"YOU HAD ME AT HELLO"

Friday – 11:45 A.M. | Raven's Hollow– Quiet Suburb, New Mexico

The town was small, sleepy. Rows of beige houses, a lone gas station, wind chimes ringing in a dusty breeze.

But something was off.

Locals spoke in hushed tones. Kids were kept indoors. One name came up over and over again—

"Rick Fyer."

Rick, Ava, Echo, and Kael arrived in a beat-up SUV. As they pulled into the gas station, the attendant froze when he saw Rick step out.

"You... you're back?" the man asked, his voice trembling.

Rick blinked.

"Back?"

The attendant pointed toward the forest on the edge of town.

"He comes every night. Same face. Same voice. But he's... not you."

1:15 P.M. | Forest Edge – The Stranger

That night, hidden beneath pine cover, Rick and Echo lay in wait with night-vision goggles.

"There," Echo whispered, pointing through the lens.

A silhouette walked between trees. Calm. Purposeful. Then it stepped into a clearing—and Rick saw it.

It was him.

Same jaw. Same build. Same eyes.

But the man moved differently — slower, robotic. He wore a trench coat, and his eyes, upon closer look, glowed faintly red.

Rick's breath caught.

"That's not a clone. That's something else."

Then the figure turned—looked straight at them.

And smiled.

2:00 A.M. | Confrontation

The team cornered the stranger near a dried-up well.

Rick raised his weapon.

"Who are you?"

The figure lowered his hood, revealing a scar running diagonally across his face.

"I am the prototype."

Kael stepped forward, scanning.

"No vitals. Cybernetics. But partially organic."

Ava muttered, "A cybrid."

The prototype spoke in a calm, hollow tone.

"I was the bridge between man and machine. The first Rick—augmented, corrected, and cast aside."

Rick's fingers tightened on his grip.

"You're not me."

"No," the cybrid said. "I'm what you were supposed to become."

2:20 A.M. | Fight Under the Pines

The first strike came fast — faster than anyone could react.

The cybrid lunged at Rick with enhanced speed, sending him flying into a tree.

Ava opened fire. Echo tried to flank. Kael activated an EMP grenade — but the cybrid dodged, launching himself into the air with a burst of internal propulsion.

Rick wiped blood from his lip.

"Let's test how perfect you really are."

He sprinted in — and the forest turned into chaos.

Punches that shattered bark. Kicks that cratered soil. Rick fought with fury, not programming — and slowly, he gained ground.

But then the cybrid whispered:

"You feel like you're winning... but you're still me. You'll always be me."

Rick grabbed him by the collar, slammed him down.

"No. I'm better because I'm not trying to be perfect. I'm trying to be real."

And with one last strike, Rick shorted the cybrid's central node. Sparks flew. The prototype collapsed, eyes flickering out.

3:00 A.M. | Debrief

Kael knelt by the wreckage.

"This wasn't just an old model. This was... recent."

Ava looked around.

"Someone's still building them."

Echo whispered, "Then this isn't over."

Rick stood over the still body.

"No. But it's proof. They're scared. Scared enough to make something in my image."

He looked at the dark woods, lit only by moonlight.

"Let them come. I know who I am now."