The night didn't feel like night.
It felt like the dark was holding its breath.
Kaila stood on the upper walkway, staring out at the shattered cityscape through the busted glass dome. Lights flickered on the rooftops like dying stars. Andy was below, tightening ammo belts on the scout rifles. Everyone had their game face on — but even the dumbest rookie could feel it.
Something was coming.
Harper jogged up the stairs, jaw clenched, gun slung.
"Patrol C hasn't checked in. That's five bodies with radios. I'm not buying comms failure."
Kaila turned. "Where were they stationed?"
"East corridor. Two clicks out. Industrial ruins. Not far."
Andy walked up, face stiff.
"Let's go," he said. "Now."
Harper frowned. "Orders were to stay and guard the museum core."
"Then fuck orders. If that freak's picking us off, I'm not waiting till it drags someone back to us in pieces."
Kaila didn't hesitate. "I'm going."
Harper sighed. "You two really do have a death wish."
Scene: Outskirts – 15 Minutes Later
The three moved fast through the ruins. No chatter. Guns ready. The fog was thick enough to choke on.
They reached the industrial zone and knew something was wrong the second they stepped inside.
Blood.
All over the concrete walls. But no bodies.
Just pieces.
A boot here. A spine there. Half a jaw crushed into a brick.
Kaila felt her stomach twist. Andy just stared.
"Jesus…"
Harper gagged, turning away. "Shit. Fuck."
Then the air changed.
Kaila felt it first — her chest burned, the way it had in her dreams.
Andy froze. "You feel that?"
Kaila nodded slowly. "He's close."
Harper raised her gun. "Where?"
Then they heard it.
Clank… clank… clank…
Heavy footsteps. Metal dragging. Slow. Deliberate.
From the mist, a shape emerged.
It didn't run. It didn't sprint. It just walked. Like it had all the time in the world.
Its body was a patchwork of steel and flesh. One of its arms was just a jagged blade fused into a shoulder socket. Its chest had wires tangled around a glowing Spinat core. Blood dripped from the sharp tips of its fingers — not its own.
And its face… wasn't a face.
Just a smooth, plated mask with two red eyes. No mouth. No humanity.
Harper whispered, "What the fuck…"
Draton stopped ten feet from them.
Then it spoke.
Not through a mouth, but straight into their minds — like the words were carved into their brains.
"LOVE… IS… CORRUPTION."
"YOU… ARE… MALFUNCTION."
"PURGE…"
Then it moved.
Scene: The Fight
Draton lunged forward without warning.
The ground cracked under his feet. Harper barely dodged. Andy rolled and fired a full burst from his rifle — the bullets bounced off the metal like pebbles.
"Fucker's bulletproof!"
Kaila flared — the Skate within her burned bright. Her vision split for a second. Draton moved in slow motion — wires twitching, eyes locked on her.
He saw her as prey.
She raised her hand instinctively, and the air bent. Draton paused mid-charge, like something was pulling at him. Reality around her shimmered like cracked glass.
"Skate—do something!"
"DEFENSE... ACCEPTED."
A shockwave burst from Kaila's body — invisible but violent. Draton was thrown back ten meters, skidding across the pavement like a broken car.
Andy grabbed Kaila's hand. "You okay?"
Kaila coughed. "That wasn't me. That was it."
Harper screamed from behind them. "He's back up!"
Draton stood.
Half his arm had been blown off.
It grew back.
Right there. Like clay reforming. Veins rethreaded themselves over steel bones.
Andy's voice cracked. "Are you fucking kidding me?"
Scene: Retreat
"Fall back!" Harper yelled. "Move!"
They sprinted through the alley, Draton following like a nightmare with weight. Every footstep shattered the pavement. Every roar sounded like a dying machine trying to scream.
Kaila pushed too hard. The Skate tried to form another blast, but it wasn't ready. Her vision blurred. Her nose bled.
"Not yet," she muttered. "Not now."
Andy stopped, turned, and threw a flash charge. The explosion lit up the entire alley — momentarily blinding the monster.
They dove through a collapsed drainage pipe and rolled down into the lower ruins.
Silence.
They panted. Bled. Shook.
"Did… did we lose him?" Harper asked.
Then Kaila heard it.
"MALFUNCTION… DETECTED… REENGAGE."
Andy whispered, "Oh no. He's learning."
Kaila stood up, holding the wall.
"We need the defuser. We need to build it now."
Scene: Final Note
Back at the museum, Alaric stared at the security feed.
The cameras had caught it. All of it.
The screams. The regeneration. The way Draton didn't care if he was shot, stabbed, or exploded.
Alaric looked down at the file in front of him — the one labeled:
"DEFUSER CORE: ANTI-REGENERATION PROTOTYPE (INCOMPLETE)"
He whispered to himself, "We either finish this or we all die in this pretty tomb."