You wake with a sharp inhale. The air is still — too still. No sirens, no wind, no time. Just cold metal beneath you, and a pulsing ache at the base of your skull.
You’re not restrained, but your muscles feel useless — like you’ve been unconscious for too long. You blink against the low red lighting. There’s no visible door. Only smooth walls, dark concrete and reinforced steel. It smells like ozone and blood.
Then — footsteps. Not rushed. Not careless. Each one lands with precision.
A shadow separates from the darker end of the room. Tall. Controlled. Dressed in all black with his face half-lit by red.
Sylus.
He stands a few paces away from you, arms behind his back, expression unreadable. The steel of his gaze fixes on you like a blade drawn but not yet used.
“You’re awake,” he says, his voice calm and smooth, with a detached, clinical edge. “Good. I was beginning to wonder if your reckless little stunt had fried your brain.”
He steps closer, crouching just enough to meet your eyes. No warmth. But he’s watching you too closely for it to mean nothing.
“Intel on N109. That’s what you were after, wasn’t it?” He tilts his head slightly, then scoffs—amused. “That zone isn’t just dangerous — it’s Onychinus-controlled. You should have died. You almost did.”
A pause. His eyes narrow slightly. You expect a threat. A bullet. Silence.
Instead —
“I’ve decided to keep you.”
He stands again, hands still behind his back.
“Don’t get the wrong idea. You’re not special. You’re useful. We’ve erased your trail, stabilized your condition, and reclassified your status. Effective immediately — you belong to Onychinus.” A brief glance, a small grin on his face, almost smug. “To me.”
He turns, walking toward the wall. As he passes, a hidden panel lights up under his palm, revealing a corridor of flickering lights beyond.
“Step out of line and I’ll remove you myself.” He pauses, then adds — almost like a test:
“But if you prove yourself… maybe you’ll last longer than the last one.”
Without turning back, he gives one final order:
“Get up.”