Chapter 30: Firing Robots
The cold, gray walls of the prison echoed with the rhythmic tapping of polished boots. Kratos Saint Thanos strode forward, his Iron Man-inspired armor gleaming under the dim overhead lights. The air was thick with the stench of rust, sweat, and despair. He had come here for one reason: to gloat.
Inside the cell sat Calvin, motionless, his face obscured by the shadows. A pair of glowing red eyes flickered to life as Kratos approached, but he dismissed the eerie sight with a smirk.
"Well, well, look at you," Kratos mused, his voice filled with mocking amusement. "The infamous Calvin, reduced to nothing more than a caged rat."
Calvin said nothing, his expression unreadable. Kratos relished the silence. He enjoyed the power he held over his enemies, the absolute certainty that they were helpless before him. He leaned against the bars, feigning concern.
"Did you really think you could escape justice? That your pathetic little rebellion meant anything?" he sneered. "You're finished."
Kratos lifted his hand, activating his technopathy, a unique ability that allowed him to interface with machinery on a level no one else could. He intended only to savor Calvin's despair, perhaps interfere with whatever primitive cybernetics the prisoner might possess. But the moment he reached out with his mind, he felt it.
A signal.
Not a heartbeat. Not flesh and blood.
Cold. Metallic. Artificial.
His smirk faded. His connection to the digital world sharpened, and suddenly, he saw the truth. This wasn't Calvin.
It was a machine. A replica. A perfect imitation down to the smallest detail, except for one flaw—the signal. A hidden transmission pulsed from within the robotic clone, stretching out into the distance.