Chapter 16: Repairs made with a shotgun

After bidding Rani goodbye, Owen and Morgan swiftly departed from the greenhouse, descending the large stairs leading to the lower sections of the arboretum. They noted the conspicuous absence of corpses despite the presence of flowing blood everywhere.

"The corpses must have all been transformed into phantoms," Owen remarked aloud, eliciting a slightly apprehensive look from Morgan, who tensed up as they descended the stairs together.

"That would explain why there are so many remnants of destroyed turrets nearby," January added, floating nearby and inspecting the broken pieces scattered across the blood-soaked ground.

"Fortunately, there seem to be no enemies in the area, so we can continue on and check the lift," Morgan suggested as they reached the bottom of the stairs and proceeded straight ahead into a tunnel. They encountered a large door with two floor-to-ceiling fish tanks on either side of it.

"I noticed there seems to be a significant electrical disturbance on the other side of the door, so I won't be able to accompany you as it could potentially fry me," January warned as he floated back away from the door. Morgan approached the door, shotgun in hand, anticipating potential enemies on the other side.

As the door opened, two malfunctioning operators rushed out, spewing flames toward Morgan and Owen. Both swiftly dodged the charging operators, who crashed into the walls before exploding into shrapnel. They pressed forward into the lobby-like area of the main lift, where two trees grew in the middle and numerous plants added to the room's charming atmosphere.

However, their respite was short-lived. A massive hulking block of metal and Typhon flesh floated in the air, arcs of lightning shooting off it. A small ball of lightning buzzed, seemingly representing its eye.

"DODGE!" Owen screamed, hearing a buzzing sound behind him. He leaped forward, grabbing Morgan, narrowly avoiding an explosion of electricity where they had previously stood.

"Morgan, Owen, that thing seems to be emitting large amounts of psionic energy!" January's voice came through their helmet comms, interrupting Owen's attempt to respond. He rolled sideways, once again hearing the buzzing sound, this time from Morgan's direction.

"Darn, that hurts," Morgan winced, nursing a massive burn on his arm with a medkit. Owen diverted his attention to the Typhon floating nearby, pulling out a nullwave transmitter and hurling it toward the technopath. The explosion of purple energy covered the technopath, mixing with the blue electricity arcing around its body, seemingly suppressing it.

"Glad I stocked up on these," Owen thought, unfazed as he approached Morgan, helping him up from the ground.

"Thanks for the save earlier. Just didn't see that coming," Morgan expressed gratitude, his gaze shifting worriedly to the giant Typhon floating in the background. Owen swiftly threw another nullwave transmitter to keep it restrained.

"Let's hurry and finish it off because I don't know how many more of these I can throw before I run out," Owen remarked, aware of the ample supply he had looted from the storage room where he had awakened.

"Okay, then," Morgan agreed, swiftly tossing an EMP at the still-floating technopath. It crashed to the ground, and Owen and Morgan closed in, maximizing their damage output as they swiftly dispatched the technopath, causing the lift to begin working normally.