A Broken World

The Surveillance Room was now pristine, the grime and dust that once covered the walls and screens completely gone. The soft hum of machinery filled the air as Trixie powered up the monitors, their flickering light casting eerie shadows across the room. Cris stood in front of the largest screen, arms crossed, anticipation tightening in his chest.

"Master, the system is now fully operational," Trixie informed him.

Cris nodded, his fingers drumming on the console. "Alright. Let's see what's out there."

One by one, the monitors came to life, displaying live feeds from various parts of the underground base. Most areas were empty hallways, cold metal walls stretching endlessly. But what he was really interested in was the world outside.

He found the external cameras and clicked through them. Each new angle revealed something more unsettling.

The land beyond the base was… ruined. Gray skies loomed overhead, thick clouds of smoke twisting and writhing like living things. The ground was cracked and lifeless, devoid of any greenery or signs of civilization. What should have been streets or forests were now just vast stretches of barren wasteland.

Cris leaned closer, his stomach knotting.

"This world… it's dying," he whispered.

Trixie hovered beside him, her usual glow dimming slightly. "The external atmosphere has high levels of toxins and unidentifiable particles. It is no longer suitable for normal human survival without specialized gear."

Cris exhaled slowly. He had expected things to be bad, but not this bad. What happened here?

As he flipped through the different camera angles, one of the feeds suddenly caught his attention.

A shadowy figure stood amidst the smoke, barely visible.

Cris narrowed his eyes. "What the…?"

The figure swayed unsteadily, its form hazy in the thick smog. Was it a human? A creature? He couldn't tell. It looked… wrong, like its body was distorted, its limbs moving unnaturally.

A strange chill crawled up his spine.

Then, just as he tried to get a clearer view, the figure collapsed.

Cris's breath caught in his throat.

He tapped the screen, switching to different angles, trying to follow it. "Trixie, zoom in on that location!"

The screen adjusted, the image sharpening just in time for him to see something even more disturbing—

The figure was twitching.

Its body convulsed, its limbs spasming violently against the cracked ground. Then, suddenly, it stopped.

For several tense seconds, nothing happened.

Then—

It moved again.

Not in a normal way. Not like someone regaining consciousness. Its body jerked unnaturally, as if something was controlling it from the inside.

Cris felt his pulse quicken. "Trixie… what the hell is that?"

Trixie processed the image for a moment before replying, "Analyzing… Unable to determine exact biological classification. However, energy readings indicate it is not human."

Cris swallowed.

Then, without warning—

The figure snapped its head toward the camera.

Cris felt a sudden, suffocating pressure settle in his chest.

Even though the image was grainy, even though the figure was shrouded in smoke, he could feel it staring right at him.

Then—

The screen glitched.

The image distorted, static overtaking the feed. And before Cris could react—

The screen went black.

A tense silence filled the room.

Cris exhaled, realizing he had been holding his breath. He took a step back, his heart pounding in his ears.

"Trixie…" he muttered.

"Yes, Master?"

"That thing…" He clenched his fists. "I need to know what it is."

Trixie processed his words. "Shall I attempt to restore the feed?"

Cris hesitated. Every instinct in him screamed that something was very wrong. But if this world was as broken as it looked… then knowing what was out there was crucial.

"Yeah," he said. "Do it."

As Trixie began running the diagnostics, Cris could only stare at the blank screen, his mind racing with possibilities.

Was that thing an enemy? Was it watching him?