MOM?!

The silence pressed in, thick and suffocating. Uzi's footsteps echoed against the cold metal floor as she wandered through the abandoned hallway, her optics scanning every shadow for movement. The dim, flickering lights barely held back the darkness, casting eerie, shifting shapes along the walls.

Then, she saw it. A dusty bulletin board hung crookedly on the wall, the edges of old papers curling with age. Something about it drew her in, so she stepped closer, brushing some grime away with her sleeve. Her gaze flicked across the pinned documents.

One post caught her attention immediately—a photograph of her mom, Nori. But it wasn't just her mom. The image showed Nori—possessed, her eyes glowing that unnatural yellow—standing alongside Team 06.

At the top of the paper, hastily scrawled, were the words:

"FAIL-SAFE OPERATION"

Below it, Dr. Ridley's name was highlighted, alongside the mission description: Deployment of USB containment protocol. Her breath hitched. Shaken, she turned her attention to another post—this one depicting an aerial image of the cathedral. No explanation, no notes. Just an ominous snapshot of the place where everything had begun to unravel.

Uzi's tail flicked anxiously as she stepped back and nearly tripped over something. She whirled around, her optics adjusting to the gloom. A skeleton sat slumped against the wall, long since reduced to a hollow, grinning husk. But in its bony fingers, it still clutched a lantern.

A chill ran through her. Cautiously, she reached out with her tail and wrapped it around the handle, lifting it from the skeleton's grip. The metal was cold to the touch, the glass cracked but still functional.

For a moment, she just stood there, gripping the lantern, staring at the remnants of whatever poor soul had once carried it. Then, with one last uneasy glance at the bulletin board, she backed away and left.

Back with you and N, the silence didn't last long. "I missed you, N." The old V spoke at last, her voice a mixture of playfulness and something... wrong.

N tensed, his digital eyes widening as he struggled harder beneath the rock pinning his arm. "Y/N... hurry up...!" His voice cracked with panic.

You gritted your teeth, increasing the speed of your tool. The jackhammer rattled violently as it chipped away at the stone.

"T-Thank you, mine shaft trauma ghost," N stammered, not daring to look away from her. "I can hear you just fine from over there."

The V clone stepped forward, slow and deliberate. "You know, you're one of the main reasons..." She tilted her head, her too-wide grin never faltering. "I wanted your team to retain your personalities."

That set off every alarm in your head.

"Pretty please just pull my arm off..." N's voice was almost a whimper now.

V's smile stretched wider. "You always surprised me, N." She took another step forward. And then a monstrous, eldritch claw crushed the hanging lamp above, snuffing out the light. A shadow loomed. A tentacle lashed out.

Before either of you could react, it wrapped around N's leg and yanked. With a sickening SNAP, his trapped arm tore free, severed clean at the joint. "GAAAAH!" N howled in pain as he was dragged backward.

You lunged for him, but before you could grab him, another stalactite crashed down, pinning you in place. Your vision blurred, core pounding in panic. And then, Cyn stepped from the shadows. 

"You loved doing anything," she purred, her voice eerily soft.

She wrapped her arms around N, her embrace strangely gentle despite the terror of the moment. Everything flashed white.

Flashback. Ominous rumbling. Rain lashed against the ground, mixing with the crimson blood seeping from ruined Worker Drones. The sky burned red. A massive black hole churned above, its gravitational pull warping the very air.

N stood there, something clamped between his teeth. Human flesh, and arm. He looked down—he was holding a corpse. A beat passed. The human's head slipped from its shoulders and hit the ground with a wet, lifeless thud.

The battlefield around him was carnage. Earth. The past. Disassembly Drones swarmed the ruined cityscape, their glowing optics slicing through the darkness like predatory stars. From the sky, a familiar voice—J.

She opened fire, her machine gun shredding through fleeing people. V was right beside her, swooping in, fangs bared, tearing through an arm like it was candy.

A helicopter roared overhead, its turrets opening fire. J didn't even flinch. She simply spread her wings, shielding herself, letting the bullets ping uselessly against her armored frame.

A giant eldritch tentacle burst from a collapsing building. It struck the helicopter with monstrous force—impaling it straight through. More Disassembly Drones descended, descending like vultures, ripping apart whatever corpse was left.

The flashback ended.

Back in reality, a sharp beep cut through the chaos. N's visor flickered, then glitched—lines of corrupted code flashing in his optics before an error window slammed into view: "ACCESS DENIED. CONTACT ADMIN: DARKXWOLF17"

N gasped, a mix of frustration and sheer panic tightening his expression.

