The peace never lasted long.
Even with the museum base restored in color and warmth, the people inside it were trained to listen for silence that was too perfect. And tonight, the quiet rang louder than usual.
At the northern watch post, a Resistance scout leaned over the railing, goggles focused on the skyline. Fog rolled between the buildings like it was hiding something.
"This doesn't feel right," she whispered into her radio.
A buzzing sound tickled the edge of hearing. A sharp static spike followed.
Then, the drone feed cut out.
Scene: Base Alert
Inside the museum, red emergency lights flashed.
Harper stormed into the command deck, helmet under one arm and rifle already slung over her shoulder.
"We lost the recon drone in Sector 3. No visual, no signal. It was fried. Like something cooked it in the air."
Dr. Alaric swore under his breath. "That's not just interference."
Kaila had already joined the others. She was gripping her arm, where a strange pulse had bloomed through her skin minutes earlier like electricity had crawled under her veins.
"I felt it," she said quietly. "Something came through."
Andy stood beside her, expression serious. "Like in your dreams?"
Kaila nodded slowly. "No… worse. It's real now. It's walking."
Harper looked between them. "Do we have a name for this thing?"
Alaric answered, his voice grim. "Yes. Draton."
Scene: The Story of Draton
Alaric brought up a flickering hologram on the console — a Dive database entry long since scrubbed from the networks.
DRATON - Class Red Omega
Subject: Unstable Spinat-enhanced cyber-synthetic soldier
Status: Unknown. Presumed dismantled.
Traits:
Organic-mechanical hybrid
Enhanced regenerative capabilities
Neural adaptivity
Capable of reconstructing from remaining blood cell
Directive: Eradicate anomaly-bearing subjects
"It was one of Dive's early prototypes in combining Spinat Symbol augmentation with synthetic robotics," Alaric explained. "They said it was too unstable. That it lacked emotional grounding. But the real reason they shelved him…"
He turned to Kaila.
"…is because it couldn't process beauty. Or love. It began destroying anything it didn't understand."
Kaila's stomach turned.
Andy said nothing. His hand unconsciously moved toward the knife on his belt.
"So what does it want now?" Harper asked.
Alaric didn't look away from Kaila. "You."
Scene: Outside the Walls
On the cracked streets a mile from the museum, something heavy stepped into the open.
Its body was plated with steel bones. Between each joint was a pulsing thread of black Spinat-flesh, crawling like worms trapped inside armor. Its head was split down the center, with two glowing red cores for eyes. No face. No identity.
It walked calmly, scanning the environment with infrared pulses.
In its visual HUD, two signals pulsed in bright gold.
Target: KAILA STONEN
Target: ENTITY TYPE-UNKNOWN (SKATE)
Draton spoke in a voice that sounded like broken data scraping across glass.
"LOVE IS A FAULTY VIRUS
PURGE IT
BREAK IT
END IT"
Its chest opened slightly.
Tiny tendrils extended from its torso, dripping crimson light into the ground. Within seconds, tiny sensor drones erupted from the asphalt and scuttled forward.
Draton followed them, walking slowly toward the museum like death on a leash.
Scene: Preparing the Walls
Back at the museum, everyone was mobilizing.
Portable barricades were set up at the outer perimeter. All long-range rifles were issued. Kaila walked into the central hall with Andy, who was already suited up in modified armor.
"You sure you're okay to fight?" he asked, looking at her with concern.
"I don't think I have a choice."
Andy nodded. "Then I've got your back."
She turned to him. "If this thing comes for me — and I can't stop it — you run. You warn Tara. You get back to Xin."
Andy grabbed her wrist.
"No. We do this together."
She didn't argue. She just held onto his hand longer than she ever had before.
Scene: The First Touch
Late that night, the ground outside trembled.
Just once.
Just enough to crack a tile in the hallway where Kaila stood.
She felt it through her spine. Not just a vibration. A presence.
From within her chest, the Skate responded.
"It is here."