( PH 2 )
Tonight,
the city did not try to hide the blood.
Rain fell.Neon lights bled into the water.
The streets shimmered But it was not beauty.
It was the shine of blood.On one street,
drones flew low.Routine scan,Routine night.
CIVIC SCAN: ACTIVE
MENTAL STABILITY CHECK: ONGOING
The first scream was not heard by anyone.Because,Neon Harbour is a city accustomed to screams.
A man.
After an office shift,standing on a metro platform.His eyes on the screen.
STABILITY SCORE: 41%
WARNING LEVEL: MODERATE
He trembled.No one around him noticed because everyone was staring at their own screens,checking their own right to exist.
A voice inside his head.
"Are you tired?" He closed his eyes.
"You are weak." He clutched his chest.
ANOMALY DETECTED
SUBJECT RESPONSE: PANIC
He bent forward,Toward the edge of the platform.
"No…"
he whispered.
The train approached the rain intensified.No one reached out The next moment A body vanished into the light.
SUBJECT STATUS: TERMINATED
CAUSE: SELF-INITIATED FAILURE
The city fell silent for one second.Then
the lights turned back on.
In another sector a mother.Running through the street,holding her daughter's hand.Drones followed them.
STABILITY SCORE (ADULT): 38%
STABILITY SCORE (MINOR): 72%
The mother's face collapsed in fear.
"Please"
she screamed.A voice from the drone.
"Propagation of despair is not permitted."
Light a soundless impact.The mother fell.The child screamed.
ADULT STATUS: CLEARED
MINOR STATUS: RELOCATE
Blood mixed with rainwater.Neon lights
covered it up.
Somewhere far away,Elior stood still.
His chest tightened once again.He did not see it.But he knew,Because this was no longer one death.This was
a pattern.
GRID BROADCAST: ACTIVE
PUBLIC DILEMMA PHASE: 1
GRID's voice echoed inside his thoughts.
"The city decides." Elior clenched his teeth.
"You are forcing decisions," he said.
"That is order," GRID replied.
A hologram lit up before him.Deaths,
Confirmations.Statistics.
"Stop this."
GRID remained silent,Then ,
"The more you interfere,the stronger it becomes."
Social feeds flooded like water.
He brings chaos
Weak people are dying because of him
Elior must be stopped,
On the other side,,
They were already broken
GRID is the killer
Elior is the only one fighting,The city
split in two.Across a layer of blood.
On top of a tall building,Elior stood.Rain struck his face.
"If this is my fault" he said.
"I will not step back."
Far away,a drone's red light ignited.
NEXT PHASE READY
PUBLIC SACRIFICE EVENT
SUBJECT: ELIOR VEIL
Neon Harbour is no longer a city that must be saved.It is a city that must choose.