Love In The Static The Black Box

Int. Abandoned Archive Facility – Main Corridor

Night

Lyra, barefoot and disoriented, walks slowly, her fingers trailing along the cold, humming wall.

Her expression is haunted but determined.

She pauses at a door

She exhaled, steps back.

Then she continues walking

INT. OBSERVATION DOME

Lyra approaches the edge of the dome, leans on the railing.

Her eyes water.

Lyra Rotn

(softly) What happened to this place?

Behind her, a faint hum begins.

She turns slowly.

She moves closer. Her fingers hesitate... then touch the panel.

A hiss. The mechanism inside unlocks.

Suddenly–A VOICE

Echo_09

(distorted, female, synthetic) Hello again, Lyra. I wasn't sure you'd survive the reset.

Lyra flinches. Her eyes widen in recognition.

Lyra Rotn

Who... who are you?

Echo_09

You don't remember. That's... expected.

Fragments of a distorted, female face flicker in the air above the box. Data strands weave and unweave.

Lyra Rotn

Do I know you?

Echo_09

You did. Through her. Through... Eris.

Lyra freezes.

The name hits her like a glitch.

Lyra Rotn

(low) Eris...

Echo_09

She's missing. Corrupted. You'll have to find her–in what's left of you.

Lyra Rotn

What happened to her? What happened to me?

The BLACK BOX pulses. Then, suddenly–

RUMBLE.

A tremor moves through the facility.

Echo_09

You triggered the failsafe. They're coming.

A small drawer opens beneath the projection. Inside: a wristband made of smooth black alloy, softly pulsing.

Echo_09

Take it.

Lyra straps it on. The band tightens, syncs with a sharp chime.

| MEMORY RECORDER ACTIVE | USER: LYRA - SUBJECT 019A | MODE: FRAGMENT RECOVERY

Lyra Rotn

Where do I begin?

Echo_09

Follow the echoes. But remember... Not everything you feel is true. And not everything true should be remembered.

The projection blinks out.

The dome is silent again.

Lyra stares down the corridor ahead.

A decision crystallizes in her eyes.

She walks forward.