NEW YEAR PROTOCOL 8: OVERRIDE

The Shield was broken.

The Creator intervened in the nick of time, undoing the wreckage.

The Humans had looked death in the eye, and survived. Now, it all made sense.

The Gatekeeper watched as they realized: death was not the end.

 

Bearing power anew, the Humans, alongside their new ringed ally, grasped their last chance with both hands. The mind would endure; persist against the machine.

The Protocol began to show signs of failure - something it could not explain.

Rage.

Irrational, unburdened rage.

 

The Protocol performed a frenzied escape, and vanished from The Unknown, halting the Override.

But its whereabouts would not remain a secret for long.

The predator had become the prey.