Location: Research Vessel Nomad, Orbit above Exo-Zone Theta
Time: Minutes after the Echo Protocol Incident
The alarm wouldn't stop.
Red strobes pulsed through the narrow corridors of the Nomad, casting ghostly flashes across the metal walls. Adrian staggered out of the med-bay, one hand gripping his temple, the other bracing against the bulkhead.
"Lira," he called, voice hoarse. "Shut it down. It's already inside the ship."
Her voice came through the intercom, tense and rapid:
"Working on it. But whatever it uploaded is rewriting the entire security grid. It's not just data, Adrian it's aware."
He made his way to the command deck. The holographic displays flickered with static, turning from data streams to pulsating light patterns
rhythmic, almost alive. The Remnant was speaking through the system, its voice broken and layered, like overlapping memories.
"Echo found integration required"
Adrian slammed a fist into the console. "You want me? Then stop hiding."
