John and the others waited in front of a large elevator door inside the cargo chamber. Kara had discovered the beacon was located inside the vault chamber beneath the lab. Nobody had the chance to remove the artifact after they freed the demons by mistake. If John's squad were lucky, the beacon might be unguarded. They were so close to ending the outbreak for sure.

Copper went to the communication center to contact the SPD headquarters when the demons vanished. If there was a fleet waiting in orbit, they need to know when they could land. Copper could handle himself since he killed many possessed on the journey.

The freight elevator will lead them straight to the chamber. It might be slow, but it won't take forever to reach level zero.

After the doors opened, John and his squad stepped inside. It was a large elevator, big enough to carry four shipping crates. They must had found very enormous artifacts from the ruins, which needed larger transports to carry. Maybe the beacon was bigger than John expected.

Everyone stood at the center as the elevator doors closed. Yellow lights flashed, and the siren screamed above. Then the elevator slowly descended.

Tiara wrapped her arms around John’s left arm as if she doesn’t want to leave him. Hopefully she won’t get in his way.

Lena glared at the demon. "Is she going to hold on to you the whole mission?"

Tiara glared. "What is wrong with that?"

Lena shrugged and turned.

John doesn't want the girls to fight over him when they reach the beacon. But he knew they were mature enough to remain focus on what mattered the most.

Tiara was something else. If she does step out of line, his squad will put her down immediately.

The elevator stopped by a loud thump that briefly rocked John's feet. Then the elevator doors opened.

The vault was a massive size chamber, almost big as a hanger bay. Metal drawers with lock panels lined across the steel walls while lights on the ceiling brighten the entire square chamber. Everything was shiny and spotless, like the staff oiled the drawers every day. Whatever was ever in those drawers, they could be worth a lot of money, or very dangerous. But the drawers weren't attracting John's attention.

A large glass tube stood at the center, containing a red rhombus shaped object, covered in demonic symbols. The alien language was glowing yellow like a lantern. And the relic was floating like a display, ready to be taken.

Tiara pointed her claw at the artifact. "That is the beacon."

Kara glanced at the rhombus, sparkling her red eyes like ruby stones. "Markable! This rock must be worth a million!"

"Not for long." John stepped toward the tube. "It will be in many million pieces."

Kara shrugged. "How shameful."

John transformed his arms into Gatling guns and aimed them at the display.

"Do not destroy it yet!" Tiara shouted. "I must touch it first!"

"Don't worry! I am only-"

A giant metal hand grabbed John and lifted him up off the floor. John coughed, feeling his entire insides being squeezed in the machine's grip. When it stopped, John looked up, seeing an eighty-foot battle mech with two rocker launchers on its board shoulders. It was gray with thick chicken-like legs, a square body, and a cockpit for a head.

John slowly let his mouth dropped. How the fuck did that thing got in here?