Arc ZERO : The Last Summer

  KAEL

  In a society segregated by blood and money, three teenagers, the idol of the slums, the heiress of the upper city, and the invisible prodigy break social boundaries to uncover a state secret. They were looking for an origin; they will only find a serial number.

  Elhadji FALL

  CHAPTER I : NEMESIS

  Night. The Upper City…

  Skyscrapers shimmer, giant screens spew their slogans: "Excellence and Order", "Progress and Purity". Drones patrol, their red eyes sweeping the avenues. Everything is perfect, too perfect.

  Suddenly, a fsh. The messages vanish as if swept away by an invisible hand. In their pce, a stylized, animated fractal triangle emerges: the Nemesis logo.

  A low-frequency rumble rolls through the streets, as if the city itself is vibrating. The citizens stop, bewildered. The drones slow down, recalcuting their trajectories.

  On the rooftops, Ange slides down a cable, her bck suit clinging to her body. Her hands activate a jammer, transforming the blinking screens into coded messages readable only by the initiated.

  Luis, massive and focused, maniputes his floating terminal. His fingers dance across the holograms, recalibrating data streams, masking their tracks, anticipating every reaction from the robotic patrols.

  "They're going to love our signature," Luis murmurs.

  "Or hate us... but it's funnier that way," Ange replies with a smirk.

  The logo scales the gss facades, forcing its way into the building lobbies. For twelve seconds, the Upper City is forced to look at something other than its own perfection. Then everything goes back to normal. Too normal.

  "They saw the logo. Now they know we're here."

  "They always know. The question is when."

  They vanish into the shadows, descending toward Lorient High School.

  ***

  In the dark streets …

  The Upper City patrol activates immediately: drones and hovering vehicles converge on the nearby districts. Nemesis evades them, using narrow alleys, suspended conduits, and makeshift hiding spots. Every corner could reveal a drone or a patrol bot. Adrenaline spikes.

  ***

  Outside Lorient High School…

  The facade is calm, silent, almost noble. Not a single light bleeds through. Ange deploys a holographic scanner to detect the security systems. Luis triggers a localized electromagnetic pulse, popping open a metal door without a sound.

  Inside, the hallways are bathed in a pale blue light. The silence is palpable.

  On the first sublevel, something shifts. A steady, mechanical yet almost respiratory sound pierces the quiet.

  A Watcher emerges. A human silhouette, smooth bck armor, a glowing slit where its eyes should be. Then a second, a third. These aren't drones: they are decision-making units, programmed to neutralize and analyze.

  Luis sets off a short EMP burst. The first Watcher colpses heavily. The others immediately adapt their posture and approach. Their strikes are precise, calcuted, devoid of unnecessary brutality. Ange and Luis move with fluidity, eliminating, dodging, fnking, deploying electromagnetic smoke grenades and targeted strikes.

  Further down, the Watcher models change: bulkier, older, with each floor revealing a different generation of automated defense. The Directorate stacks, secures, protects.

  ***

  Final Room…

  A reinforced door blocks the way. Ange forces the lock. An organic heat hits them instantly. Translucent conduits run along the walls, pulsing with irregur streams of light. The floor vibrates softly.

  "These aren't generators..." Ange whispers.

  The terminal reveals: BIOPROCESSORS. Hundreds, thousands of aligned pods. Teenagers—plugged in, connected, alive—their energy circuting through a massive neural network.

  Luis's terminal lights up: file on K-749, high priority.

  "It's him. Let's move."

  "Finally."

  ***

  The Last Watcher…

  A rger Watcher activates. Its voice is cold and administrative:

  "Unauthorized access. Please surrender."

  Luis clenches his fists, ready to charge. But a voice echoes in his earpiece:

  "Luis! We're pulling out now! Fall back!" It's Akira.

  Ange turns to him.

  "We don't have time! Fall back! The rest of the patrol is coming!"

  Luis hesitates, containing his rage and frustration. The Watcher advances slowly but calcutedly. Akira insists:

  "This isn't a fight you can win alone. We bail or you both die."

  Luis shoots one st look at his target... then yields.

  "...Let's go."

  "Finally," Ange breathes.

  ***

  The Escape…

  The lights fsh red. Watchers flood into the side corridors. Ange and Luis deploy smoke screens and targeted strikes, scaling walls and pulling acrobatics. Akira coordinates their every move remotely.

  They climb back to the surface. The cold night air hits them. Lorient High School looks intact, calm, innocent. But the Nemesis logo has left its mark. Beneath their feet, the Directorate knows it has been seen. It won't forgive.

  Luis takes one st look back, frustrated but alive. Akira's voice rings in his earpiece:

  "Next time, listen to me from the start."

  "Yeah, yeah... next time," Luis grumbles, already pnning their return.