Locke hacked his way through the dense, twisted foliage of Arkadia, slashing at the thick growth in his path. His rifle hung loosely over his shoulder emerging into a clearing, and there it loomed, the massive Nexus facility at its center. It was a towering concrete structure covered with patches of moss and decay.

  Solar panels glinted dully in the faint light bleeding through the canopy, and thick cables snaked along the ground like veins. Revenants prowled the perimeter, their glowing optical sensors scanning every inch of the terrain.

  The metallic scent of ozone mixed with the fetid stench of rotting vegetation was a nauseating cocktail that churned in Locke’s gut. He crouched behind a fallen tree, observing the facility through his scope. Something was different here. It was more than just standard Nexus production.

  “This isn’t just a factory,” he muttered to himself. “They’re building something new.”

  “You seeing what I’m seeing?” Big D’s voice crackled through the comms. “Told you, Locke. This is just the beginning.”

  Locke narrowed his eyes, keeping his eyes on the facility.

  “What are they building here?” he asked, his voice filled with frustration. “Cut the cryptic bullshit.”

  “I don't know,” Big D said. “That's what you're here for.”

  “Just so you know—” Locke muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose. “—the second I’m out of this, you’re getting thrown out an airlock.”

  Big D chuckled. “So, what’s your plan? Going to blow this thing to pieces?” he asked.

  Locke smirked. “You know me. I like making things difficult for the Nexus.” he replied.

  "Like when you missed back on Kalvos Prime?" Big D asked.

  Locke cut the comms and moved toward the factory, his steps muffled against the dense undergrowth. Slipping between cover, he finally reached the entrance to the subterranean levels. The darkened threshold radiated dread.

  “What the hell are you hiding down there?” he muttered to himself.

  He had his fill of danger, but something about this place gnawed at his instincts—screaming at him to turn back.

  “Let’s see what’s going on down here,” he whispered.

  The entrance opened into a dimly lit hallway. Flickering lights cast shadows that skittered across the walls like insects. As he ventured deeper into the facility, strange sounds echoed through the corridor—mechanical noises combined with faint, barely audible voices. Locke paused by a junction, peering around the corner. His eyes widened at what he saw.

  Beyond a glass observation window, a cavernous chamber stretched into the distance—lined with rows of pods. Humanoid figures floated in viscous fluid, their flesh fused with Nexus circuitry.

  He pressed a hand to his mouth, fighting the bile rising in his throat as he stared at the grotesque fusion of flesh and machine. These weren’t just experiments—they were people.

  A distorted voice crackled from a nearby console. Locke crept closer, pressing himself into the wall. He took shallow breaths as he strained to listen.

  “—Integration sequence commencing—Nexus maintaining observational control—modifications progressing—adaptation rate accelerating—”

  Locke frowned, processing what he was hearing. As he moved to gather more data, a sharp hiss escaped from a vent. Locke turned just in time to see a Revenant step into the corridor. Its mechanical frame glinted in the dim light as it stopped, its head slowly scanning the area.

  The Revenant’s heavy footsteps and soft whir of its servos echoed down the hall as it moved on. Locke exhaled slowly, his hands trembling.

  He waited until the sound of the Revenant's footsteps faded before making his move. He started investigating the pods in the observation chamber. There was an active console nearby. He'd have to move quickly to gather any useful intel.

  With trembling fingers, Locke tapped at the console, bringing up a series of encrypted files. He hastily transferred them onto his data drive. Fragments of text flashed across the screen—“autonomous directive”—“extended Nexus control” and repeated mentions of “Zenith.”

  As he scrolled further, he saw mentions of “biological integration” and “neurological syncing”.

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  Locke turned his head quickly. He caught movement out of the corner of his eye—another Revenant. His grip tightened around his weapon, but before he could react, a rough hand clamped over his mouth.

  “Quiet,” a familiar voice whispered, releasing Locke after pulling him into a dark service corridor.

  Locke whirled around, his heart lurching as he came face-to-face with Big D. His imposing frame nearly filled the narrow hall.

  “D?” Locke whispered. “What the hell are you doing here? Did you know about this? These…cyborgs they’re creating?”

  Big D glanced at the rows of pods.

  “I had my suspicions. The Nexus needs bodies,” he said. “They’re planning something big, Locke. And Zenith? That’s where it starts.”

  Locke felt a chill run through him. “So that’s where we’re headed?”

  Big D nodded. “If we don’t figure out what’s going on at Zenith, we might be looking at a new kind of war—a war fought by things that can think like us but act like a machine.”

  His fists clenched as a chill crawled down his spine.

  “Guess I could use some backup,” Locke muttered.

  Big D chuckled. “Looks like we’re stuck with each other. Let’s get out of here before we get more than we bargained for.”

  They moved quickly, retracing Locke’s steps back through the corridors. As they reached the entrance, Locke looked back one last time at the observation chamber. They slipped into the dense forest, eager to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the facility. Big D stopped and turned to face Locke.

