INT. NEW HIDEOUT - NIGHT (CONTINUOUS)
The episode opens on a single, terrifying image: the glitching, monstrous form of ECHO ZERO has fully emerged from the shattered monitor of the Chronovisor. He is a living paradox, a man-shaped hole in reality, and he is laughing. The team is trapped in their sealed base with a nightmare.
JULIAN fires his conventional sidearm. The bullet passes harmlessly through the Echo's flickering form. ARIS fires a stun pulse from a "magic gun," but the energy is absorbed by the Echo, which seems to grow stronger, its form stabilizing slightly.
Echo Zero is not just a brute. As a former "sensitive" and Analog Ghost, he is a master of temporal manipulation. He toys with them.
The Fight Scene: He looks at Julian, who is raising his fists. "Too slow," the Echo whispers. Julian throws a punch, but his arm gets stuck in a one-second time loop, repeating the first few inches of the motion over and over, leaving him helpless.
The Fight Scene: He glances at Kenji's laptop. The code on the screen rearranges itself into a taunting message: CAN'T HIDE.
KAELEN's Temporal Sight is their only advantage. Through her glowing eyes, she can see the true nature of the enemy. He isn't a single entity; he is a chaotic storm of possibilities. She sees ghostly after-images of where he is about to be.
The battle becomes a deadly chess match. Kaelen becomes the team's spotter, calling out commands based on her visions.
Kenji reroutes the power. As the Echo's form solidifies in that exact spot, it's hit with a massive surge of electricity, causing it to roar in pain and its form to destabilize.
They realize they can't destroy him, but they can disrupt him. The fight becomes a desperate attempt to herd a ghost. They use steam from burst pipes, electrical surges, and physical barriers to force him back towards the broken Chronovisor.
While Julian draws the Echo's attention, Aris and Kaelen work frantically at the damaged Chronovisor console. The crystal lens is cracked, and the machine is sparking violently. They are trying to perform open-heart surgery during an earthquake.
The climax of the fight is a moment of pure desperation. Echo Zero, tired of playing, solidifies and lunges for Kaelen. Julian intercepts him, tackling the glitching horror. They both fall against the Chronovisor.
For a moment, Julian's body is partially phased into the Echo's. His skin flickers, his vision is flooded with the Echo's decades of lonely, maddening imprisonment. He screams in agony.
Aris slams a bypass switch. They reroute all the hideout's power into the machine, creating a reversed temporal pulse.
A wave of white energy erupts from the Chronovisor. It doesn't harm Julian, but it hits Echo Zero like a physical blow. It doesn't destroy him; it "untunes" him from their reality. His form dissolves into a cloud of screaming static and is violently sucked back into the shattered monitor.
The screen goes black. The machine dies. Silence.
The team is battered, bruised, and horrified. Julian collapses, shaking, having touched the mind of a monster.
Kenji's laptop beeps, a single, ominous red dot on a map.
The episode ends with the team looking at the smoking ruin of their Chronovisor. They have survived, but they are exposed, their ultimate weapon is broken, and their enemies are closing in.
FADE TO BLACK.
END OF EPISODE 17