Thirty minutes later, the chamber was quiet.
The gravity had been turned off. The doors were open. Cool air drifted in from outside.
Nico sat on the floor, leaning back on his hands, breathing steady now. Sweat still clung to his fur, but his body had mostly recovered.
Rex was lying flat on his back.
"…I'm not moving," he muttered.
Chica sat against the wall, arms resting on her knees. She looked annoyed more than tired.
Viper stood near the control panel outside the chamber, checking readings on a small screen.
"…You guys handled 30x better than I expected," he said.
Rex let out a slow breath. "Yeah. Still sucks."
Nico smirked slightly. "You'll get used to it."
Chica glanced at him. "Easy for you to say."
He didn't respond.
For a moment, everything felt calm.
Wind moved through the hilltop outside. The ocean in the distance was quiet. No machines. No alarms.
Just silence.
Then
A voice.
Cold.
Mechanical.
"Nico… and his pathetic friends."
Everyone froze.
The voice came from outside the chamber.
"I've come for you."
Viper's head snapped up. "…What?"
Rex sat up instantly.
Nico was already on his feet.
Footsteps.
Slow.
Heavy.
Metal scraping lightly against the ground.
A figure appeared at the entrance.
Same height.
Same shape.
Same face.
But not the same.
Red metal body. Red glowing eyes. No emotion.
Metal Nico stepped inside.
The air shifted.
Tense.
Quiet.
He looked directly at Nico.
"…Target confirmed."
Nico stared back, completely calm.
"…So he sent you."
Metal Nico tilted his head slightly.
"…Eliminate."
Rex cracked his neck as he stood.
"…Great. Another one."
Chica pushed herself up slowly, eyes locked on the machine.
Viper stepped back from the controls.
"…That thing's not normal."
Nico took one step forward.
His expression didn't change.
"…Good."
Silence filled the chamber.
Then the ground trembled slightly as Metal Nico took another step forward.
And just like that
The break was over.