  “You know what’s at stake now,” Big D said. “Whatever they’re doing, it’s going to bring a new kind of suffering to a lot of innocent people.”

  Locke nodded. “Let’s move. We’ve got a lot of ground to cover and not much time to figure out how to stop this.“

  >>>>>***********************<<<<<

  Aetherveil stormed into the command center, her glare zeroing in on Lilyon.

  “Jump us anywhere. Now,” she barked. “Let's get as far away from this rock as possible.“

  Lilyon's brow arched slightly, her eyes softening as she studied Aetherveil.

  “We—we received a trans—,” Lilyon stammered.

  “Now!“ Aetherveil shouted.

  She spun on her heel and disappeared back into the corridors. The echoes of her footsteps bounced off the bulkhead, blending with the whir of the jump reactor resonating through the ship's frame. As Aetherveil neared her quarters, time seemed to freeze.

  “Jump complete.”

  She entered her quarters and strode to the mirror, leaning into it—her breath fogging the glass. “Who are you?” her venomous voice cracked.

  Her breathing quickened. She looked around her quarters as if an answer would materialize. The door hissed open, and Lilyon cautiously stepped inside.

  “Commander?” she whispered, her voice trembling.

  Aetherveil whirled to face her, eyes blazing.

  “Why can’t I remember?” she shouted. “What did they do to me?”

  She paced the room like a caged animal, fists squeezing and opening compulsively. Her voice dropped to a whisper, barely audible over her heavy breaths.

  “Psionus…I feel him slipping away.”

  Returning to the mirror, Aetherveil’s glowing orange eyes flared with frustration.

  “Remember!“ she shouted at her reflection.

  Aetherveil's neural interface caught her attention, a tick dug into her skull. She scratched at it as she growled, her voice feral and raw.

  “Aetherveil!” Lilyon cried, rushing forward. She shoved Aetherveil back and wrapped her arms around her tightly, holding her still.

  “It’s okay,” she said. “Whatever this is, we can figure it out.“

  Aetherveil’s shoulders sagged, her voice barely audible. “How?” she asked.

  “We'll see the techs,” Lilyon replied, meeting Aetherveil's glowing gaze. “Maybe there's something they can do.“

  “Something is making me forget, Lilyon,” she muttered, her eyes filling with tears.

  Lilyon rushed to the comms, calling for the chief engineer. After a brief exchange, Lilyon put it back down.

  The engineer entered Aetherveil's quarters, a crate in tow. He walked up to Aetherveil, visually inspecting her neural interface.

  “I was always curious about yours,” he said. “It's not like the Sentinel's. I suppose we're gonna find out exactly what makes it different.“

  Aetherveil laid down as the engineer unpacked his equipment. She turned her head, watching as he pulled out various diagnostics tools.

  “I'm in,” he said. “I don't understand any of this code. I have never seen anything like it.“

  He continued pouring over the data, trying to make heads or tails of it.

  “That’s weird,” he murmured, raising an eyebrow. “Someone left instructions in here.“

  “The Tyrant,” Aetherveil muttered.

  “What was that, Commander?“ he responded, looking at her from behind the display.

  “What are they for?“ she asked, looking over at him.

  “Instructions to disable the memory suppressant module,” he replied, his voice low. “Who put that there? Has it been there the whole time?“

  “Disable it,” she ordered, her voice shaky.

  Lilyon knelt down, grasping Aetherveil's hand.

  “Is that a good idea?” she asked. “There's no telling what will happen. That's a thousand years of memory—maybe even more.“

  Aetherveil closed her eyes. A thousand years of memories supressed. Her hands trembled as if they could reach through the haze and grasp the truth.

  Aetherveil frowned at Lilyon. “I want to know,” she said. “I want to remember.“

  “What if it's a trap?“ Lilyon asked, desperation in her voice.

  “It didn't need to set a trap,” Aetherveil said, taking a deep breath. “It was always in control.“

  Lilyon and the engineer exchanged a glance. She nodded slowly.

  The engineer began following the procedures in the instructions, carefully confirming every step so not to make a mistake. Then, Aetherveil stared at the ceiling. Her eyes didn't move. Not even a blink.

  “Aetherveil?“ Lilyon whispered, looking into her eyes.

  Lilyon turned to the engineer, her eyes bugging.

  “What happened?“ She asked, her voice trembling. “Did it work?“

  Aetherveil's scream tore through the room, raw and primal. Her glowing eyes filled with tears that streamed down her face. As suddenly as it started, she stopped.

  She rolled to her side and curled into herself, shoulders shaking with silent sobs.

  “We…we should go,” Lilyon said, her voice cracking as she pulled the engineer toward the hatch.

  Lilyon lingered at the door, her gaze looking back to Aetherveil’s trembling body. “We’ll be back,” she murmured.