Chapter 42: Victory!
Ryan pressed himself flat against the cold metal of the giant containment unit, his heart trying to beat its way out of his bruised ribs. He held his breath, listening.
The heavy, rhythmic stomp... stomp... stomp of the Vault Guardian Prime had faded as it patrolled the area around the fried light panel.
His trick had worked. A wave of relief washed over him.
He thought he was safe. He thought he had all the time in the world to sneak over to the armory and start collecting Power Cores for the Scramble. He had underestimated his opponent.
He watched as the Guardian finished its inspection of the broken light. It stood perfectly still for a long moment. Then, its single, terrifying red eye began to pulse with a new, intense light.
A low, deep humming sound started to fill the entire Vault, a sound that vibrated right through the floor and into his bones.
What’s it doing now? Ryan thought, his brief moment of relief vanishing.
A thin, red line of light shot out from the Guardian’s eye. It began to sweep across the chamber, methodically scanning every pillar, every console, every shadow.
It wasn’t just looking; it was scanning. For life signs. For energy signatures. For a lone human intruder with a bunch of glowing Precursor artifacts stuffed in his pockets.
Ryan’s heart sank. "Oh, you have got to be kidding me."
He was hidden, but he wasn’t invisible. The red line swept over his hiding spot. It paused for a fraction of a second. Then, it locked on. A loud, blaring alarm sound, the first real noise the Guardian had made, echoed through the Vault. The Guardian’s head swiveled around, its red eye burning a hole right through his cover.