After the annihilation of the resistance headquarters,the survivors built a new enclave within the ruins of Megacity 1 of the West Asia Grid. Major Alexey Lobov emerged as their leader. Mikaela stood at his side, her silence carrying the weight of every comrade they had lost. The enclave’s creation was only made possible through a breakthrough the resistance had barely secured.The newly acquired ability to teleport resources and personnel between the fractured megacities, a lifeline that kept the movement alive against impossible odds.
With the Resistance scattered, Lobov knew that survival alone was not enough. They needed answers about Antonov, about the vanished data, about the overlords’ precision strike. So the new cell turned its entire intelligence network inward, sending hunters, trackers, and digital infiltrators into the sprawling depths of Megacity 1.
Two weeks later, fragments of information converged into a single lead. Whispers from the underworld pointed to the TechCartel a brutal syndicate trading in illegal cybernetic implants. One of their hidden strongholds, deep within the labyrinth of the city, was rumored to be holding none other than Viktor Antonov, the traitor whose capture had nearly destroyed them all.
Lobov didn’t hesitate. Armed with his exoskeleton and an arsenal heavy enough to tear through armored squads, he launched a one man assault on the TechCartel compound. Twenty cartel enforcers fell in minutes, their augmented bodies no match for his precision and fury. But when the smoke cleared and the last shell casing hit the ground, Antonov was nowhere to be found. No cell. No body. Nothing.
Instead, Lobov uncovered something far more disturbing, a compact computational core, shielded with layers of encryption far beyond anything the implant cartels had ever used. This was no black market tech. This was military grade possibly even overlord architecture.
He stood before the machine, its humming glow casting sharp lines across the scorched walls.
“If Antonov isn’t here…” he muttered, “…then maybe he was never meant to be.”
The possibility chilled him.
Was Viktor Antonov still just a traitor protected by the overlords?
Or had he become something else something they needed to safeguard at any cost?
Innate Trigger : The Vanishing of Viktor Antonov
Release date : 22 – 9 – 2025
Music by : Innate Trigger
