Night settles over New Atlantis like a held breath.
Inside INN HQ, monitors pulse with operational telemetry… until everything shuts off at once.
Darkness.
Silence.
Then—
A THUNDERCLAP OF GLASS AND METAL.
Hydra-07 soldiers breach the perimeter.
Not stealth. Not infiltration.
War.
A green laser dot slides across the marble floor.
Another.
And another.
Up on the rooftop—
Two silhouettes kneel in the shadows.
RAVENSTRIKE
Tall, broad-shouldered, cybernetic spinal plating visible under tactical mesh. A midnight mask with a glowing red slash where the eyes should be.
SHARDEYE
Lean, sharp, wired reflex channels across her temples. Her left eye — digital, kaleidoscopic — spins as it calculates wind, trajectory, and heartbeat signatures.
Both raise their rifles.
Hydra-07's most feared superhuman snipers.
They pull the trigger.
The night erupts.
---
INN HQ — LOBBY — NIGHT
A bullet shatters the holo-screen.
Agents dive behind titanium pillars.
Alarms blare, red lights spinning.
[INN AGENTS]:Hydra breach! Hydra breach!
Hydra-07 soldiers storm in — armored, silent, precise.
Their movements are cold. Mechanical.
Like a death algorithm wearing human skin.
---
INN ARMORY — SAME TIME
Agent Lopez hurls a locker open.
[Agent Lopez]:Paul! Move!
Agent Paul slides next to him, loading mags with mechanical focus.
[Agent Paul]:"Formation Delta?"
[Agent Lopez]:No. Maximum aggression.
They slam their rifles into place.
A beat.
They exchange a look — battle-brothers syncing up.
[Agent Paul]:Ready.
[Agent Lopez]:Let's show Hydra what bad decisions look like.
They charge out—
—and immediately face a hail of fire.
Lopez vaults over a fallen desk, firing bursts that rip through Hydra armor.
Paul covers him, shots surgical, dropping targets with nerve-ending precision.
But then—
A shadow falls over them.
Ravenstrike lands from the ceiling with a seismic crash.
Lopez is thrown back by the shockwave.
Paul raises his rifle—
Too slow.
Ravenstrike grabs the barrel and CRUSHES it between cybernetic fingers.
[Agent Paul]: (under his breath)…Not ideal.
Ravenstrike swings—
Paul ducks, slides under the blow, kicks the brute in the knee plating.
It barely moves him.
Ravenstrike grins beneath his mask.
Shardeye steps through broken glass, rifle resting on her shoulder.
Her digital eye spins — locking onto Lopez.
[SHARDEYE]:Target acquired. Heart rate spiking. Fear moderate.
[Agent Lopez] (loading a pistol):Fear?
Sweetheart, I'm fueled by caffeine and poor decisions."
She flips the rifle down—
fires.
Lopez dives—
A marble column EXPLODES behind him.
---
THE FIGHT EXPLODES INTO CHAOS
Hydra soldiers flood the lobby.
INN agents counter in tight squads.
Sparks. Smoke.
Screams. Orders. Gunfire.
The entire HQ becomes a battleground.
---
ENTRANCE — NIGHT
The main gate bursts open—
A figure drops from above, landing with a shockwave of blue light.
JAXON STEEL.
His forearm glows — Neuro-Link fully ignited, veins lit like circuitry.
His eyes — focused, dangerous.
The battlefield freezes for a heartbeat.
[Agent Lopez]:(shouts)Steel! Took your time!
Steel doesn't answer.
He sees Ravenstrike.
Shardeye.
The Hydra line.
And something inside him switches.
---
BATTLE: STEEL VS THE HYDRA ARMY
Steel sprints — a blur.
Every footstep cracks the floor.
He closes the distance in seconds—
CRASHES into the Hydra frontline like a human missile.
Hydra soldiers fly in all directions.
Armor buckles.
Helmets shatter.
Steel pivots, smashing his forearm into an attacker —
the Neuro-Link pulses, sending shockwaves through their exosuit.
He grabs one Hydra soldier by the chest plate—
Throws him across the lobby.
The soldier hits a wall and doesn't get up.
---
STEEL VS SHARDEYE
Shardeye raises her rifle — fast.
But Steel is faster.
