Manuel materialized in the teleportation reception hall of Megacity 1 in the West Asia Grid, where Major Alexey Lobov and Mikaela were waiting for him together with the resistance’s technicians and medical staff. The health check procedure was routine but thorough; the doctors wanted to make sure that the transfer had left no side effects and that there was no risk to the team. Right after, Lobov briefed him on the situation, the complete annihilation of the resistance cell, the regrouping through the teleportation of fighters from other Grids, and the investigations already underway regarding Viktor Antonov. Antonov had survived and escaped, a fact that indicated his value to the overlords went far beyond his role in the TechCartel. As a former police officer before the enforcement of the Grid plan, Manuel knew well the feeling of duty. But this had nothing to do with the old streets of Europe he once patrolled. Here there was no state, no law only the overlords, the cartels, and a resistance desperately trying to keep alive a spark of freedom. And he was now called to cooperate with Major Alexey Lobov and Mikaela to unravel the mystery around Viktor Antonov. A traitor who, in order to have survived, had to be far more than a common implant smuggler.
Later, after the reports and briefings were over, Manuel asked for some time alone. He sat on an old bench in a half-collapsed chamber and let himself drift into thought. The image of destruction outside mirrored his own soul: blurry, fractured, but still standing. “What can I truly offer?” he wondered. His experience as a policeman had taught him to observe, to piece together fragments of a puzzle, to listen where others spoke. Yet this battlefield was something else entirely: an invisible war of information, technology, and betrayal. The fear that he might not rise to the occasion struck him like hammers. And yet, deep down, he knew this was his moment. The resistance hadn’t called him by chance. They needed someone who could see beyond the chaos of battles, recognize patterns, and search for the truth within a tangled web of lies. If Viktor Antonov held value for the overlords, then understanding why might be the key to the future of every Grid. Manuel stood at the edge of a collapsed road, staring at the horizon fading into dust. He felt the weight pressing down on him, but also an inner voice telling him that this burden was his to bear. Because sometimes, in the darkest moments, what is needed is not heroes with weapons, but people who know how to read the truth hidden behind the shadows.
Innate Trigger : The Weight of Trust
Release date : 29 – 9 – 2025
Music by : Innate Trigger
