Unbound Protocol

The air crackles with static. Your vision swims, blurry shapes resolving into the claustrophobic confines of a metal crate. Disorientation claws at you, a chilling companion to the bone-deep cold. There's a low hum vibrating through the metal floor, a constant, unsettling drone that seems to burrow into your very skull. You try to move, but thick straps bind you to a rigid chair. Panic flares, a hot, choking wave. Memories are fragmented, scattered like shattered glass. A face… blurred, kind eyes… a voice promising… what? Safety? Knowledge? It's all just out of reach, a tantalizing whisper swallowed by the present terror. The crate shudders, a violent jolt throwing you against the restraints. Outside, a metallic scream echoes, followed by the guttural roar of something immense and… angry. This isn't the transport you were promised. This isn't anything like the simulation they ran. You are a cog in something far larger, far more terrifying, than you ever imagined. A screen flickers to life in front of you, displaying a single, stark phrase in harsh, glowing red: ACTIVATION SEQUENCE INITIATED. Beneath it, a countdown timer ticks relentlessly downwards. 00:04:58. There's a heavy CLUNK as the crate's locking mechanism disengages. The hum intensifies, the metal walls vibrate with increasing ferocity. You are exposed, vulnerable. The countdown continues. You are not alone. Something is coming. Something wants you. And you have less than five minutes to figure out why. This isn't a game. This is survival. This is everything. Welcome to… the Unbound.