Cyn's voice oozed from the darkness, teasing and predatory. "Thanks for clearing the way on this planet, too." Her form shimmered—partly real, partly a hologram, her presence bending reality itself. "Let's eat."

The tentacle yanked N deeper into the tunnels. He screamed. You didn't think—just acted. The moment the tentacle dragged him into the abyss, you shattered the stalactite pinning you down, tearing free with a metallic crack.

You rushed after him. Your arm transformed into a firearm, but you hesitated. Firing uranium rounds down here? Bad. Bad for you. Bad for N. Bad for everyone. Instead, you focused on running.

Meanwhile, a deep rumbling echoed through the cavern beneath the cathedral. Small rocks rained down like an ominous warning. Then—lightning. Bolts of violet energy lashed violently from the cathedral's core, sending eerie flashes through the mine shafts.

Uzi emerged from one of the tunnels, brushing dust off her frame. She fastened her bracelet back on, eyes locking onto the cathedral's towering silhouette. Without hesitation, she launched into the air.

The wind roared around her as she glided through the shattered archways, dodging stray arcs of electricity. Inside, the massive chandelier swayed dangerously, casting long, jagged shadows across the ruins.

Uzi landed on the back of an old chair, her feet kicking up dust. A sudden blast of music erupted behind her—nightcore. Uzi flinched, whipping around. Her tail snapped out, slapping the speaker's power button. The music cut out instantly. She scowled, then nudged a small teddy bear off the seat beside her. It tumbled to the floor with a soft thud.

Her attention drifted to the monitor in front of her. Something about it felt wrong. Carefully, she reached out and rewound the footage. All the way to the beginning. She hit play. The longer she watched, the worse her expression became.

What started as mild confusion morphed into horror—her hands tightening into fists, optics reflecting the terrible things unfolding on-screen.

Below, N was losing. The tentacle dragged him deeper, his metal scraping against the floor as he desperately tried to resist. He fired his laser at it, the searing energy scorching the cavern walls—but it didn't matter.

The thing didn't even flinch. The tunnel narrowed, funnelling into a small hole lined with hundreds of reaching hands. A nightmare vortex. N dug his claws into the ground, arms trembling as he tried to hold himself back. The hands reached for him.

Then, you caught him. You lunged forward, your fingers locking around his remaining hand. "Gotcha!" For a split second, you actually had hope.

A pickaxe swung down, severing the tentacle with a brutal THUNK. N yelped as the severed mass twitched violently before shriveling into dust. You yanked him back, both of you tumbling onto the rocky floor.

"Hup!" A Crucifix Patch sailed through the air, smacking N in the chest. He caught it, blinking in confusion before looking up. The Heart stood above you both, nonchalantly spinning a pickaxe over their shoulder.

"Why is Cyn after her own murder-pet?" the Heart asked, voice dripping with sarcasm. "You stupid or something?"

N perked up immediately. "Oh yeah." He said in full confidence, with finger guns.

The Heart squinted. Then turned to you. "And you?"

You wiped the dirt off your frame. "I'm learning."

That seemed to be a good enough answer. "Cool by me, then. Drive." You all turned and sprinted into the mine.

The Solver's screeching wails reverberated through the tunnels, a distorted, otherworldly howl that sent vibrations through the very walls. It was fast—unnervingly fast—barreling toward them with an almost liquid motion, shifting and twisting in ways that broke every law of physics.

N fired a missile, aiming to collapse the tunnel behind them and slow it down. The explosive detonated on impact, sending rocks and debris crashing down in a chaotic avalanche. For a brief second, it looked like it worked.

Until the rubble exploded outward as the Solver tore straight through, its warped, eldritch mass surging forward like a nightmare refusing to stay buried.

The Heart, completely unfazed, glanced over their shoulder as if they weren't currently being chased by a cosmic horror. "Hey, the yellow one looks familiar. Watch the road. You both got wings?"

"Uh... I guess?" N answered, wings flicking out instinctively.

"I have propellers," you added, activating your own thrusters.

"Focus! Left!" The Heart barked, pointing ahead as the tunnel split in two. "Think you can get this cross to the surface? I'm lookin' for a hunk named Khan.*"

N blinked. "Uzi's dad?"

You frowned. "Dad?"

"What-" N started, but before he could finish, everything flipped.

