The submersible trembled as it descended deeper into the abyss. Pressure gauges twitched. The world outside the thick glass viewport had turned completely black — an ancient kind of darkness, where light itself seemed afraid to enter.
Inside, red indicator lights cast eerie shadows across the faces of the crew.
Ronin sat in the pilot's seat, jaw clenched, every muscle in his body taut. His eyes flicked across the controls, trying to stay calm. Beside him, Ruby was glued to the sonar monitor, her expression tightening with every ping.
"Depth: 11,000 meters," she whispered.
Behind them, Kael sat in quiet meditation, her fingers resting against the cold metal wall. Kai stared into the void through the small circular window, his breath fogging the glass.
Suddenly—
THUNK.
A loud metallic clang echoed through the sub's hull.
Ruby jolted upright. "What was that?"
Ronin's hands tightened on the controls. "Hull impact. Something brushed us."
THUNK-THUNK. This time, it was louder. A screech followed — like metal claws dragging along steel.
Kai's voice was almost a whisper. "We're not alone…"
Arrival at the Omega Core
A faint glow emerged ahead — huge, circular floodlights outlining a sunken fortress. The Omega Core.
It was unlike anything Ronin had ever seen.
A sprawling undersea base, fused with alien architecture — curved spires, bio-metal vines, and symbols that pulsed in rhythm with something deep and ancient.
The submersible docked with a metallic groan. A platform rose to meet them, encasing the pod in a pressurized chamber. Steam hissed. Yellow emergency lights flickered overhead.
The doors slid open slowly with a deep, mechanical moan.
"Stay sharp," Ronin said, raising his plasma blade. "This place isn't abandoned. Not completely."
As the team stepped out, a wave of freezing air met them — stale, still, and heavy.
The corridors inside were like veins — alive, breathing. Walls glistened with condensation, covered in runes that shifted faintly when passed.
Kael traced one symbol. "These aren't just markings. They're memories… encoded into the walls."
Ruby glanced around, her hand hovering near her weapon. "Feels like we're walking into a brain."
Kai turned left at a junction, his voice calm. "Left path leads to the Memory Vault. Right goes to the Reactor core."
Ronin looked at Kael.
She closed her eyes for a moment, sensing.
Then she opened them. "Left. The code is calling from that direction."
Without another word, they followed the corridor left.
Behind them, something shifted in the shadows — silent, waiting.
The Memory Vault
They reached a massive vault door — ten feet tall, silver-black, and humming faintly. Glowing veins of light crisscrossed its surface, forming geometric runes.
A small console blinked to life:
"ACCESS RESTRICTED. IDENTITY REQUIRED."
Ronin stepped forward.
"R-01N1N – VERIFIED."
The vault groaned and split open.
Inside — rows upon rows of floating data shards. Each hovered in a glass pod, labeled from R-01 to R-20.
Kael whispered, "These are us… our memories. Sealed before we were ever 'activated'."
Ronin approached his pod — R-01N1N — and placed a hand on the glass.
A blue light flickered.
Suddenly—
A hologram burst to life. A younger Ronin, maybe 12 or 13, hooked up to wires, struggling against restraints.
Above, scientists watched.
"He's showing independent neural development," one murmured.
"We should've removed the Oblivion Layer," another whispered. "If he remembers everything…"
The image shattered.
Ronin staggered back, breath short.
Kael caught him. "They planted false lives. Then erased them. But it's all breaking down now."
Kai pointed toward the center.
A pedestal glowed softly. A blue sphere rested on top — pulsing with codes unlike anything they'd seen before.
Ronin walked up and reached out.
The sphere responded — unraveling like a puzzle, revealing glowing symbols in the air.
"OMEGA PROTOCOL – SYSTEM UNLOCK KEY IDENTIFIED."
Kael stepped back. "That's it. The original code."
But then—
ALARM.
"UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS DETECTED."
"FAILSAFE INITIATED."
Red lights began blinking. The vault's doors slammed shut behind them.
A synthetic voice echoed through the chamber:
"R-01N1N… return to stasis. You are incomplete."
Ronin stepped forward. "I'm more complete than you ever intended."
"Then you are a threat."
From the far end of the vault, a humanoid figure emerged — tall, armored, eyes glowing black like voids.
Ruby gasped. "Who is that?"
Kael whispered, "R-03."
The Forgotten Brother
He looked almost exactly like Ronin — same build, same runes — but corrupted, twisted. Shadows danced beneath his skin like living fire.
"I was the prototype," R-03 hissed. "They erased me when I saw the truth."
Ronin didn't raise his weapon immediately. "You don't have to fight us. We were all victims of this project."
R-03 tilted his head. "Victim? No. I survived. And now I'm the only one who understands."
"Understands what?"
"That we were never made to save Earth." He pointed at Ronin. "You are the final lock. And when you open, everything dies."
Ronin's hand dropped to his blade. "Then you know I have no choice."
R-03 smiled darkly. "Exactly."
He lunged.
The Battle
Blades clashed. Plasma sizzled through the air. Ronin met R-03's speed with his own, but the corrupted brother fought with reckless fury.
"You were always the favorite," R-03 spat, striking hard. "But they feared me more."
Ronin blocked, sparks flying. "They feared what they couldn't control."
Kael dodged automated turrets and fired at R-03, trying to distract him.
Kai rushed to the console. "I can override the vault system. Just give me time!"
Ruby shielded him, firing at the fail-safe drones dropping from the ceiling.
Ronin and R-03 spun, clashed, and struck again and again.
"You were supposed to die," R-03 snarled. "You were a mistake!"
Ronin parried, eyes glowing gold. "Then I'm the mistake that ends you!"
At that moment—
"OMEGA CODE: RELEASED," Kai shouted.
The sphere shattered.
Energy burst from the pedestal in beams — one striking each member of the team.
Ronin froze.
His mind cracked open.
The Origin Vision
He was no longer in the vault.
He stood in a vast plain of stars.
Above, Earth floated — beautiful, fragile.
But beneath it… something stirred.
A massive shape curled around the planet's core — sleeping, ancient, alive.
Voices echoed in his mind.
"The hybrids were never weapons."
"They were keys."
"Keys to awaken what lies beneath."
He saw seven figures, floating above the Earth — all of them, including him.
Each one unlocking a seal.
And when the final seal broke—
A mind awakened.
A voice whispered:
"You are the catalyst. The final key. Once you remember fully… I will rise."
Back in Reality
Ronin dropped to his knees, gasping.
R-03 surged forward for a killing blow—
Kael threw a kinetic blast, knocking him off course and into a wall.
Ruby grabbed Ronin. "Are you okay?"
"I saw it…" he said. "I saw the truth."
"What truth?" Kai asked.
Ronin's eyes glowed bright gold.
"They weren't trying to protect Earth. They were trying to trap something inside it."
Silence fell.
Kael whispered, "Then what if… by unlocking the code…"
"…we opened the door?" Ruby finished.
They all turned slowly—
As the ground beneath the vault trembled.
Elsewhere – Beneath the Planet
Deep beneath Earth's crust, something stirred.
Eyes blinked open after centuries.
Stone cracked.
Metal shivered.
A voice spread through every mind connected to the Omega Code.
"At last… my children remember."
To Be Continued…
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