Nebula

Awakening Fragments

Rei's breath came in short, ragged bursts as the world resolved itself around him. He was no longer in the Shadows, no longer running from drones or Sentinels. Instead, he stood in the dimly lit confines of a derelict room. The air was thick with dust, and the faint hum of old machinery vibrated beneath his boots.

The device—Echo-Zero—still floated in front of him, its glow pulsing faintly like a heartbeat. The markings etched into its surface twisted and shifted, defying logic, as though the artifact itself were alive.

"Memory Unlocked," the voice said again, clearer this time. It resonated in his skull like a thought not entirely his own.

"What the hell does that mean?" Rei muttered, reaching out hesitantly. The moment his fingers brushed the surface, a jolt of electricity surged through him. His vision erupted in blinding white, and fragments of images flashed through his mind.

A crowd of people, faces blurred, screaming in unison. A towering structure collapsing into a sea of fire. A woman's voice, desperate and pleading: "The cycle must end!"

Rei stumbled backward, his heart racing. He clutched his head as the flood of memories receded, leaving him dizzy and disoriented.

"Rei!" Kira's voice snapped him back to reality. She was standing at the far end of the room, her rifle raised and her eyes scanning for threats. "You blacked out for a second. What's going on?"

"I... I don't know." Rei looked down at the Echo-Zero, now hovering motionless. "This thing—it's showing me... something. Memories, maybe. But they're not mine."

Kira's gaze flicked to the device, her lips tightening into a grim line. "Whatever that is, it just lit up like a beacon. We need to move before HORIZON tracks us here."

Rei shook his head. "No, wait. This might be important. I saw—"

"What you saw doesn't matter if we're dead!" Kira snapped, cutting him off. "Sentinels don't stop hunting. You know that."

As if summoned by her words, a low, mechanical growl echoed through the building. Both of them froze.

"Tell me that wasn't what I think it was," Rei said, already pulling out his knife.

Kira didn't answer. Instead, she moved toward a window, peering cautiously through a gap in the boarded-up frame. Her expression hardened. "It's here."

Rei joined her, his stomach sinking at the sight outside. The Sentinel they had escaped earlier now stood in the street below, scanning the building with its single, glowing eye. Its forearm blades retracted with a metallic click, replaced by a cylindrical device humming ominously.

"That's new," Rei muttered.

Kira didn't wait to find out what it could do. "Roof. Now." She grabbed his arm and dragged him toward a rusted stairwell in the corner.

The stairs groaned under their weight as they ascended, every step feeling like a gamble against collapse. The Sentinel's hum grew louder, followed by a sharp boom that shook the entire structure. Dust and debris rained down from the ceiling.

"Faster!" Kira urged, her tone as sharp as the cracks forming in the walls.

They burst onto the rooftop, gasping for air. The city stretched out before them in all its neon glory, the lights of Nébula Prime a sharp contrast to the crumbling ruin they now stood on.

"What's the plan?" Rei asked, scanning for an escape route.

Kira slung her rifle off her shoulder, checking its energy levels. "Stall it long enough to get out of range. You better hope that toy of yours can do more than light up."

Rei looked at the Echo-Zero, now tucked into his pocket. The faint warmth of its glow seemed to pulse in rhythm with his racing heartbeat. "I don't even know how it works."

"Figure it out!" Kira snapped, taking aim as the Sentinel leapt onto the rooftop with terrifying agility. Its glowing eye locked onto them, and it charged without hesitation.

Kira's rifle cracked with a pulse of energy, the blast hitting the Sentinel square in the chest. It staggered but didn't fall. Instead, its blades reemerged, spinning like circular saws.

Rei ducked as the Sentinel lunged, the sound of its blades slicing through the air inches from his head. He rolled to the side, narrowly avoiding its follow-up strike.

"Kira!" he shouted. "We can't beat this thing!"

"Then distract it!" she barked, firing another shot that barely slowed the machine.

Rei's mind raced. He reached into his pocket, gripping the Echo-Zero. If it really held answers—if it was the key to something bigger—then it needed to do something now.

As if responding to his desperation, the device flared to life, its glow piercing through the darkness. The markings on its surface shifted again, forming an intricate pattern that burned itself into Rei's mind.

Without thinking, he held it up. "Come on... do something!"

The Echo-Zero emitted a piercing sound, like a digital scream, and the air around them seemed to warp. The Sentinel froze mid-strike, its movements jerking as if caught in an invisible net. Sparks erupted from its joints, and its glowing eye dimmed.

Kira lowered her rifle, staring at the machine in disbelief. "What did you just do?"

"I... I don't know!" Rei admitted, still holding the device aloft. The Sentinel let out a final metallic screech before collapsing in a heap, its body twitching as its systems shut down.

For a moment, there was only silence. Rei lowered the Echo-Zero, its light fading back to a faint pulse.

Kira approached the fallen Sentinel cautiously, kicking its body with her boot. When it didn't respond, she turned to Rei. "Okay. Now I'm interested. What the hell is that thing?"

Rei looked down at the Echo-Zero, its surface now cool to the touch. "I think it's a key," he said quietly. "But to what, I don't know."

Kira frowned, glancing at the distant glow of the city's central tower. "Whatever it is, HORIZON isn't going to stop until they have it."

Rei nodded, slipping the device back into his pocket. "Then we keep moving. And we find out what they're hiding."

Kira smirked, her silver hair catching the light of a passing drone. "Welcome to the fight, kid."