He dodges sideways—
the bullet passes through empty air.
Steel closes in.
Shardeye swings the rifle like a spear—
He blocks with his forearm. Sparks fly.
Her digital eye spins wildly.
[SHARDEYE]: Unacceptable reaction speed.
Steel steps in—
SLAMS his elbow into her jaw.
She crashes across three desks.
---
STEEL VS RAVENSTRIKE
Ravenstrike intercepts him with a cybernetic punch.
Steel takes it
—slides back an inch
—but doesn't fall.
Ravenstrike tilts his head.
[RAVENSTRIKE]:You're stronger than the data predicted.
[Agent Steel] : (breathing steady)Update your data.
Steel lunges.
A collision like two meteors crashing.
Ravenstrike punches —
Steel blocks.
Ravenstrike kicks —
Steel counters.
Ravenstrike tries to lift him —
Steel reverses the hold.
They slam each other through walls, through glass, through tactical stations.
It's brutal.
Raw.
Shockingly even.
---
BACK TO LOPEZ & PAUL
Lopez fights two Hydra soldiers hand-to-hand.
Paul retrieves a fallen energy blade and slices through exo-armor with ruthless efficiency.
They regroup behind a collapsed table.
Breathing hard.
Bleeding.
But standing.
[Agent Lopez]:Paul… when this is over…
[Agent Paul]:Yes?
[Agent Lopez]:I'm making you take a vacation.
[Agent Paul]:…Horrifying.
They charge back into the fight.
---
INN HQ — DESTROYED LOBBY — CONTINUOUS
Smoke clears.
Bodies everywhere — Hydra and INN alike.
Steel stands at the center.
Bruised. Bleeding.
Neuro-Link glowing like wildfire.
Ravenstrike rises for one last clash—
Steel steps forward.
But then—
A glitched distortion flickers above the battlefield.
The same phantom figure seen by the homeless girl.
Watching.
Smiling.
And then—
It disappears.
Steel freezes.
Lopez and Paul look unsettled.
The Hydra soldiers retreat simultaneously — like someone flipped a switch.
Steel stares at the empty space where the glitch was.
Something worse than Hydra-07 is coming.
And it has begun watching him.
---
INN HQ — DESTROYED LOBBY – MINUTES AFTER THE FIGHT
Smoke curls from shattered pillars. Alarms whine. Emergency lights pulse.
Agent Lopez stands over a fallen Hydra soldier, breathing hard, hand on his ribs.
He winces.
[Agent Lopez]:(to himself)Yep… definitely cracked something. Probably everything.
Paul steps beside him, still holding the energy blade, now flickering.
[Agent Paul]:You require medical assistance.
[Agent Lopez]: (smirking) I require a month of sleep and a raise.
Paul tilts his head — his version of a laugh.
[Agent Paul]:You're unlikely to receive either.
Lopez snorts.
THE LOBBY
INN agents move through rubble.
Some carry the wounded. Others secure Hydra weapons. The devastation is total.
Lopez glances at the destruction and exhales slowly.
[Agent Lopez]:Hydra hasn't hit us like this before.
[Agent Paul]:This was a probe. Calculated. Controlled.
Lopez nods, eyes tightening.
[Agent lopez]:And next time, they won't hold back.
Paul looks toward the center of the room.
[Agent Paul]:Neither will he.
---
STEEL WALKS TOWARD THEM
Jaxon Steel strides through the smoke — battered, breathing heavy, Neuro-Link still glowing faintly under torn sleeves.
He looks like someone who has walked through a war zone and kept standing purely out of spite.
Lopez raises a hand.
[Agent Lopez]:Well, look who survived the apocalypse.
[Agent Steel]:(still scanning the battlefield)
"We all did. Barely.
Lopez shoves him lightly on the shoulder.
[Agent Lopez]:Relax, Brother. We made it. You made it. Let that sink in before your brain starts calculating 300 new threat variables.
Steel finally looks at him — a faint smirk.
[Agent Steel]:Only 280.
[Agent Paul]:That is not comforting.
Lopez laughs sharply.
[Agent lopez]:Of course it's not. It's Steel.
---
INN HQ — COURTYARD — CONTINUOUS
Dr. ROMER storms out with a team of medical staff and tech commanders.
