The subterranean maintenance tunnel was instantly bathed in a violent, flashing crimson light.
Adonis, the towering, indestructible Supreme Commander of Earth, was on his knees in the freezing, toxic muck of the Sector 4 slums. A horrifying, grinding screech of failing titanium and static echoed from deep within his chest. The God of War clutched his sternum, his massive frame violently shuddering as the catastrophic internal damage finally overwhelmed his systems.
Nikki dropped beside him into the knee-deep water, her hands flying to his broad shoulders.
"Adonis! Look at me," she pleaded, her voice echoing frantically off the curved concrete walls. "What is failing? Give me your diagnostic output!"
Adonis's optical sensors flickered, the crimson light blinding in the pitch-black darkness. When he spoke, his usually smooth, velvety voice was entirely shredded, replaced by the raw, tearing sound of grinding metal.
