The wind howled like a beast across the frozen plains of Northern Venosa. The sun never truly rose here—only a dull silver light pierced the thick clouds that blanketed the sky. The snow crunched under the team's boots as they trudged toward their next destination: Vault Zero.
Franko led the group, his breath fogging in the air, the mysterious cube clutched tightly in his gloved hand. Behind him walked Marco, Roko, Savio, Lucchini, Luca Feri, Colombo, and the newest member who had joined in silence—Caros, the shadowy tracker who had once been hunting them, and now walked among them like a ghost.
Roko (shivering):
"Okay, whose brilliant idea was it to walk across the Ice of Eternal Regret? My nose is so cold it filed for unemployment."
Lucchini (dryly):
"Stop complaining. You volunteered to carry the equipment."
Roko:
"Yeah, but I didn't know the equipment included a mini-fridge and Savio's ego."
Savio:
"You insult my intellect one more time and I'll calculate your probability of surviving the next snowstorm—hint, it's low."
Marco (grinning slightly):
"Focus, boys. We're close."
Suddenly, the cube pulsed with a deep blue glow. Franko stopped in his tracks.
Franko:
"It's reacting to something..."
The ground beneath them began to tremble. A thin beam of light shot up from the cube, scanning the terrain. Within moments, the snow in front of them began to sink, revealing a massive metallic hatch, circular, ancient-looking, etched with unknown runes.
Colombo:
"By the circuits of Saturn... is that it?"
Caros (quietly):
"It's not just a door. It's a test."
As the group approached, the hatch emitted a soft chime, and a voice—cold and feminine—spoke in an old Venosian dialect.
Vault AI Voice:
"Identity scan initiated. Welcome, Unit: Franko."
The hatch creaked open with a hiss, revealing a long spiral staircase descending into darkness.
Roko:
"Okay, this is how horror movies start. Anyone want to go first?"
Marco:
"You're the comic relief, Roko. You go."
Roko:
"...I hate this job."
They entered the vault slowly, weapons drawn, eyes alert. The further they descended, the warmer it became. The walls pulsed with soft blue light, and mechanical whispers echoed all around them—like a breathing machine that had been asleep for centuries.
As they reached the bottom, they found themselves in a colossal underground chamber, filled with tubes, servers, holograms, and ancient consoles. In the center stood a stasis pod—cracked, but still operational.
Franko (looking around):
"What is this place…?"
A sudden flash of light flickered above them—and a hologram appeared.
A man. Tall. Cloaked. His face hidden beneath a mask of wires and gold.
Hologram (glitching):
"Welcome, inheritors of the rebellion. I am Lusino, last leader of the Crimson Fang."
Marco froze. His eyes widened.
Marco:
"Lusino?! He's... he's alive?"
Lusino's Hologram:
"No. What you see is a memory—a message encoded in the systems of Vault Zero. If you're seeing this, then Zacrota has begun its final phase."
Franko (stepping forward):
"What is their final phase? What do they want?"
Lusino's Hologram:
"They no longer seek to control Venosa. They seek to become it. To merge machine and mind—to turn every living being into data they can rewrite."
The chamber trembled. The vault AI flickered.
Vault AI:
"Intrusion detected. Tracer signal locked. Hostiles approaching."
Marco turned sharply.
Marco:
"They found us. Zacrota's agents. We have to go—now!"
Caros (loading his weapon):
"Too late. They're already here."
The walls hissed open. Figures emerged—black-armored enforcers, faceless and silent, their eyes glowing red.
Savio:
"Weapons out! Defensive formation!"
Blaster fire lit up the chamber. The team spread out, using consoles and debris as cover. Franko ducked behind a panel, breathing heavily.
Franko (to himself):
"I need to get the data... I need to know everything."
He slid toward the central terminal and inserted the cube. It pulsed, projecting a new map, a series of coordinates—a network of secret Zacrota facilities across Venosa.
Vault AI:
"Download complete. Coordinates acquired."
Franko grabbed the cube just as a beam exploded beside him. Caros covered his retreat, taking down two enforcers with precise shots.
The team began their escape, running through the spiral path as the chamber collapsed behind them.
As they emerged into the snow, panting, wounded—but alive—Franko looked at the cube in his hand.
Franko (grimly):
"We're not just fighting for Venosa anymore. We're fighting for the world's soul."
And behind them, deep in the vault, a new voice stirred from within the remaining servers...
Unknown Voice (whispering):
"...Franko..."