The Shadow Sovereign: Level Up from the Dirt

The Living Battery

Seeing our mother suspended in that tube of glowing blue liquid made my blood run hot.

The wealthy families of the Island did not look at people from the lower city as human beings. In their eyes, we were just raw materials. If a person had a rare genetic trait or a strong mana signature, the board members did not hire them. They turned them into living batteries to power their private ships and keep their sky-villas running forever.

"We have twelve minutes before the harbor system catches my fake data," Kemi said. She pulled herself up using my shoulder, her legs still trembling from the energy drain. She stared directly at the video monitor showing our mother. Her eyes were sharp, devoid of panic. "Zane, look at the thick cables attached to her head. They are directly connected to the ship’s central mana core. If you smash the glass tube without cutting the main power breaker first, the surge will instantly stop her heart."

"Where is the breaker?" I asked.

"Inside the lower vault, right behind those two guards," Kemi said, her fingers moving over her dead wrist-pad to draw a mental map of the layout. "The door needs two separate keycards to open at the same time. The guards carry them."

"Then we take those keycards," Tariq said, pulling a short steel blade from his belt with his good hand. "My mechanical arm is dead, but I can still take out one guard from behind."

"No," Kemi said, stopping him with a firm gesture. "The moment a guard drops, his armor sends a biological flatline signal to the bridge. The ship will go on total lockdown before you can even touch the door. We have to make them open it for us."

I looked at my little sister. "How?"

"We trigger a false system error," Kemi said, a cold, calculating look entering her eyes. "The ship’s automated safety code forces the guards to enter the vault manually if the internal mana pressure spikes. I need you to overload the coolant pipe in the hallway."

"That requires high physical strength," Tariq noted. "That pipe is made of reinforced steel."

"I have my shadow soldiers," I said. My remaining three shadow figures shifted slightly beneath my skin, waiting for my command. My mana level was sitting at forty points. It was low, but enough for one fast, violent burst.

We moved down the quiet service stairs, taking short steps to avoid making noise on the metal floor. The air grew warmer and heavier as we descended into the belly of the massive ship. The deep rumble of the engine vibrated through the steel walls under our feet.

When we reached the bottom corridor, we hid behind a stack of heavy metal crates. Fifty feet away, two guard units stood in front of the massive vault door, their black armor polished and clean. They carried standard heavy shock rifles.

"Right above them," Kemi pointed toward a thick yellow pipe running along the ceiling. "The manual pressure valve is right there. If you rupture it, the cold gas will trigger the vault's emergency ventilation protocol. They will be forced to swipe both cards to vent the room."

"Do it now," I thought, calling my strongest shadow soldier.

A tall figure of pitch-black smoke rose from my shadow on the floor. Its glowing blue eyes flashed in the dim light. It moved along the ceiling like a ghost, blending with the dark corners of the metal beams.

The shadow wrapped its smoky hands around the yellow iron valve. With a sudden, powerful twist, it ripped the valve right off the pipe.

A massive blast of white freezing gas burst out of the broken joint. The cloud filled the corridor instantly, setting off loud red alarm lights along the walls.

"Pressure warning!" a speaker blared above. "Vault coolant leak detected. Manual ventilation required!"

The two guards cursed loudly, raising their arms to block the freezing mist.

"Get the keys out!" the left guard shouted, pulling a silver card from his belt. "If the core overheats, the Captain will throw us into the ocean!"

The second guard pulled his card out too. Both men rushed to the vault door, slamming their cards into the side-by-side scanners.

Click.

The heavy steel vault door groaned and slowly slid open, revealing the bright room inside where our mother's tube stood.

"Now!" I said.

My shadow soldier dropped from the ceiling right on top of the first guard, driving him face-first into the steel deck. At the same second, Tariq lunged out from behind the crates, slamming his heavy body into the second guard and knocking the rifle out of his hands.

I sprinted into the vault, my boots clicking against the smooth floor. I ran straight to the main control panel behind the glass tube. The screen was filled with fast red numbers showing my mother's vital signs.

"Kemi, which breaker do I hit?" I called out, reaching for the tangle of thick black cables.

Kemi walked into the vault, her small body swaying slightly, but her eyes fixed on the power panel. "The red handle on the left! Pull it down now!"

I grabbed the thick iron handle and slammed it down with all my weight.

A loud electrical snap echoed through the room. The glowing blue liquid inside the glass tube began to drain away instantly, and the thick wires attached to my mother's temples detached themselves automatically.

The glass door slid open with a soft hiss. My mother's head fell forward, her body weak and completely limp. I reached out, catching her before she could hit the floor. Her skin was freezing cold, but I could feel the faint, steady beat of her heart against my palm.

"We got her," I said, a massive wave of relief washing through my chest. "We actually got her."

"Zane!" Tariq's voice came from the doorway, sharp and full of sudden warning.

I snapped my head around. Tariq was standing near the open vault door, his knife raised, but he wasn't looking at the knocked-out guards. He was looking down the long hallway.

The heavy steel bulkheads at both ends of the corridor slammed down with a deafening crash, sealing the entire lower deck.

Then, the small video screen on the vault wall flickered on.

Chairman Femi's face appeared on the monitor. He was sitting in a high leather chair, holding a glass of wine, a cold smile resting on his lips.

"Did you really think my Vice-Chairman's weak little secret would protect you?" Femi said smoothly through the speaker. "I knew Kola was stealing from me months ago. I let him keep doing it just to catch rats like you. The ship has already left the harbor, little boy. You are three miles out at sea, and I just turned off the engines."