YEAR – 2024HIDDEN FACILITY – SUBLEVEL B | DEAD ZONE CORE[3:18 PM]
Steam hissed from ruptured pipes. Emergency lights blinked red. The chamber trembled beneath their feet.
Inside the pod, the girl stared back at them. Her eyes were pure white — not blind, but infinite. She didn't speak. She simply... watched.
TIVANA – (softly)Is she even human?
SPECTRE – (draws weapon)Doesn't matter. She's part of Project Aurora. That means she's dangerous.
RADRIN – (urgent)No! Lower your weapon! Look—she's stabilizing the power grid. She's keeping the place from collapsing.
The alarms dulled for a moment as a pulse of white light rippled outward from the pod. The system interface flickered — not in warning, but response.
SYSTEM OVERRIDE ACCEPTEDCORE NEURAL PRESENCE: AWAKENAME: ELIOR
ELIOR – (telepathically, to all three)You sought truth. Now you must carry it.
TIVANA – (clutching her head)She's in my mind—Spectre?
SPECTRE – (staggering)Yeah. She's in mine too.
RADRIN –It's not just telepathy. She's scanning us. Reading us. Fast. Deep.
Suddenly, the door to the chamber sealed shut. From the shadows, a voice crackled over the intercom—metallic, broken.
UNKNOWN VOICE –I warned them. No one was meant to awaken her.
TIVANA –Who the hell is that?
UNKNOWN VOICE –She is not a girl. She is the seed. The Echo Engine. And you just unchained her.
Radrin stepped back from the pod, his expression grim.
RADRIN –Echo Engine... that was the original name for the consciousness uplink tech. They weren't building a weapon... they were building a key.
SPECTRE –To what?
RADRIN –Everything. Every AI that disappeared. Every signal blacked out. They were sent somewhere. She's the access point.
ELIOR – (voice inside them all)I can show you. But your minds may break. Will you choose truth, or silence?
Tivana looked to the others, her breath shaky.
TIVANA –We came here for answers.
SPECTRE – (reluctantly lowers his blade)Then show us.
A pulse surged from the pod, engulfing the room. Light flooded their vision. Flashes of memories, warzones, digital cities, fractured timelines — all hitting them like a wave.
When it cleared, they were no longer alone.
Hundreds of suspended pods lined the walls, stretching into darkness.
RADRIN – (shocked)Oh my god... there are more.
A low hum echoed — growing louder.
From above, heavy steps. Reinforcements. But not human.
Drones. Lots of them.
TIVANA –They know she's awake. They're coming.
SPECTRE –Then we get her out. Now.
Radrin slammed his palm on the release panel. The pod hissed open. Elior stepped forward — barefoot, eyes glowing faintly, her expression calm.
ELIOR –Then run. I will hold the signal.
They didn't ask again. They ran.
FADE OUT.