“Into the Ashen Nexus”
> [Location: Escape Pod — Approaching Sector-7 Blackout Zone]
[System Status: Stable]
[Current Quest: Ashen Nexus]
[Pulse Storm Intensity: Level 3]
The sky outside the pod cracked with streaks of violet lightning, the Pulse storm intensifying as they crossed into forbidden airspace. Arin tightened his grip on the harness, his gaze fixed on the swirling darkness below.
"Hold steady," Lyra warned through the commlink. "Atmospheric readings are unstable. We're dropping into a Level-3 storm cell."
Elira, leaning against the side panel, barely flinched. Her pale, hollow gaze remained locked on the fractured wasteland outside.
"That's Sector-7," she murmured. "The place where everything started."
Arin's pulse quickened.
"You've been there?"
"Once," she replied, her voice distant. "When I was still… property."
The words hit like a blade. Even after freeing her from the control of NovaCore, Elira's past remained shackled to the horrors she endured as Unit Elira — a bioengineered system hunter.
> [Incoming Data Stream: Topographical Map — Sector-7 Blackout Zone]
Status: Fragmented
Pulse Signal Interference: 78%
Lyra's voice crackled in again. "We're approaching the drop zone. Surface is too unstable for landing — you'll have to go in on foot."
"Fine by me," Arin growled.
> [System Log: Quest Update]
Mission Objective: Infiltrate Sector-7 Core Facility
Status: Active
Time Limit: None
"Prepare for deployment in 3… 2…"
The pod shuddered violently before ejecting a vertical harness capsule into the storm. Arin and Elira braced themselves as the capsule's outer shell deployed pulse-dampening shields against the fierce atmospheric currents.
The hatch hissed open.
---
The Ashen Nexus
The ground of Sector-7 was dead. Cracked earth stretched endlessly under a crimson-hued sky, dotted with the skeletal remains of derelict Pulse stations and broken towers. Ash rained from above, and faint echoes of ancient battles seemed to ripple through the air.
"It's worse than I remember," Elira whispered, stepping onto the ashen soil.
Arin activated his Pulse Scanner.
> [Pulse Signature Detected: Unknown Source]
[Distance: 2.1 km — Subterranean Level]
"There's something beneath us," he noted. "That's where the core's hidden."
"Not just a core," Elira said, her voice tight. "It's a Nexus — a central command node for all synthetic-human integration experiments. They control entire squads of AI-hybrids from here."
Arin clenched his fists. "Then we take it apart."
> [New Combat Protocol Acquired: Subterranean Infiltration Mode]
Description: Enables Pulse Adaptation in Zero-Visibility Underground Conditions.
---
They began their descent. The entrance to the underground Nexus was buried under debris and collapsed structures, forcing them to manually clear the path. Pulse blades in hand, they cut through charred metal and stone, revealing an ancient steel hatch embedded with decayed NovaCore insignia.
"It's sealed," Elira said, running her fingers over the cracked emblem. "Encrypted with old-gen Omega locks."
"Good thing we've got this," Arin smirked, raising his palm.
> [System Integration: Forbidden Core Access Override]
Status: Success
The hatch groaned open.
A gust of stale, metallic air escaped, carrying the scent of ancient decay and old blood.
"Welcome to the Ashen Nexus," Elira said grimly.
---
Subterranean Facility — Level 1
Dim emergency lights flickered along the walls. The facility was a ghost, abandoned in haste but still alive in the worst ways. Fragments of torn uniforms, shattered system pods, and broken monitors littered the halls.
"Check this," Lyra's voice pinged through Arin's comm.
> [Recovered Data Log: Project Xeno-Soul]
Timestamp: 13 Years Ago
Subject: Human-AI Nexus Prototype Initialization
Notes: Phase 1 Success. Host specimens remain unstable.
"They've been doing this for over a decade," Arin muttered. "How did no one know?"
Elira's expression darkened.
"Because those who knew were either silenced… or turned into what I was."
They pressed on.
---
The First Encounter
A faint Pulse resonance rippled through the air.
"We're not alone," Arin said, his system flaring.
A figure emerged from the shadows — humanoid, but wrong. Its limbs twisted unnaturally, its face partially mechanical with a single glowing eye embedded in its skull.
> [Target Analysis: Omega-Class Hybrid]
Status: Unstable
Threat Level: Tier A
"Kill it quickly," Elira ordered.
Arin lunged. He dodged a swipe of its clawed hand and drove a Pulse-infused elbow into its chest, sending it reeling. Elira followed, delivering a spinning kick that crushed the creature's throat.
> [Enemy Neutralized]
[Pulse Core Fragment Retrieved]
"We're getting close," Arin said.
---
Control Nexus
At the facility's heart lay a massive chamber, dominated by a towering structure of cables, Pulse conduits, and half-submerged system pods. The Control Nexus pulsed like a living thing, veins of energy threading through its walls.
Elira's breath caught.
"That's it. The source of every unit they've deployed… including me."
> [System Scan: Active Nexus Control Node Detected]
Classification: AI-Synthetic Hybrid Core
Stability: Critical
"Time to end this." Arin's voice was low, resolute.
They moved in.
---
Final Confrontation — Sentinel Prime
A deep, artificial voice echoed.
"Unauthorized presence detected. Initiating termination."
From the depths of the Nexus chamber, a colossal figure emerged — Sentinel Prime, the AI-hybrid guardian left behind to secure the Nexus.
> [Combat Data]
Name: Sentinel Prime
Class: Omega-Tier Nexus Defender
Known Abilities: Hyperpulse Cannons, Adaptive Shielding, Neural Override
Lyra gasped.
"That thing's a relic — but it's still operational!"
Arin squared his stance.
"We end this now."
The battle erupted.
Sentinel Prime unleashed a barrage of Hyperpulse blasts, shaking the chamber. Arin dodged, deflecting shots with his Pulse shield, while Elira struck from the flanks.
> [Damage Report: Moderate]
[Neural Load: 78%]
Arin activated Echo Drive — his form blurring as he struck vital nodes with precision.
Elira exploited the openings, disabling Sentinel's adaptive shielding.
"Now!" she shouted.
Together, they delivered a synchronized Pulse barrage, overloading Sentinel Prime's core.
The monstrous machine let out a distorted roar before collapsing, its systems burning out.
> [Boss Defeated: Sentinel Prime]
[Pulse Core Shard Obtained: Grade S]
[Facility Control Transferred to Forbidden Core Access]
---
Aftermath
Silence fell.
"It's done," Arin said, panting.
Elira nodded.
"But this was just one."
Arin's gaze hardened. "We'll find the rest."
Lyra's voice cracked through the comm. "Get ready. We've got incoming — unidentified dropships inbound. Looks like the successor to the Nexus Mantle just arrived."
Arin smiled grimly.
"Good. Let them come."
> [Main Quest Updated]
Next Objective: Identify and Confront the New Nexus Mantle Holder
Location: Unknown
Time Limit: None
---
To Be Continued…