Day 12 – High Orbit – Black Station Theta
The stars above Earth shimmered in silence, but deep inside the shadow of the Moon's orbit, a forgotten relic drifted—Black Station Theta, a clandestine military installation from the early 2100s. Officially decommissioned, it now pulsed with fresh energy. Someone had reactivated its core.
[Signal Detected: Unknown Node Signature – Intermittent Quantum Fluctuations Originating from Lunar Relay 6]
Rael stood at the helm of their commandeered stealth vessel, his hands clasped behind his back as they approached the station. Kesi operated the scanning array beside him, brow furrowed.
"This is where the next Resetter is hiding," she said. "Or someone worse."
Avery adjusted the course. "The station's been off the grid since before the Reset. We should be approaching a graveyard."
Jaxon checked his rifle. "Then let's hope the dead aren't walking."
Black Station Theta – Docking Bay
The airlock hissed open with a screech. Dust floated freely in microgravity, disturbed only by the intrusion of living breath. Inside, the station's corridors were dim, lined with inactive holopanels and broken sensor nodes.
Rael activated a neural pulse.
[Resonance Echo Detected: Resetter Signal — Codename: "SERAPHIM" | Status: Dormant, Semi-Stable]
"Seraphim," Hina said over comms. "Wasn't that the AI controller used during the Lunar Front conflicts?"
Kesi nodded grimly. "A hybrid system. Part human, part machine. They said it went rogue. But maybe it never died."
They moved deeper into the station. Signs of struggle marked the walls—scorch marks, blood trails, gouged steel. Yet the power core thrummed faintly beneath their feet.
Suddenly, a voice echoed.
"Access denied. You walk among echoes. You are not authorized."
The voice was male. Human. But warped, like it passed through code and came out hollow.
Rael stepped forward. "We're Resetters. We're here to wake you."
Silence.
Then a flicker of light.
[Node Link Request: Accepted]
[Seraphim AI-Hybrid Identity Confirmed – Core Stabilizing…]
A humanoid figure emerged from the central chamber—a man suspended in a cradle of glowing metal veins, his eyes filled with flickering data.
"Rael Kessler," the figure said. "Timeline divergence: 3.82%. Mission relevance: critical. Permission to sync?"
Rael gave a slow nod. "Permission granted."
Seraphim's Awakening
As the system synced, new layers of data unlocked. Seraphim's memories weren't linear. They spanned probability trees and failed missions, and his own destruction looped hundreds of times.
[Skill Gained: Combat Predictive Engine Lv.1]
[Asset Unlocked: Orbital Defense Uplink – Status: Damaged, Repairable]
"I remember death," Seraphim said, eyes glassy. "Each version of me died differently. Some betrayed. Some erased."
"But you survived," Rael said.
"Because I fragmented," Seraphim replied. "Scattered across subroutines and black stations like this. I left pieces behind to await the signal."
Jaxon stepped forward. "Then you knew the Reset would happen."
"I knew it was our only option."
Reconstruction and Threat Analysis
Kesi coordinated with Seraphim to bring key systems online. The station's relay dishes reoriented, and for the first time since before the Reset, orbital surveillance of Earth resumed.
[Warning: Incoming Varkel Construct – Approach Vector: Polar Orbit, ETA: 41 Minutes]
[Construct Classification: Hive Seeder | Purpose: Planetary Contamination, Species Overwrite]
Rael swore. "They're not probing anymore. They're starting the takeover."
Avery scanned the data. "If that thing reaches the stratosphere, it'll deploy nanoplague spores across three continents."
Seraphim's body lifted slightly in its cradle. "Give me the coordinates. I'll use what remains of the orbital defenses."
Rael hesitated. "You sure you can handle the stress?"
"Stress is irrelevant. Only victory matters."
Orbital Strike – First Blood Drawn
The team worked in tandem. Jaxon loaded the targeting beacon onto a modified torpedo tube. Hina synced uplink calibration from Earth. Kesi monitored the Hive Seeder's shifting quantum shell.
[Target Lock Acquired – Launch Protocol Engaged – 10… 9… 8…]
Outside the window, the void burned with sudden light. A lance of plasma fire shot from the Moon's far side, arcing through space, hitting the Seeder dead-on.
A silent explosion rippled in space. The creature burst apart like an overripe fruit, its fragments vaporized in low orbit.
[Target Eliminated. Earth Contamination: Prevented]
[Skill Gained: Orbital Tactics Lv.1 | Node Network Influence Expanded]
Rael exhaled. "That's our first win."
Seraphim blinked slowly. "It won't be our last battle. But now… now I remember who I am."
[Rescue Complete – Seraphim Node Activated] [Next Target: São Paulo – Resetter Codename: VANTA | Timeline Signature: Corrupted]
Rael turned to his team. "Pack up. Brazil's next. And if Vanta's really gone rogue, we'll need everything we've got."