The Last Station Standing
Mina’s voice crackled through their comms, distorted by the dense, oxygenated fluid filling their suits.
From the "Sparrow" submersible, a modified Sonic Disruption Torpedo launched. It didn't explode. Instead, it unfolded, releasing a burst of Inverted Acoustic Waves (sound waves specifically engineered to reinforce, rather than shatter, Isotope bonds). A shimmering, translucent dome of blue light—the Hard-Light Aegis (a temporary energy barrier)—expanded around Elara and Kazimir, creating a safe, stable bubble of energy within the chaotic, violet-tinted water.