
Thin. Wrapped in layers of scavenged cloth and metal plates. A mask covered the lower half of their face, but their eyes were sharp—alert. A makeshift blade glinted in their hand.
They stared at each other in silence.
Daniel's pulse hammered. "I'm not here to fight," he said carefully, raising one hand.
The stranger didn't lower the blade.
"Then why are you here?" the figure asked. The voice was rough, cautious. Female.
Daniel hesitated. He couldn't mention the hatch. Not yet. "Looking for supplies. Same as anyone."
The drone shifted slightly, humming.
The stranger's eyes flicked upward. "That's not normal scavenger tech."
Daniel cursed silently.
"Operator," the AI murmured in his ear, barely audible, "subject displays elevated stress. Probability of aggression: thirty-four percent."
Thirty-four percent wasn't comforting.
"I don't want trouble," Daniel said. "If you found this place first, I'll leave."
The stranger studied him for a long moment. The tension in the corridor felt like a stretched wire, ready to snap.
Then—
A distant rumble echoed from above.
Both of them looked up.
Dust fell from the ceiling.
The stranger's eyes widened. "Raiders."
Daniel's stomach dropped.
"Multiple hostile signatures detected," the AI confirmed. "Surface breach probable within minutes."
The stranger lowered her blade slightly—but not in trust. In calculation.
"You've got that drone," she said quickly. "Can it scout another exit?"
Daniel hesitated.
Trust was dangerous.
But so was staying alone.
He glanced at the drone feed, then back at her. For the first time, survival wasn't just about hiding—it was about cooperation.
"Maybe," he said. "If you don't try to stab me."
For a split second, something almost like a smirk appeared in her eyes.
"No promises," she replied.
Above them, the rumble grew louder.
And Daniel realized this encounter might change everything.