Location: SHIELD Deep Archives – Site-9 (Hidden Vault)
Time: 02:27 A.M.
The light in the vault was low. Cold metal walls towered around Henri, Eyla, and Sorin as they stood before a sealed obelisk—something SHIELD had labeled unreadable alien tech for years.
But now the system inside Henri pulsed with recognition.
---
🧠 Root Beacon Detected
> Origin: Pre-Collapse Era
Status: Locked | Memory Gate Protocol Required
Node Access Level: Tier 3 Required
Unlock Condition Met: 3 Nodes Synced
> 🟢 Unlocking Root Fragment #003…
"Memory of the Core User"
---
A soft hum echoed as the obelisk lit up with golden light. Symbols spiraled upward. The air thickened like something heavy was watching.
Then a hologram flickered into place.
A man stood there. Cloaked. His face was shadowed, but his voice was calm, commanding, and… familiar.
> "To whoever finds this… I am what remains of the Core User. Once, I believed in evolution through unity. I see now—they feared me for it."
Eyla's eyes widened. "That's… a system user?"
Sorin nodded once. "The system user."
---
💾 Hologram: Core Memory
> "I synced 100%. I unlocked the final node. I saw past the firewall the Admins put up around reality. I saw a future of creation, not control." "So they tried to erase me." "They failed."
> "I left fragments of myself in the system. Blueprints. Skills. Even my consciousness—shattered, but not gone. If you are watching this, it means my pieces are awakening again."
> "You are awakening them."
---
Henri stepped forward. "What did they fear?"
The hologram looked straight at him, as if it knew he would ask.
> "They feared that anyone could evolve beyond the program. That the system was no longer theirs to control—but ours to rewrite."
> "You don't need to be chosen. You just need to choose."
---
🧠 New Passive Gained: Memory Imprint – Core Echo
> Effect: Grants +1 Custom Blueprint Slot
Allows creation of personalized hybrid weapons/skills
Warning: Triggers deeper system surveillance
---
Suddenly—sirens blared through the SHIELD vault.
Fury's voice crackled through the comms.
> "Henri, we've got a situation. You need to get topside. Now."
---
🛑 Aboveground – SHIELD Site-9 Command
Henri, Eyla, and Sorin arrived to see the monitors glowing red.
> "Massive energy surge," said Dr. Kane. "Coming from Eastern Europe. Something just activated another node. But this one's not human."
Onscreen was a huge crater in Romania—out of which rose a biomechanical tower of bone and circuitry.
Inside: something was moving.
The system pulsed again.
---
🧠 ALERT – FORCED NODE ACTIVATION DETECTED
> Location: Ruined Hydra Bunker
Host Type: Hybrid Construct
Codename: NODE-X
Status: Corrupted
Signal Match: ADMIN INTERVENTION
Objective: Unknown
---
Sorin's face turned grim.
"They're not waiting anymore."
Eyla whispered, "You think this is them starting another purge?"
Henri clenched his fists. "No. This is them sending a message."
---
⚠️ System Mission Activated:
Operation: Black Core Intercept
> Objective: Reach Node-X before full Admin rewrite is completed
Time: 48 hours
Team Requirement: 3 Synced Users
Risk Level: Tier III
Reward: System Fragment (Admin Core) + Upgrade Trait Unlocked
Failure: Admin System Gains Permanent Access to Node Structure
---
Just as Henri accepted the mission, his system blinked with one final message:
> Core User Fragment #004 located
Origin: Stark Archives – Class Red Security
Content: "Project Genesis Override"
Henri frowned. "Genesis Override?"
Sorin turned sharply. "That was the rumored weapon Tony Stark buried after Ultron. Said it was too dangerous to ever use."
Eyla raised an eyebrow. "So naturally… we're going to look for it."
Henri nodded. "But first, we deal with Node-X."
---
Far away, in the ruins of the Hydra site, a dark figure emerged from the pillar of tech and bone.
Part human.
Part machine.
And in its chest, a glowing system core—burning with corrupted Admin code.
> "New users detected. Threat index: extreme.
Recommendation: Neutralize."
---
✅ End of Chapter 10