Nebula

Flicker in the Darkness

The alley stank of ozone and rot. Rei adjusted the hood of his tattered jacket, masking the glint of his Lumen implant against the pale neon haze. The glow from the towering spires of Nébula Prime painted the narrow streets below in shifting hues of cyan and crimson, but here, in the Shadows, light was a currency few could afford.

He clutched the stolen data chip in his hand, its edges biting into his palm. Another job. Another promise of credits. Another lie he told himself to stave off the gnawing void. But tonight felt different-he couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched.

"Keep moving," Rei muttered under his breath.

Above him, drones buzzed like metallic insects, their red eyes scanning for anomalies. He stayed close to the walls, avoiding their cones of light. The chip wasn't supposed to be valuable-just a routine snatch-and-sell. But the fact that his contact insisted on meeting in person meant trouble. Trouble was a constant in Rei's world, but lately, it had been creeping closer.

Ahead, the alley opened into a small, decrepit plaza. Broken holo-ads flickered against crumbling walls, promising better lives in the Upper Tiers. The only other movement came from a hunched figure seated on a bench, cloaked in patchwork layers. The figure's Lumen implant blinked intermittently-a sign of faulty connectivity. Another outcast.

Rei's gaze darted around the plaza, scanning for threats. Satisfied, he approached the bench.

"You got it?" the figure rasped, their voice distorted by a damaged vocal modulator. They extended a trembling hand, its fingers skeletal and stained with grease.

Rei held up the chip. "Depends. You got my payment?"

The figure hesitated, then pulled a pouch from their robes. It jingled with the sound of physical currency-old coins, rare and valuable in a city dominated by digital credits. Rei frowned. Tangible payment wasn't just unusual; it was dangerous.

Before he could question it, a shadow passed overhead. Rei tensed, his hand instinctively dropping to the knife at his belt.

A single drone hovered in the plaza now, its red eye locking onto them.

"Shit," Rei hissed. He shoved the chip into the figure's hand. "Deal's off. They're here."

"What? No-wait!" the figure protested, but Rei was already moving.

The drone let out a sharp, piercing alarm, and the plaza erupted into chaos. Bright beams of light lanced down from above, illuminating Rei's escape route. A second drone appeared, then a third, their rotors slicing the air like mechanical wasps.

Rei sprinted down a side street, vaulting over debris. His heart hammered as a sharp pain flared in his temple-the Lumen's system struggling to process his fear. Calm down, he told himself. Panic meant death.

A drone veered closer, its scanner locking onto him. Rei threw himself against a wall, his knife drawn. As it passed, he lunged, slashing through its sensor array. Sparks erupted, and the drone spiraled out of control, crashing into a pile of scrap.

"Nice shot," a voice called from above.

Rei whipped around, spotting a silhouette perched on a fire escape. A woman with silver hair and a rifle strapped across her back leapt down, landing in front of him with feline grace. Her Lumen implant was dark-disabled, or perhaps removed entirely.

"Kira," Rei groaned. "What the hell are you doing here?"

"Saving your ass, apparently," she replied, cocking her head toward the distant whine of more drones. "You always did have a knack for attracting attention."

"I didn't ask for help."

"Good thing I'm generous." She smirked, raising her rifle. A pulse of blue energy shot out, frying the circuitry of another drone as it rounded the corner.

Rei opened his mouth to retort, but the sound of metal scraping against stone made him freeze. From the shadows ahead, a hulking figure emerged. It wasn't human.

The Sentinel stood nearly seven feet tall, its chrome plating glinting under the weak light. Twin blades extended from its forearms, and its featureless face was dominated by a single, glowing eye. HORIZON's enforcers rarely ventured this deep into the Shadows. This one was hunting someone specific.

"You pissed off the wrong people," Kira muttered, raising her rifle again.

"No kidding," Rei snapped. He glanced at the nearest exit-a narrow maintenance tunnel. If they could reach it, they might lose the Sentinel in the labyrinth of pipes below.

As Kira fired, the Sentinel moved with unnatural speed, dodging the blast and closing the distance in seconds. Its blade slashed through the air, narrowly missing Rei as he ducked.

"Move!" Kira shouted.

Rei bolted for the tunnel, Kira close behind. The Sentinel followed, its heavy footsteps shaking the ground. Rei could hear its servos whirring, the sound growing louder as it closed the gap.

They reached the tunnel entrance, and Kira slammed her fist against a control panel, sealing the door behind them.

For a moment, silence.

"Think that'll hold it?" Rei asked, panting.

Kira gave him a withering look. "Against that thing? Not a chance."

Before Rei could respond, his Lumen implant flared, sending a sharp, stabbing pain through his skull. He stumbled, clutching his head.

"Rei?" Kira's voice sounded distant.

The pain intensified, and suddenly, his vision went black.

When the world came back into focus, Rei was standing somewhere else. Somewhere impossible.

The towering buildings of Nébula Prime were gone, replaced by an endless expanse of ruins. The air shimmered with static, and the ground beneath his feet felt unsteady, like walking on the surface of a dream.

Ahead, a faint light flickered. Drawn to it, Rei moved forward, each step heavy and uncertain. The light coalesced into a shape-an object floating in the air.

It was a small device, sleek and ancient, with strange markings etched into its surface. As Rei reached out to touch it, the markings flared to life, and a voice echoed in his mind.

"Welcome, Echo-Zero. Memory unlocked."

Rei gasped, and the world around him shattered like glass.