The world was a graveyard of steel and ash; the sky hung heavy with a sickly, gray haze, the ruins of a once-thriving city sprawled in every direction.

Amid this wasteland, buried beneath layers of debris and twisted metal, lay a figure—motionless, forgotten... Until finally, it was found. ××× The android’s body jerked; a faint glow flickered to life in the dimly lit room, emanating from the lines etched into his dark uniform—red and yellow streaks pulsing faintly, like veins carrying artificial life.

His eyes snapped open.

Black irises scanned the room in a cold, calculated sweep. His vision adjusted instantly, overlaying data streams on every object in his line of sight. The room was crude—makeshift tools scattered across a workbench, wires hanging loosely from the ceiling, and the faint smell of oil and burnt circuits lingering in the air. He could tell this wasn’t a military facility. It was improvised. Sloppy.

The android’s head tilted forward slightly, his hood falling back to reveal his face with an unreadable expression—a pale complexion marred by two scars running symmetrically across his cheeks. His black hair was slicked back, save for one unruly strand.

The mechanical cat ears on his hood twitched, their sensors picking up subtle vibrations in the air; the flat black tail at his rear shifted slightly.

He sat up abruptly, his white cloak draped over him like a second skin, its asymmetrical tailoring catching the light. The glowing red “27” on his shoulder flared briefly as his systems continued their diagnostics. The chameleon-like material of the cloak shimmered faintly before stabilizing into its default state.

His sleek and black rifle lay nearby on the table—an extension of him, a precision instrument designed for lethality.

The android’s gaze finally settled on the figure before him, his black eyes devoid of warmth or recognition. His voice broke the silence, low and purring with a mechanical undertone.

“Status report. Identify yourself and explain the deviation from standard protocol.”