The Unstoppable Shadow

d by quantum relays that pulsed data faster than light. Earth, however, remained the heart of the Terran Coalitio

uried in cosmic noise, but it was unmistakable. It originated from the Kuiper Belt, a region long dismissed as a graveyard of ice and rock. The sign

lder, his augmented eyes glowing faintly as he synced with the data

solating the signal's frequency. "It's not j

ickered. The holoscreen spasmed, displaying a

om wen

's capital. Its walls were reinforced with nanocarbon, its security systems pow

of burning circuits. Security drones lay in heaps, their cores melted as if struck by an electromagnetic puls

g?" Elara's voice trembled as sh

ng up heat signatures. "Something's inside the syste

s. The institute's director, Dr. Marcus Hale, was shouting into a comms unit, his face pa

towering over eight feet, his armored form a fusion of organic tissue and alien machinery. His helmet, a dome of polished obsidian, reflected the fli

relic of a failed experiment called Project Titan. It was meant to create the ultimate soldier, a fusion o

low rumble that vibrated the

cs glowing red. They turned on the scientists, weapons priming. Elara g

elay!" Elara hissed. "If he's in

's gaze locked onto them. "You," the villain sa