NEW ATLANTIS – NIGHT
Rain falls in steady sheets, turning the skyline into a blur of shimmering neon blues and deep violet reflections. The monorail glides soundlessly across elevated tracks. Billboards flicker static warnings about cybercrime and AI acts.
The city feels alive—but uneasy.
Deep underground, metal scrapes against metal. Something moves.
INN HQ – MEDICAL WING
Soft white light illuminates the room. The scene feels too peaceful to last.
JAXON STEEL sits on a reinforced medical coat, shirt unbuttoned just enough for Dr. SUSAN THOMAS to examine the glowing neural circuitry faintly visible under his skin.
The Neuro-Link seems alive—responding to his pulse.
Susan scans the patterns, projecting a holographic model beside them.
She speaks gently, without the typical INN coldness.
[Dr. Susan Thomas]:Your neural adaptation rate is rising again. Faster than projected(quiet admiration),
Almost as if the device recognizes you.
Steel gives a half-smile that doesn't hide uncertainty.
[Agent Steel] : Feels less like recognition and more like possession.
Susan raises an eyebrow.
[Dr. Susan Thomas]: Possession doesn't pause when you panic. Control does.
She steps closer and rests the scanner down.
For a moment, there's just silence — and breathing.
OBSERVATION HALL – SAME TIME
MADISON CONNOR reviews surveillance feeds and reports on a floating interface. Her posture is stern, precise — but her eyes drift toward the medical bay window.
She watches Steel and Susan talking — their ease, their comfort.
Something internal shifts.
Jealousy?
No.
Possession?
Not quite.
It's worry disguised as irritation.
She mutters to herself.
[Madison Connor] : He's getting attached… and I'm letting it happen.
MEDICAL ROOM
Susan finishes inputting data, then turns to him with a softer tone.
[Dr. Susan Thomas]:Jaxon… tonight was progress.
Not just physically. You trusted yourself.
Steel looks down, flexing his hand—blue circuitry flickers faintly.
[Agent Steel] : I didn't choose this. I just reacted.
[Dr. Susan Thomas]:And reaction is where instinct is born. Where courage lives.
For the first time, Steel holds her gaze — and doesn't look away.
BAM—
A loud metallic impact shakes the room. Lights flicker.
Steel immediately gets off the bed.
Susan stiffens — not scared — alert.
The HQ alarm triggers with a low, pulsing warning tone.
SYSTEM VOICE
Level-3 breach detected. Medical wing lockdown in progress.
HALLWAY OUTSIDE
A reinforced wall dents inward — then explodes inwards as a CYBORG X steps through. Its red optical sensors scan the hallway.
A synthetic voice crackles:
CYBORG X : TARGET STATUS: ACTIVE. NEURO-LINK HOST LOCATED.
Madison steps forward from the shadows — baton in hand.
Her voice is ice.
[Madison Connor] : You picked the wrong building.
MEDICAL ROOM
Steel's pulse spikes. The glowing veins through his skin intensify.
Susan grabs his arm firmly — grounding him.
[Dr. Susan Thomas]: Listen to me. Don't let the Neuro-Link pull you into overdrive.
Slow your breath. Control it.
Steel's jaw clenches — then slowly releases.
He inhales.
Exhales.
His pulse evens.
Her hand remains — warm, intentional.
He nods.
HALLWAY
Madison engages first — dodging a plasma bolt and striking exposed wiring with expert precision. Sparks fly — but the cyborg barely reacts.
It charges.
Then:
FOOTSTEPS.
Steel steps into the hallway — calm, composed, eyes focused.
Madison shoots him a glare.
[Madison Connor] : Steel— stand DOWN. You are NOT combat-cleared.
Steel doesn't answer.
The cyborg lunges.
Steel moves.
This time—not wild, but predicted, calibrated.
He sidesteps the strike with fluid motion the Neuro-Link guides faster than thought. A counter-strike—precise—lands on a weak joint.
The cyborg staggers.
Madison's expression shifts — from alarm… to disbelief.
Steel finishes the fight with a surge of energy — a final blow beneath the circuitry seam.
The cyborg collapses, sparking.
Silence.
Steel stands still, breathing hard — but controlled.
Madison steps forward.
No rank.
No protocol.
Just human.
[Madison Connor] :..Good work, Agent.
The words land heavier than expected.
Steel doesn't speak, but there's gratitude in his eyes.
LAB – LATER
The dismantled cyborg lies open on a table. Susan analyzes its circuitry.
Madison joins her.
A recovered encrypted fragment flashes:
PHASE ONE COMPLETE.
SUBJECT LOCATED.
EXTRACTION PRIORITY: CRITICAL.
Madison exhales slowly.
This isn't random.
Someone out there knows exactly what they're after.
QUIET HALLWAY
Steel walks—still processing the night.
Susan catches up.
[Dr. Susan Thomas]: Jaxon.
He stops.
[Dr. Susan Thomas]: (soft) You weren't reckless.
You were remarkable.
Steel meets her eyes — vulnerability breaking through the mask.
[Agent Steel]: Then why do I feel like this is only getting worse?
Susan steps closer — not intimate, but reassuring.
[Dr. Susan Thomas]: Because it is.
A moment of silence
But she smiles — small, steady, grounding.
[Dr. Susan Thomas]: And you won't face it alone.
Steel nods — slowly — letting the truth settle.
For the first time, he believes it.
ABANDONED FACTORY — UNKNOWN LOCATION
A damaged hologram flickers with Steel's image — collected from the cyborg's final moments.
Someone watches behind the darkness.
Mechanical breathing.
The feed goes dark.
Then a whisper:
"He's ready."
TO BE CONTINUED ...
.......