The desert wind howled through the shattered ruins of Echelon City.
A full day had passed since the Core went dark.
Leon stood on a ridge overlooking the ruins. His cloak fluttered, scorched from the fight.
His reflection in a cracked visor showed two eyes — one blue, one red — glowing faintly beneath the shadow of his hood.
The red eye pulsed once.
[System Note: Integration Residue Detected.]
[Cognitive Drift: 3.2%. Recommend containment protocols.]
Leon clenched his fists until the metal of his gloves groaned.
“I don’t need containment,” he muttered.
Behind him, Nova climbed the slope, her weapon slung over her shoulder. “You said that five hours ago,” she said. “And then you almost burned out our comms with a pulse spike.”
Leon didn’t look at her. “It was a fluctuation.”
Nova
