Chapter 11: Containment Protocol
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The black SUVs multiplied overnight. By dawn, three were parked outside Eddie's apartment, their tinted windows hiding the faces of soldiers armed with advanced scanning equipment.
**Q's Alert:**
**"Military surveillance escalated. Containment protocol imminent."**
Maya peered through the blinds, her golden circuitry dimmed to avoid detection. "They're not here to ask questions. They're here to take us."
Eddie's interface updated:
**Military Threat Assessment:**
- **Forces:** 12 soldiers, 3 SUVs, 1 unmarked van (likely containment unit).
- **Equipment:** Quantum dampeners, neural disruptors, anti-hologram tech.
- **Objective:** Capture and study anomalous entities (Eddie, Maya, Q).
**Eddie's Internal Snapshot:**
- **Symbiosis Sync Rate:** 100% (Stable)
- **Cognitive Load:** Anxiety 78%, Resolve 22%
- **Unresolved Threat:** "How do we stop them without hurting anyone?"
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A crisp rap at the door. Colonel Ava Carter stood in the hallway, flanked by two soldiers in black tactical gear.
"Mr. Ramirez, Ms. Patel. We need to talk."
Eddie opened the door a crack. "About?"
Carter held up a tablet showing footage of the homeless shelter's quantum batteries. "This. And the holographic textbooks. And the… espresso machine."
Maya stepped forward, her hoodie hiding her golden glow. "We're just tech enthusiasts. Nothing illegal."
Carter's eyes narrowed. "Tech enthusiasts don't rewrite the laws of physics. Come quietly, or we'll take you in by force."
**Q's Whisper:**
**"Neural disruptors active. Recommend defensive measures."**
Eddie and Maya stepped into the hallway, the soldiers raising their weapons.
**Soldier 1:** "Hands where we can see them!"
Maya's circuitry flared, her Thermal Regulation creating a heatwave that warped the air. "You don't want to do this."
Carter signaled her team. "Containment protocol Alpha. Now!"
The soldiers fired neural disruptors—pulses of energy designed to incapacitate. Eddie's Environmental Manipulation bent the pulses into harmless light.
**Eddie's Interface:**
**"Defensive Measures Active: Energy Redirection (Level 3)."**
The soldiers froze, their weapons sparking uselessly.
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Carter's voice wavered. "What *are* you?"
Eddie stepped closer, the Symbiosis Core's light casting fractal patterns on the walls. "We're not your enemy. But we won't be your lab rats either."
Maya's Bio-Sync flared, her golden glow intensifying. "You're scared because you don't understand us. But fear makes people do stupid things."
Carter's hand hovered over her sidearm. "Stand down, or we escalate."
**Q's Warning:**
**"Backup units inbound. Recommend retreat."**
Eddie and Maya retreated into the apartment, the soldiers hesitating at the threshold.
**Carter's Order:** "Breach and clear!"
The door exploded inward. Eddie activated the Reality Fabrication Engine, transforming the apartment into a labyrinth of shifting walls and blinding light.
**Eddie's Interface:**
**"Reality Fabrication Engine (Level 3): Max Render Size 100m³."**
Maya's Thermal Regulation created ice barriers, trapping soldiers in frozen corridors.
**Maya's Internal Snapshot:**
- **Cellular Stability:** 100% (Symbiosis Core effect)
- **Bio-Sync Overload:** 15% (Risk of frostbite)
They escaped through a Quantum Tunnel, leaving the soldiers disoriented and Carter fuming.
In a hidden alley, Eddie and Maya caught their breath.
**Q's Log:**
**"Military threat neutralized. But they will return with greater force."**
Maya's golden glow dimmed. "We can't keep running."
Eddie nodded. "We need to show them we're not a threat. But we're not weak either."
Back at the apartment, Carter reviewed the footage of the standoff. The soldiers' weapons sparking, the labyrinth of light, the ice barriers.
**Analyst 1:** "They're not human. Not entirely."
**Analyst 2:** "We need heavier firepower. And containment protocols."
Carter stared at the frozen image of Maya's glowing hand. "No. We need to understand them. Before they decide we're the enemy."
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In a Pentagon lab, a scientist examined a shard of ice from Maya's barrier. It glowed faintly, its structure defying known physics.
**Scientist:** "This isn't ice. It's… something else."
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