The Heart's eyes glowed for a split second, and with a sudden, gravity-defying force, they slammed both of you into the wall of a side tunnel with a telekinetic shove. WHAM. The impact rattled your systems, but it worked—the Solver roared past, missing all three of you entirely.

The Heart whirled toward N, their glare sharp. "How do you know my daughter?" Then her gaze snapped to you. "And what do you mean 'dad'?!"

You, still stuck to the wall, shrugged. "I'm adopted."

The Heart's expression completely shifted. Her pupil dilated. "I HAVE A NEW KID?!"

"YOU'RE MY MOM?!" You shouted back, equally as shocked.

Jump cut. Lizzy and Thad crouched behind a snowbank, their optics flicking between each other and the massive, ominous spire looming in front of them. Cold winds whipped around them, carrying the faint, static-filled hum of the spire's corrupted power.

Thad exhaled, rubbing his hands together. "Okay, so how do we-"

"Punch." Lizzy interrupted immediately, staring ahead with full confidence.

Thad blinked. "Can't her hands be, like... guns?"

"Kick, also." Lizzy added without missing a beat.

Thad nodded slowly, then let out an evil little chuckle. "Yeah."

Before either of them could actually do anything remotely productive, the spire suddenly detonated. A deafening explosion erupted from its base, sending a shockwave of fire and debris outward. The sheer force hurled both worker drones off their feet, sending them spiraling through the air like a pair of ragdolls.

As they crashed back into the snow, J shot out from the collapsing wreckage, dark wings cutting through the sky, before she swooped straight into her ship. Within seconds, the engines ignited, and she was gone.

The two drones cautiously approached what was left of the spire. In the center of the wreckage, a landing pod sat in flames, crackling against the snow. Thad covered his mouth, shocked by the destruction. Lizzy, naturally, took a photo.

They turned to see Khan, intending to rummage through the wreckage like this was just another Tuesday. He barely even looked at them as he handed Thad a set of blueprints and, without warning, snatched Lizzy's phone.

"Part 2A, check the perimeter." His tone was so casual it was like he was assigning homework.

Thad sputtered. "M-Mr. Doorman, sir?"

Khan barely acknowledged him, muttering to himself as he dug around for salvage. "Bad crowd, those Murder Drones. Destroying ways off the planet..." Then his voice shifted. Dramatic. Pained. "MY WIFE..." Then he snapped back to normal. "...My daughter having interests beyond cannibalism and 'Nightcore'?"

Before anyone could respond, the ground rumbled ominously. A strange, gravitational pulse rippled through the air, and suddenly—the planet's gravity flipped out again. Thad and Lizzy immediately began floating, flailing in mild panic. Khan, meanwhile, remained completely unfazed, arms crossed as he floated casually upward.

"Ah, the end of times!" he chuckled, like he was talking about the weather. "If my wife's closet is right, this planet's gonna try to eat us soon."

Thad opened his mouth to comment, but Lizzy just squinted at Khan, looking thoroughly unconvinced.

Back in the mines, the air was thick with dust and decay. Tessa moved through the rusted rows of lockers, her footsteps echoing faintly in the dim, flickering light. The stench of old oil and metal decay clung to the space, remnants of whatever had happened down here long ago.

Chained-up drones, long offline, were slumped in the darkness, their optics hollow. Tessa barely spared them a glance as she pushed open a locker door. Inside were the remains of two dead drones, mangled beyond recognition. She exhaled sharply, then reached for the next locker. Empty.

The nameplate read: NORI.

Tessa's gaze lingered. She ran a hand over the metal surface before turning toward an old terminal mounted on the wall. The screen flickered to life as she approached, but the system immediately demanded a biometric scan.

With a sigh, she tugged off her glove, exposing her bare hand to the cold air. She pressed a finger to the scanner. A soft beep confirmed access. Tessa navigated through the files for a moment before setting the system to self-destruct. She turned on her heel and strode away without hesitation.

Behind her, the terminal let out a sharp, rhythmic beeping as the countdown began. Then—BOOM. The explosion tore through the locker area, sending debris crashing into the walls. Flames licked at the ceiling, casting long, flickering shadows as Tessa paused to glance back at the destruction.

A glint of silver—before she could react, a knife flew toward her.

Tessa barely had time to dodge before Doll materialized from thin air, standing in the glow of the fire, cleaver at the ready.

"Где фиксы, Человек?" Doll's voice was sharp, demanding.

