Susan slipped out of the car and into the darkness like a shadow. The old substation loomed in front of her, a brick carcass draped in ivy and graffiti. Rusted doors sagged on their hinges. In the glow of a dying streetlamp she could see faint, bloody fingerprints on the handle.
Her heart lurched. Jack.
She pressed her back to the wall and listened. The only sound was the low hum of the city far away. Then, faintly, a voice—male, tired but alive—murmuring. And another voice, female, strange and echoing, like it came from a speaker that wasn't there.
Susan took a breath, squared her shoulders, and pushed the door open.
---
Inside, Jack was sitting on the floor, his arm bandaged with a strip torn from his gown. His eyes widened as the door creaked. "Susan—?"
She froze. The holographic girl flickered beside him, transparent and beautiful, her eyes like twin chips of sapphire. For a moment, Susan's brain refused to process what she was seeing.
Eve tilted her head. "You must be the girlfriend."
Susan's eyes darted from Jack to the hologram. "What… what is this?"
Jack struggled to his feet. "It's not what you think—"
Susan's voice cracked. "Not what I think? Last time I saw you, you had mystery texts about other women, then monsters, and now… this?!"
Jack held his hands out, palms up. "Susan, please. This is Eve. She's… she's not human."
"Excuse me," Eve said coolly, crossing her holographic arms. "I'm a system. Advanced, superior, and very much tired of being called 'not human'."
Susan took a step back, eyes wide. "System?"
Jack swallowed hard. "I'll explain everything. Just… don't run."
Eve's eyes flicked toward the door. "Too late."
The door slammed shut behind Susan. Metal tendrils shot through the cracks like living wire, twisting across the floor. The retrieval unit's silhouette filled the doorway—black metal, liquid armor, claws extended.
Susan gasped, stumbling back. "That thing again—"
Jack grabbed her arm. "Get behind me!"
Eve's projection sharpened, her eyes glowing. "Jack. Skill: Pulse Strike. Now!"
Jack's phone buzzed in his pocket. Instinctively, he yanked it out. The screen blazed with blue light and a pulsing sigil. Energy surged up his arm like fire and thunder.
He slammed his palm forward. "Pulse Strike!"
A shockwave ripped through the room, hurling debris into the air. The retrieval unit staggered, armor hissing where the energy burned it.
Susan clapped her hands over her ears, eyes wide. "What was that—?"
Jack staggered, breathing hard. "Something new."
"Again!" Eve barked. "Don't stop—"
The retrieval unit screeched, its body splitting open. From its chest burst a smaller, faster shape—like a spider made of black glass. It darted across the floor toward Susan.
Jack lunged, grabbing a length of pipe from the wall. "Get away from her!"
He swung. The spider skittered back, then leapt for his face. Before it could reach him, a streak of crimson light sliced it in half.
Everyone froze.
A figure stood in the blown-out doorway—tall, slim, a hoodie over his head. In his hand, a phone glowed red, projecting a different holographic avatar—a sleek, masked warrior with crimson armor.
The newcomer smirked. "Looks like I'm not the only one who got an upgrade."
Eve's eyes narrowed. "Another host."
Jack stared. "Who the hell—"
The stranger lowered his hood. He looked barely older than Jack, with sharp features and eyes that gleamed unnaturally. "Name's Rylan. And you're in my way."
He snapped his fingers. The crimson hologram vanished and reappeared behind him like a bodyguard.
Susan whispered, "Jack… what is happening?"
Jack's knuckles whitened on the pipe. "I don't know."
Eve floated closer, her voice a whisper only Jack could hear. "He's dangerous. That system with him—its signal is corrupted."
Rylan's eyes flicked to Eve. "So you're the famous Eve. My partner's been wanting a word with you."
Jack gritted his teeth. "Yeah? Well you're gonna have to get through me."
Rylan laughed softly. "Cute. But you're not ready."
He raised his phone. Crimson light flared. The retrieval unit's broken body quivered, then reknit itself, tendrils snapping into place. It turned its head toward Jack and Susan.
Rylan smiled. "Fetch."
The unit lunged.
---
Jack shoved Susan aside as the creature's claws slammed into the floor where they'd been standing. Concrete shattered. Eve shouted, "Move, Jack!"
He rolled, grabbed Susan's hand, and dragged her toward the far door. "Run!"
Behind them, Rylan didn't move, just watched with an amused expression.
Susan's voice broke. "Jack, what—who is that?"
"A problem," Jack hissed.
They burst into the stairwell. Eve flickered beside them, her projection stuttering. "I can open an emergency route through the power conduits," she said. "But you'll have to trust me."
Jack didn't hesitate. "Do it."
Eve raised a glowing hand. The lights overhead flickered, then blew out, plunging the stairwell into darkness except for the blue glow from Jack's phone.
A door at the bottom banged open by itself. Eve's voice echoed, urgent. "Down. Now!"
Jack pulled Susan down the stairs two at a time, heart pounding. Behind them, metal claws scraped concrete.
They burst out into a maintenance tunnel under the street. Pipes hissed overhead. Jack slammed the door shut.
Susan leaned against the wall, gasping. "Jack… what is happening to us?"
He looked at her, at the terror in her eyes, at the trust still buried somewhere beneath. "I'll fix this," he said. "I promise."
Her hands trembled. "I don't even know who you are anymore."
He reached for her shoulder. "I'm still me."
Eve's hologram flickered between them, glaring. "Sentimental later. Survive now."
---
Back in the substation, Rylan stood amid the ruin, the retrieval unit crouched beside him like a hunting dog. He scrolled idly on his phone, the crimson avatar whispering in his ear.
He smirked. "Found him."
On the screen was a live map. Two blinking dots—one blue, one red—descending into the tunnels.
Rylan's eyes glinted. "Let's see how far the famous Eve can run before she breaks."