Marvel 161
[Facility Perimeter: Guard Titans Detected – 12 Units]
Max cursed under his breath. Even the outskirts were crawling with defenses.
"Alright… slow and steady."
His visor highlighted the Maintenance Shaft entrance on the far side, partially buried under debris. Moving with calculated precision, he activated his Override Module, sending a silent pulse to a nearby Watcher Unit. Within seconds, its optics flickered blue, now under his command.
"Good, now let's cause a little distraction."
Max commanded the Watcher to move toward the Guard Titans. The moment it entered their detection range, they reacted instantly—opting to investigate the anomaly rather than sounding an alarm.
That was his cue.
Max sprinted toward the shaft, staying low. The opening was tight, the metal rusted and corroded, but he forced his way in. Dust and stale air filled his lungs as he crawled forward, relying on his visor's night vision to navigate the dark tunnels.
Minutes passed before he reached an opening—an old access corridor leading deeper into the facility. The air here was heavy with static, and flickering emergency lights barely illuminated the ruined passage.
As Max moved cautiously through the dimly lit corridor, his visor continued to pick up faint signals. The deeper he went, the more unsettling the silence became. Dust swirled in the flickering emergency lights, and old cables hung from the ceiling like tangled veins of a long-dead beast.
[Warning: Unidentified Signal Detected – Proximity: 50 Meters]
Max froze. His grip tightened on his weapon as his Cyberware Stealth Mode remained active, masking his presence. He slowly peeked around a corner, and his heart skipped a beat.
A Guard Titan stood in standby mode, its dark metallic plating gleaming under the emergency lights. Unlike the standard patrol models, this one was bulkier, its arms ending in high-powered plasma cannons. But something was off.
It wasn't moving.
Max scanned it carefully. [Status: Dormant – Awaiting Command Input]
"Did the facility shut down before activating them?" he mused.
If these Titans were on standby, it meant he still had time before the AI Core reactivated them. That was his chance.
Moving carefully, he bypassed the inactive Guard Titan, making sure not to trigger any dormant security systems. The further he advanced, the stronger the strange signal became. His visor displayed the source—a massive, reinforced door marked with faded warning signs:
[Titan Core Containment – Restricted Access]
Max took a deep breath. This is it.
He approached the control panel beside the door and activated his Hacking Module.
[Override Attempt in Progress…]
[Security Level: High – Estimated Time: 60 Seconds]
Suddenly, a loud mechanical whir echoed from behind him.
Max turned instantly.
The Guard Titan's optics flickered red.
The system had triggered something.
"Shit—"
Before he could react, the Titan let out a deep, synthetic roar, its cannons charging up. The containment breach had begun.
Max braced himself. No turning back now.
[Hacking Progress: 40%]
The Titan's plasma cannons began to glow, charging up for a shot. Max dove to the side just as a searing blast scorched the metal wall behind him, melting it instantly.
"Damn it—faster, system!" he growled, rolling behind cover.
He needed a distraction. Scanning the room quickly, he spotted an overhead maintenance beam, rusted but still intact. An idea struck him.
[Command: Override Nearby Systems]
He targeted a set of damaged conduits running along the ceiling. Sending a quick override pulse, he forced them to surge with unstable energy. Sparks erupted as the power grid fluctuated violently.
The Titan hesitated. Its optics flickered, momentarily confused by the sudden system failure. That was Max's opening.
He dashed forward, sliding beneath the massive machine just as its targeting recalibrated. With a swift motion, he deployed his Override Module—slamming it onto the Titan's exposed joint plating.
[Attempting Override…]
The machine jerked violently, its red optics flickering between hostile and neutral states.
Max gritted his teeth. Come on, come on…
[Override Successful – Unit Under Control]
The Titan's posture shifted. Its cannons powered down, optics turning a calm blue. Max exhaled sharply, tapping his visor to sync with the machine.
"Now, be a good boy and guard me instead."
The hacking interface beeped.
[Containment Door Unlocked]
The heavy doors rumbled open, revealing a vast chamber bathed in crimson emergency lighting. In the center, surrounded by cables and dormant defense systems, stood a massive Black Titan—its armor darker than night, its core pulsating with raw power.
Max cautiously stepped into the chamber, his new Guard Titan following closely behind. The air was thick with the hum of dormant machinery, and faint sparks crackled from broken conduits along the walls. His visor's scanner rapidly displayed warning after warning.
[Black Titan Detected – Status: Dormant]
[Core Energy Level: 12% – Incomplete Activation]
"So, it's not fully online yet. Perfect."
Max moved toward the terminal connected to the Titan Core, fingers gliding over the rusted interface. Lines of old, fragmented code scrolled across his HUD. He tapped into his Hacking Module, ready to insert a backdoor command before the AI could wake up.
[Override Attempt: Initiated]
[Required Time: 90 Seconds]
"Just hold still for me, big guy—"
A deep, mechanical growl rumbled through the chamber.
Max's blood ran cold.
The Black Titan's optics flickered—dark red lines pulsing through its armored form. Its dormant systems were coming back online faster than anticipated.
[WARNING: External Activation Detected]
[Source: Unknown Signal]
"Wait, what?" Max's eyes widened.
Someone—or something—was remotely activating the Black Titan. The override attempt was being contested.
The chamber trembled as the Black Titan's massive arms twitched. Its core pulsed violently, sending shockwaves through the air.
[Energy Level: 27% – Rapid Recharge Detected]
"Shit—Abort! Abort!" Max slammed a command to cut the link, but the system refused. His hack was being overridden, forcing a power surge through his interface.
A booming synthetic voice echoed through the chamber.
"INTRUDER DETECTED. ACCESS RESTRICTIONS ENGAGED."
The Black Titan's optics flared to life.
Its massive body jerked upward, servos grinding as it locked onto Max.
A high-pitched warning blared in his visor.
[DANGER: IMMINENT HOSTILE ENGAGEMENT]
Max clenched his teeth. "Not good."
The Black Titan took a step forward, its immense weight causing the entire facility to shake.
His Guard Titan shifted defensively, raising its cannons at its monstrous counterpart.
Max had seconds to decide—fight, escape, or find another way to disable it.
"Tch. Guess I don't have a choice."
He drew his plasma blade, eyes locked onto the awakening titan.
"Let's dance, big guy."
***
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