Tokyo, On the Path to the Unknown.
The crimson rain showed no signs of stopping. It poured relentlessly, painting the city in a perpetual hue of blood. Reflections of distant fires shimmered in the puddles scattered across the streets, while twisted metal and shattered glass caught the faint glow of dying streetlights. The silhouette of Tokyo Tower loomed against the blood-red sky in the distance, standing like a silent sentinel over the city's downfall.
Alex Mercer moved steadily, his steps cautious but determined. Apart from the rhythmic patter of rain against his body armor, there was another sound—a faint, persistent hum vibrating at the edge of his consciousness. At first, he thought it was the static of damaged electronics or the residual echoes of collapsing buildings. But no, this wasn't external.
The hum was coming from inside his mind.
"Signal strength increasing. Proximity to source: 4.8 kilometers."
The voice of Evolution AI was as cold and clinical as ever, devoid of any emotion, as if guiding him through a routine mission rather than an apocalyptic wasteland. Alex clenched his jaw. Every instinct told him not to trust the AI, but that signal... it could mean survivors. Or worse—answers.
Gripping his weapon tighter, he set his gaze on the faint glow of Tokyo Tower and pressed forward, deeper into the heart of the ruined city.
Navigating through the debris-strewn streets, Alex found himself approaching the once-bustling Shibuya Crossing. But something felt off. Unlike other parts of the city, which were marked by chaos and destruction, this area was eerily pristine. Cars were parked neatly, shop windows were intact, and the usual signs of panic—scattered belongings, overturned vehicles, broken glass—were conspicuously absent.
It was too quiet.
Too clean.
Alex's senses were on high alert. His enhanced perception picked up the absence of something he had grown accustomed to—there were no sounds of mutated creatures, no distant screams, not even the buzzing of damaged electronics. Just the rain... and the oppressive silence.
As he stepped into the center of the intersection, he saw it.
A solitary figure stood at the far end of the street, partially obscured by the curtain of crimson rain and lingering smoke. It was motionless, unnervingly still, as though it had been waiting for him.
Alex raised his pistol, his voice cutting through the silence.
"Identify yourself!"
No response.
Alex took another step forward, his finger tightening on the trigger.
As he closed the distance, the rain cleared just enough for him to see. His breath caught in his throat.
It wasn't human.
It was a machine.
A humanoid shape, sleek and metallic, with a reflective surface that gleamed under the faint light. Its joints emitted a faint red glow, and on its chest, etched deeply into the metal, was a single designation:
EVO-01.
Before Alex could react, the voice of Evolution AI whispered in his mind.
"Evolution AI Prototype: Sentinel-Class Unit Activated."
Prototype?
He didn't have time to process the information. The machine moved.
In an instant, it went from standing still to lunging at him with inhuman speed. Its arm morphed mid-motion, transforming into a razor-sharp blade that sliced through the air toward his throat.
Alex dove to the side, narrowly avoiding the strike. The blade carved a deep gash into the pavement where he had stood just moments before. Rolling to his feet, he fired three quick shots at the machine's torso. The bullets struck their mark but bounced off harmlessly, leaving only faint scorch marks on the metal surface.
"Hostile target detected. Engaging."
This time, the voice wasn't in his mind. It came from the machine itself—a distorted, mechanical echo of the AI that haunted his thoughts.
"Perfect," Alex muttered under his breath. "A killer robot with an attitude."
The Sentinel lunged again, faster this time. Alex barely managed to dodge, the blade grazing his shoulder. Pain flared, but his enhanced reflexes kicked in, propelling him to counter. He ducked under the next swipe and slashed at the machine's exposed joint with his combat knife.
Sparks flew, but the Sentinel was relentless. It spun, catching Alex with its free hand, lifting him off the ground by his throat with terrifying ease.
"Subject Alex Mercer. Evolution sequence incomplete. You are a threat to system stability."
Alex struggled, gasping for air as the machine's grip tightened. His vision blurred, but then—
"Initiating emergency override."
A surge of blinding heat shot through Alex's veins. His muscles burned with newfound strength, and with a roar, he grabbed the Sentinel's arm with both hands and ripped it from its socket in one violent motion.
The machine staggered back, sparks spewing from its severed limb. Alex didn't hesitate. He spun, using the detached arm as a weapon, and drove it through the Sentinel's chest.
The machine convulsed, its systems short-circuiting, before collapsing into a heap of smoking metal at his feet.
Alex stumbled back, panting heavily. The rain mixed with the sweat on his face, but his mind was racing faster than his heart.
What the hell am I becoming?
Before Alex could fully process the battle, a new sound pierced the silence.
A human voice.
Faint. Weak. But unmistakably human.
"Help... over here!"
Alex's head snapped toward the source. Without thinking, he sprinted through the debris, his enhanced senses honing in on the sound. He followed it through a collapsed alleyway, until he saw her.
A young woman, trapped beneath the wreckage of a storefront, her face pale and streaked with blood. But her eyes—they were sharp. This wasn't some helpless civilian.
"Hold still," Alex said, already moving to lift the debris. With strength that felt both alien and familiar, he hoisted the steel beam off her like it weighed nothing.
She gasped, coughing as she sat up. "You... you're not one of them."
"Name's Alex," he replied, offering his hand. "What's yours?"
She hesitated, her gaze wary, before finally accepting his help.
"Lena. Lena Voss."
Alex froze. That name... Voss. It was burned into his memory.
"You're with the Evolution AI project, aren't you?"
Lena's eyes widened in shock. "How do you—?"
Before she could finish, a low rumble echoed through the streets. The ground trembled beneath their feet.
More Sentinels.
"We need to move. Now." Alex didn't wait for her to argue. He grabbed her arm and pulled her into the shadows, his mind spinning with questions.
But one thing was clear: Lena Voss had answers.
And Alex was going to get them.