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Location: The heart of the Black Forest in northern Venosa – Abandoned Laboratory
The humidity was stifling, and the air smelled of rusty iron. Through the tangled trees, the group was advancing slowly, led by Luca Ferri, who looked more serious than ever.
Marco (looking at Luca as he chews gum):
"You know what? Next time you die, try sending a postcard."
Luca (without turning around):
"If I were to die again… it wouldn't be in a conventional way."
Savio (sarcastically):
"How about dying after we've saved the world? I think that's a classic ending."
Franco (nervously):
"This isn't the time for jokes… The Blue Eye is moving faster than we expected."
Colombo (holding up a glove-shaped device):
"My devices are picking up nano-vibrations coming out of the lab. Something here… is alive."
---
Inside the Lab
They pushed open the metal door with difficulty. The dim lights flickered from residual energy. Blue liquid was seeping from the glass walls. On the floor, a single name was written in broken handwriting: "Project A.Z."
Irina (analyzing the letters):
"Abbreviation for: Artificial Zenith... This is the basis of the Blue Eye."
Luca (staring at one of the empty capsules):
"This place... was their first failure. This is where it all began."
Suddenly, a low-pitched siren wailed, and the lights changed to red.
Rocco (backing away quickly):
"Oh, no... I know that color. That color means: Run."
Franco:
"Everyone back! Columbo, shut down the system!"
Colombo:
"Shut down the system? I can barely understand it!"
Out of the shadows emerged the first "Glass Fighter." Fully human, but its body was covered in a transparent layer of blue glass, emitting pulses of light.
Glass Fighter (in a mechanical voice):
"Go near the mother cell. Return or destroy."
Marco (raising his pistol):
"Let's introduce them to a policy: shoot first, ask later."
A battle erupted inside the lab. Laser bullets bounced off the glass, and the echoes of the fight echoed through the corridors of memory.
Luca (using an electromagnetic pulse):
"These creatures don't fight as robots... they fight as trained soldiers!"
Irina:
"Because they were humans! Project A.Z. used volunteers... and implanted artificial consciousness inside them."
Franco (angrily):
"This is insane... turning humans into weapons?"
Rocco (laughing as he jumps onto a Glass Fighter):
"Isn't that what we've been trying to do to ourselves all along? Turn into weapons against the world!"
Savio (punching a fighter):
"Stop philosophizing, you bullet poet!"
---
In the surveillance room
Luca opens a secret safe. Inside is a small disc engraved with: "Z1 – The Original Eye."
Luca:
"This is it. The first consciousness copy… of the Blue Eye's creator."
Franco:
"If we get it… we can understand their weakness."
Irina:
"But the backups are spread across nine bases… and they already know we're here."
The light goes out, then quietly comes back on.
Voice from an internal speaker, a quiet, mysterious voice:
"Hey, Franco… I didn't expect you to get this far."
Franco (staring at the ceiling):
"The Blue Eye."
Blue Eye:
"We don't need to fight. You're fit to be one of us."
Marco (whispering):
"Oh, the usual show. Just missing a welcome drink."
Franco (firmly):
"I don't belong in a place that dehumanizes people."
Blue Eye:
"So, prepare for the next wave... because it won't be made of glass."
---
Outside the Lab - Sunset
The squad is making a labored retreat, the scars of battle evident on everyone, but there's something different in their eyes. It's no longer just a battle for survival... but a struggle for identity.
Rocco (looking at the sunset):
"Are we really saviors? Or just interlopers of the apocalypse?"
Luca (in a low voice):
"Maybe we're the only thing left between the world... and total collapse."
Franco (carefully holding the disc):
"The next step... inside the heart of the capital. Where everything is born."