"I have to do something about this headache," Jay murmured, clutching his temples as if that might ward off the pounding.
Just then, a sharp buzzing sliced through the silence. Jay squinted upward and saw a drone hovering, its whirring blades cutting the air with precision.
Suddenly, his vision flickered, and an interface appeared.
Analyzing Environment
Possible threat detected
Detecting Vulnerabilities
Neutralizing Threat
With a loud crash, the drone spiraled to the ground.
Jay stepped forward, curiosity piqued, and examined the fallen machine. As he picked it up, schematics flooded his view-a complete layout of the drone's capabilities and its path. It was a scavenger drone. Following the designated path, he set off in the direction it had come from.
The Interface:
Calculating distance
Setting path
Destination: Unknown
Distance: 200 km
---
The Interface
Destination Reached
Jay looked around, only to be greeted by miles of barren, cracked earth stretching out before him.
"There's... nothing here," he muttered under his breath, his brow furrowing in confusion.
Just then, he spotted a hoverbike speeding toward him, kicking up a cloud of dust. The vehicle came to an abrupt stop, and its rider, a figure cloaked in scarves with only piercing eyes visible, dismounted and strode over to him.
"Identify yourself," the man demanded, his voice rough and authoritative.
Jay blinked. "What?"
"Your name," the man repeated, eyes narrowing. "What is it?"
"I'm Jay. Alex Jay," he replied, a hint of uncertainty creeping into his voice.
The man's eyes glinted with recognition. "Alex, you have my Luka."
Jay took a step back, surprised. "What!"
"The bot. The drone," the man clarified, nodding toward the device in Jay's hands.
"Oh, this?" Jay stammered, holding the drone up slightly, but before he could finish, he felt a sharp sting as the man pressed a tazer to his neck. His body seized, every nerve jolting with electricity, before he collapsed to the ground.
The Interface:
Non-Lethal Weapon Detected (Caution)
"Too late..." Jay murmured, his voice fading as he slipped into unconsciousness.
---
Alex's eyes fluttered open, and a throbbing pain pulsed through his skull. His vision was blurry, and he stumbled out of bed, clinging to the walls for support until he found himself in a small, dimly lit bathroom. Leaning over the sink, he caught sight of his reflection in a cracked mirror-his face smeared with dirt, his hair tangled.
"Ugh," he groaned, feeling the ache echoing in his head. "This damn headache..."
Reaching a hand up to massage the back of his neck, he froze. His fingers traced over a strange, metallic disk embedded in his spine. With a grimace, he twisted around to inspect it, trying to pull it free, but the pain was too intense.
What... what is this thing?
Shaken, he stumbled out of the bathroom and entered another room, where a man was waiting, watching him with an almost amused look.
"Ah, there you are!" the man said with a sly grin. "Finally awake, I see."
Alex gave him a withering look. "Your bathroom stinks," he muttered, wiping his face.
The man chuckled. "Ah, so you do remember me."
"Surprised?" Alex asked, his gaze steely.
"A bit, yes. You haven't shown any hostility. Not yet, anyway," the man replied, raising an eyebrow.
Alex crossed his arms, eyeing him warily. "Well, I figured if you wanted me dead, I'd already be six feet under. But I still don't know what you're after."
The man shrugged. "Fair enough. I suppose I owe you some answers."
Alex narrowed his eyes. "Then start talking."
"You broke my Luka," the man said, his voice edged with barely-contained anger. "So, you deserve a bit of rough treatment. I have no desire to harm you... but if you want to live, you'll leave. You're lucky you're breathing after what you did to Luka."
Alex scoffed, shaking his head. "You're sentimental over a drone? It's just a robot."
The man's eyes narrowed. "No, it's not just a robot. Luka's my friend. It's helped me scavenge, survive, pull through this hellhole." He looked away briefly, as if remembering. "Without it, I'd probably be dead out here."
The man straightened, his expression hardening again. "Now, get out-before I personally escort you off my turf."
As Alex turned to leave, the man's voice stopped him in his tracks.
"Wait!" the man called, his tone begrudgingly softened.
Alex turned back, cautious.
The man tossed something through the air, its edges glowing neon. Alex caught it and saw it was a digital card, sleek and pulsing with a faint cyan light.
"What's this?" Alex asked, raising an eyebrow.
"A Cog," the man replied, his voice curt. "Should be enough to get you a doctor's help."
Alex studied the card before pocketing it. "You got a name?"
The man smirked, barely a hint of amusement showing. "You'll know... in time."
With that, Alex turned and headed out.
---
As Alex stepped beyond the threshold, he was greeted by a vast, oppressive sight. Towering, monolithic structures loomed around him, each scraping the sky with its jagged, metallic height. These titanic buildings stretched as far as he could see, their faces mottled with blinking lights, darkened windows, and shadowed corridors that whispered secrets in the wind. Somewhere high above, neon advertisements pulsed coldly, their harsh blue and red glows casting long, restless shadows that danced over the streets below.
At the heart of this alien landscape was a monstrous "tree," but this was no ordinary tree. It was a steel giant-a twisted, towering megastructure resembling a tree crafted by some mad architect. Thick, branching limbs extended outward like skeletal fingers clawing at the air, every inch of it gleaming with warped metal, exposed wiring, and polished steel. Snaking pipes wound around the limbs, hissing occasional bursts of steam, while rivulets of oil and water trickled down its metallic surface, leaving dark streaks that marred its gleaming bark.
Now and then, sparks sputtered from exposed wires near the trunk, and a steady, ominous hum reverberated from deep within, filling the air with a sense of latent power.
Surrounding this metallic titan were the nearby buildings, forming a silent ring around it like guardians. The cold light they reflected off the "tree" accentuated its eerie beauty, casting its limbs in an unnatural glow. In the silence, a faint thumping sound echoed, rhythmic, like a heartbeat pulsing from somewhere beneath the roots of this steel colossus.
The Interface:
Location: The Well, Confirmed
City: The Iron Heart
Mission Updated
New Destination: The Eye of the Well
Alex took a deep breath, his mind racing as he stared at the unsettling spectacle before him. The Iron Heart was like nothing he'd ever seen-a place where metal and shadow intertwined, where life clung to survival in the heartbeat of the machine.