[ROMER]: Clear the injured to Sector-9! Route the critical to the lower med-bay! I want full injury and casualty metrics within THIRTY minutes!
His voice echoes like artillery.
He approaches Steel, Lopez, and Paul.
[ROMER]:You three—are you functional?
[Agent Lopez]: Define 'functional.' Emotionally? Spiritually? Physically? Because I might be failing on all three.
Romer stares.
[Agent Paul]:He is joking. Mostly.
[ROMER]:(ignores them, turns serious)
Where is Madison Connor? She was supposed to be here. She should have responded to priority triggers.
Steel's expression shifts.
[Agent Steel]:…She doesn't know.
Lopez and Paul exchange worried glances.
---
CUT TO: AGENT LARA STORM
Lara Storm sprints down the stairs, phone to her ear.
[Agent Lara Storm]:Director Connor, come on, answer… answer…
No response.
The screen flashes: CALL FAILED.
[Agent Lara Storm ]:Damn it.
She tries again.
CALL FAILED.
She stops, breathing hard, anxiety rising.
[Agent Lara Storm]:She's offline.
Romer freezes.
[Agent Steel]:Madison wouldn't turn off comms. Not during operations.
[Agent Paul]:Possibility: interference. Or abduction.
Lopez puts a hand on Paul's shoulder.
[Agent Lopez]:Brother… not helping.
Paul nods, expression unchanged.
---
SUSAN ARRIVES
Susan runs across the courtyard, still in medical gear, hair tied, breath quick.
She sees Jaxon — bruised, bleeding, standing like a statue in the ruins.
Her face softens instantly.
[Dr. Susan Thomas]:Jaxon!
She reaches him, touching his arm gently.
[Dr. Susan Thomas]:You're hurt.
[Agent Steel]:It looks worse than it is.
She stares at him — seeing every wound, every tremor.
[Dr. Susan Thomas]:No. It's exactly as bad as it looks.
Lopez nudges Paul.
[Agent Lopez]:(whispers)Called it. Totally called it."
[Agent Paul]:She is displaying protective behavior. Statistically meaningful.
Steel shoots them a glare.
Lopez places both hands up innocently.
[Agent Lopez]:Hey, we're supportive! Just… narrating.
Susan steps between them.
[Dr.Susan Thomas]:Enough. Both of you.
She returns her focus to Jaxon.
[Dr. Susan Thomas]:You shouldn't be standing.
[Agent Steel]:I need to assess the pattern of attack. The retreat timing. Hydra doesn't—
She grips his wrist.
Firm. Warm.
Stopping him.
[Dr. Susan Thomas]:You need to breathe.
A silent moment passes between them.
Lopez watches with a smug smile.
[Agent Lopez]:Look at you two. The battlefield is still smoking and somehow this turned into a romantic drama.
Paul nods thoughtfully.
[Agent Paul]:A developing bond under crisis conditions increases emotional resilience.
Lopez stares at him.
[Agent Lopez]:You made it weird, man.
---
CUT BACK TO ROMER
Romer takes out his holocomm.
[ROMER]:Get me Dr. Iris Kade. Now.
He waits.
No signal.
[ROMER]:Tch—again.
He tries a second time.
CALL FAILED.
A shadow crosses Romer's face.
[ROMER]:No Iris. No Madison. Both in the same operational branch.
Steel's eyes slowly widen.
[Agent Steel]:…That's not a coincidence.
[Agent Paul]:Correlation suggests systemic targeting.
[Agent Lopez]:And that means—what? Someone's isolating our leadership?
Steel looks back at the destroyed entrance.
[Agent Steel]:No… someone is isolating me.
Susan steps closer.
[Dr. Susan Thomas]:Then we find them first.
A quiet, dangerous promise.
Steel meets her eyes.
Something solid forms between them.
Trust. Fear. Attachment. Resolve.
---
— THE COURTYARD
Fireflies of orange spark from destroyed wiring.
Emergency drones hover.
Hydra bodies are carried out.
But above all…
A dark glitch flickers on a distant rooftop.
Still watching.
Still smiling.
The same entity that appeared behind the homeless girl.
Its presence lingers like static in the air.
Hydra is the beginning.
The real threat hasn't moved yet.
TO BE CONTINUED....