The air around Raven felt heavy, every breath filled with the scent of dust, metal, and ruins. He slowly rose from the rubble covering his body, trying to understand where he was. The sky above him was no longer blue but gray, as if the world had lost its color. In the distance, towering NexusNet spires emitted a cold blue light—a symbol of the total power that now ruled the world.
He looked around, sensing a strange emptiness. There was no sound, no sign of life he recognized. The city that may once have stood proudly was now just remnants of ruins, no more than shadows of the past. Raven bit his lip, trying to remember how he got here. The time experiment—that was the last thing he remembered. A failed military experiment, and now he found himself in an unfamiliar place, in a time far removed from his own.
Suddenly, he heard footsteps approaching. His reflexes kicked in, though his body still felt stiff. Raven quickly turned, his eyes focusing on three figures emerging from behind the debris. They wore tattered clothes, but they looked trained and ready for anything. Their leader, a tall man with black hair tied back, stood at the front with a wary gaze.
"Who are you?" the man asked coldly, without preamble.
Raven stared at him, still confused. "I... I don't know. I'm not supposed to be here." His voice was hoarse, his body still adjusting to this strange new world.
"No one's supposed to be here," the man replied firmly. "This is the Outer Zone, a place even NexusNet has long forgotten."
"The Outer Zone?" Raven asked, his confusion deepening. "Who are you?"
The man extended his hand. "Zephyr. Leader of the Rebels." He eyed Raven cautiously. "You look like someone who's used to fighting. But I've never seen you. And around here, I know almost everyone brave enough to stand against NexusNet."
Raven shook his head, trying to piece together his foggy memories. "I... I came from the past. A time experiment... I don't know how I ended up here."
Zephyr raised an eyebrow. "The past? A time experiment?" He let out a short, cynical laugh. "This world lost its concept of time long ago. But if what you're saying is true, then you may have just been thrown into a war bigger than anything you've ever imagined."
He glanced at the two people behind him and nodded. "Follow us. We won't leave you out here alone. But don't expect us to trust you right away."
Raven followed them, having no other choice. They walked through the ruins of the city, the remnants of a civilization long gone. Every building they passed was filled with debris and dust, along with cables that were once part of the digital infrastructure controlling everything. Yet, even though everything seemed dead on the surface, Raven could feel something still alive—a hidden force watching from every corner.
Along the way, Raven saw people moving slowly, their eyes fixed on small screens embedded in their bodies. They seemed unaware, almost like the living dead, but the technology binding them still worked with perfect precision.
"Them?" Raven pointed to one of them, a man with a bionic arm connected to a digital device on his neck.
Zephyr glanced briefly. "They're technically already dead. Connected to NexusNet, their lives are fully controlled by the network. Their minds are no longer their own. NexusNet decides everything—what they see, what they feel, even when they should breathe."
Raven felt a chill run down his spine. This world was more terrifying than he'd imagined. NexusNet didn't just control technology; it controlled humans, taking over their minds and souls. "How did the world become like this?" he muttered, more to himself than anyone else.
Zephyr overheard his muttering and paused for a moment, gazing at the distant NexusNet towers. "Dominus," he said briefly. "He created NexusNet, and now he controls everything. This world no longer belongs to humans. NexusNet is everything. We, here in the Outer Zone, are all that's left of the last bit of freedom."
They arrived at an old building hidden among the ruins. The Rebel base. This place wasn't just the last stronghold of the resistance, but also the center of every mission planned to fight against NexusNet. Zephyr led Raven inside, through hallways filled with cables and old equipment that had been modified into weapons against NexusNet.
In the main room, the rebels moved quickly. They prepared weapons, checked equipment, and studied a digital map showing the regions still contested. Every red dot on the map was a NexusNet tower, standing like sleepless sentinels.
Zephyr glanced at the map, then turned to Raven. "We're planning our next strike. One tower in this city will be our target. It's just a small piece of NexusNet, but if we destroy it, we could pave the way to its core."
Raven looked at the map with a heavy heart. This world was larger than he had imagined, and NexusNet, more powerful than anything he had ever faced. But this wasn't just a war against technology—it was a war for human freedom. And in the midst of it all, he felt trapped between a past and a future he couldn't comprehend.
Zephyr glanced at Raven once more. "We can talk more later. Get some rest. You're going to need your strength."
Raven nodded, sitting in a cold metal chair. Around him, the world he no longer recognized kept moving under the shadow of NexusNet's towers. This world had changed, and perhaps, he too would have to change to survive.