[COLD OPEN — DREAMSPACE / TARI'S MIND]
Starlight rains down across an endless black sea. Tari floats in midair, her body motionless but glowing with celestial runes. A faint whisper echoes around her.
Mother Null (whispering):
"Even stars lose their way when the sky is rewritten."
Tari gasps awake, sweat on her brow. Her room is dim, the city skyline reflecting off her window. The datapad in her hand pulses faintly — the corrupted image of Crimsa from the last breach flickers again.
[SCENE — VAN HQ WAR ROOM, EARLY MORNING]
Kael stands with Aurix, Yuna, Irion, and Echo-7. They review surveillance patterns showing irregular Rift spikes along the city's spine. Crimsa enters late, her expression calm.
Kael:
"We've got a chain of anomalies rising along the rail lines — like something's mapping our infrastructure."
Echo-7:
"Or rewriting it. The pattern looks like a spine."
Aurix:
"Or a worm waiting to burrow deeper. We hit back now."
Tari (arriving):
"Before that… we need to talk."
She places her datapad on the table. The image flickers — Crimsa's silhouette during the security breach.
Tari:
"I found this in the Vault Gate logs. No official access... but biometric residue matches Crimsa."
Crimsa (flat):
"Coincidence. I pass that corridor often."
Irion (narrowed eyes):
"During a lockdown?"
Kael raises a hand.
Kael:
"We don't jump to conclusions. But no one is above investigation. Crimsa, until this is cleared, you're off solo field ops."
Crimsa (tense):
"Understood."
But her fingers twitch behind her back.
[SCENE — SUB-RAIL HUB, SECTOR 7 UNDERGROUND]
Jax, Veya, and Echo-7 track down one of the Rift anomalies. They find twisted creatures, metallic and pulsing with dark matter energy, clawing at the infrastructure.
Jax:
"Ugh. These look like failed prototypes."
Echo-7:
"They are. And they're learning. Each one's adapted from the last battle."
Veya:
"Which means someone's watching... and improving them."
They engage. Blazing battle — sound bursts, ricochet shots, and Echo's drone swarm paint the darkness with war. The creatures fall, but not easily.
Echo-7:
"Pull a sample. These aren't natural Riftlings. They've been... sculpted."
[SCENE — NIGHTFALL RESTAURANT, LATER THAT NIGHT]
The group regathers for a moment of rest. Chef Malro serves them quietly. Laughter masks tension. Tari watches Crimsa from across the table, who seems calm, maybe too calm.
Jax (playfully):
"So if the city falls, at least we get one last plate of cosmic noodles."
Yuna (smiling):
"Speak for yourself. I plan on surviving."
Irion:
"We're always surviving. But someone else is always watching."
As if on cue, Crimsa receives a silent message through her neural comm. She excuses herself.
[SCENE — CRIMSA'S PRIVATE QUARTERS]
She opens a hidden chamber in her wall. Inside: a crystalline device humming with fractal energy. A voice speaks — distorted and ancient.
Mother Null:
"The eye has opened. Sector 12 must fall next. Delay them if needed. Break their unity."
Crimsa:
"They're already splintering. A little more pressure and the cracks will spread."
Mother Null:
"Good. When they fall... you will rise."
[SCENE — NIGHTWALK, SKYVAULT ROOFTOPS]
Tari, restless, walks the roof alone. She sees Crimsa watching the stars, seemingly in deep thought. They speak.
Tari:
"You ever feel like you're drifting between two versions of yourself?"
Crimsa:
"Every day. The trick is remembering which one is the mask."
Tari looks at her for a long beat. Says nothing.
[TO BE CONTINUED…]