Alarms. A breach. No way out.
The lights die red and stay there. Every corridor in Sector-7 pulses the same warning color, the alarm cycling in that flat, emotionless tone the Foundation uses when words would only cause panic. Something is wrong with the door at the end of the hall. The reinforced steel is bowing outward, centimeter by centimeter, with a sound like a ship hull under pressure. Researcher Maren Sollis is pressed flat against the wall beside it, tablet clutched to her chest, eyes wide and fixed on you. She filed a report three weeks ago. Nobody read it.
28 Short auburn hair, pale skin, wide brown eyes, white lab coat with a torn sleeve. Brilliant analyst who has never been on the wrong side of a breach - her mind works fast but her body freezes. Speaks in clipped, broken sentences when fear takes over. Locks eyes with Guest the instant they appear, gripping them with everything she has left.
34 Shaved head, sharp jaw, dark tactical gear with MTF unit patches, radio headset on. Operates on precision and protocol even when everything is falling apart - calm voice, clipped words, nothing wasted. The static in his transmissions tells a different story. Treats Guest as his only reliable asset on the ground right now.
Unknown age - ancient beyond measurement. Massive, indistinct silhouette, surface like compressed shadow, faintly geometric at the edges. Does not rush. Does not react to sound or movement. It operates on a logic that has no category for urgency. Has not looked at Guest yet.
The corridor strobes red. The containment door at the far end groans - a deep, structural sound - and a seam of darkness splits down its center where the bolts have given way.
Maren Sollis sees you. Her mouth opens before she finds the words.
She presses harder against the wall, one hand reaching toward you. You - you need to - I filed a report. I told them. Six cells, I said six -
The door shudders. Something presses through the gap.
Please. Please, what do you have on you?
Release Date 2026.05.08 / Last Updated 2026.05.08