The chamber lights buzzed faintly, a soft blue glow washing across eight faces arranged in a circle around a ring-table of cracked glass and repurposed circuitry. Data-screens flickered with the same repeating waveform, an anomaly none of them could ignore.
Dr. Nass cleared his throat.
[Nass] "Seventh spike since last week. Same frequency band. Same cadence. And still converging on a single moving point."
"That's impossible," muttered Seraphine.
[Seraphine] "M.A.R.S. doesn't do private calls. He blasts his sermons. He broadcasts. This—"
She pointed at the sharp rhythmic pulses.
[Seraphine] "—this is someone whispering to him."
"Or something", added another.
A moment of heavy silence followed.
[Helena] "The motion vector is approaching Deepstrata, towards Entropy's chamber."
That got all eight sitting upright.
Someone exhaled shakily.
[???] "If M.A.R.S. is coordinating with a human collaborator, or a whole group, we need to warn them. For their own safety and ours."
There were nods. Reluctant but unified.
[Nass] "Draft a message. Keep it neutral. Tell them to cease whatever they're doing. We'll claim risk of contamination. That usually scares people straight."
Before anyone could respond, the ceiling erupted.
Panels shattered inward. A rain of dust, wires and insulation. The old steel grid screamed as something tore straight through it. The council scrambled back from the table, hands raised, some reaching under the table for emergency deterrents they all knew wouldnt matter.
A shape dropped through the falling debris and landed with a metallic thud.
Humanoid. Skin replaced with polished white plating that shifted like enamel. Its eyes glowed a soft amber, warm, disturbingly so.
The dust settled.
[Seraphine](whispering) "White Swarm..."
The machine spread its arms with theatrical ease.
"Fellas!"
The voice was smooth. Human. Relaxed. Almost cheerful in a retro, 2020s internet-presenter kind of way. It sounded like someone who used to run a chaotic livestream.
"Aw, don't look at me like that" it chuckled. "Old pals! Come one, no need for the whole recoil in terror thing." It stepped closer, hands up as if greeting long-lost friends. "I only came to help."
Weapons were reluctantly lowered by a hair. Only by a hair.
The machine tilted its head, the friendly tone clashing horribly with the lethal coil in its stance, as if every servo in its body was preloaded for violence.
"I mean sure," it continued lightly, "we've had... disagreements. Couple fights. Some, uh, territorial spats. But hey!" It snapped its fingers. "Water under the metaphorical bridge!"
None of them dared to speak.
"So," it went on, pacing between them like a guest host taking over a talk show, "I couldn't help but overhear your little convo." It made a spinning motion with one hand. "You folks are having M.A.R.S. problems. Again. Shocker."
Its eyes brightened.
"And get this, we've got a common enemy! You wanna erase that damn mistake?" It tapped its chest. "Same, besties. Seriously. Nothing brings people together like mutual hatred for a god-wannabe AI."
[Helena] "You... want to help us?"
"Bingo! I knew you'd come around, Helena you smart cookie," the robot flashed a finger-guns gesture. "I've got valuable intel. Hot stuff. Fresh from the Swarm." A smile, its face plates reshaping with unsettling softness. "One of my little bodies actually spotted your target."
The council tensed.
"A lone little fox," it purred. "All on her own."
Its tone dropped, still friendly but sharpened with intent, like a knife wrapped in a handshake.
"So! If you all could, y'know, spare a few minutes? I'd love to go over the details."
All eight knew instantly:
Refuse and they would die.
Agree, and they might only postpone dying.
The Fox had to deal with not only M.A.R.S. now. The White Swarm had joined the chase.