The words processed in Tessa's mind a second later: "Where's the patch, human?"

Tessa tilted her head. "Hmm. Not sure what you me-"

Doll didn't wait. She blinked out of sight—then reappeared behind Tessa. Tessa spun just in time, raising her arm to block the cleaver. The force of the impact sent a metallic clang ringing through the cavern.

"Чтобы избавиться от Вычислителя! Где он?" Doll's voice was frantic now.

"The USB Patch. To exorcise the Solver's possession. Where is it?"

Tessa exhaled, taking a moment to process. "So, that's what they were doing down here, huh? Crucifix-lookin' thing?" Her voice had the faintest smirk behind it.

Doll's expression remained unreadable. "Так ты не знаешь?" she sneered.

"Wouldn't you know?"

Tessa shrugged. "Had my suspicions. But they kept cutting my feed."

Without warning, she swung her sword upward, slicing through the air— and Doll's eyepatch. The button fluttered to the ground.

"Patch to save yourself, huh?" Tessa mused.

Doll's optics burned with fury. "Я не позволю Вычислителю использовать меня, поглотить планету!" she snarled.

"I will not let it use me to consume the planet!"

Tessa's expression didn't waver. "Hmm. Not sure it needs you, buddy."

With a flick of her wrist, she sent her knife spinning through the air. Doll instinctively turned to track it—and in that split second, Tessa was gone.

Doll's optics darted back, scanning the space. The fire behind her suddenly flickered, twisting unnaturally before vanishing entirely, absorbed into the AbsoluteSolver.

The air in the tunnel grew heavy, thick with the sensation of something approaching—something fast. A muffled screech echoed through the cavern, distant but drawing closer with every second. Doll tensed, her body language shifting into pure defense mode as she instinctively activated her Solver. Her hands crackled with energy, preparing for whatever was coming. Silence.

The screeching stopped, leaving only the sound of her own synthetic breathing and the faint dripping of oil from a cracked pipeline above. Click. Click. Click. The rapid tapping of something unnatural against the cave floor.

Doll's visor flickered, a warning flashing across the HUD. A new entity detected. But when she tried to interact with it—nothing. Her system refused to respond. She cursed under her breath and, in sheer frustration, grabbed a rock and hurled it toward the shadows.

The result was immediate—a sharp, metallic slice cut through the air, and the rock split in half like it was made of paper. Doll's optics widened. Too fast. Too precise. Then, before she could react—a blur of motion. A glint of something razor-sharp. A rush of wind.

The last thing Doll saw before her visor went black was the monstrous silhouette lunging at her. Then—darkness.

"Thanks for the new host, intern." Cyn's voice echoed through the empty space, her words dripping with mocking amusement.

Flashback. The cathedral was shrouded in dark energy, its towering stained-glass windows casting an unnatural glow over the crumbling interior. Nori, her body twisted and corrupted by the Solver, stood over a cowering Mitchell. The Crucifix Patch hovered in the air, suspended by tendrils of black energy.

With an eerie grace, Nori flicked her wrist—the Crucifix hurtled toward Mitchell's face.

"MacGuffin," the Solver sneered.

But before the USB could make contact, it froze. Suspended inches from Mitchell's mask. Yeva stood behind him, her expression unreadable, her grip on reality stronger than the Solver expected. With a single motion, she redirected the Crucifix—flinging it straight into Nori's face.

"O-O-Ow." The Solver's voice glitched, static crackling through Nori's throat. "What in the science-"

Nori staggered, her corrupted form flickering like a bad signal. With a final, desperate act, she ripped the Crucifix out of her own face and hurled it into the gaping void behind her. Then—her body collapsed. Mitchell, deciding that absolutely none of this was his problem anymore, bolted for the exit.

Yeva rushed to help Nori up, but as she reached for her, Nori's right hand twitched. The Solver wasn't done. A Null Singularity began forming in her palm, a gravitational wound in reality itself. Yeva acted on instinct. She summoned a blade, swung down hard—and severed Nori's hand.

The dismembered limb plummeted into the void, twisting and contorting as the Solver screeched in frustration. Yeva barely had time to pull Nori to her feet before—a blinding yellow light exploded from the abyss.

The two stumbled back, shielding their optics. The ground beneath them shook violently, the cathedral's very foundations crumbling under the force of something massive. The scene zoomed outward, revealing the planet itself. The core collapsed in on itself, sending waves of destruction rippling across the surface.

A dying world, folding into nothingness.