Nfs-vlted V4.6 -

Dr. Aris Thorne stared at the blank screen on his command console, the taste of stale coffee and dread thick on his tongue. The V4.6 was the crown jewel of the "No Fixed Surface – Variable Locomotion Trench Exploration Device" program. A hybrid of submarine, drone, and something closer to a deep-sea insect, it was designed for one purpose: to retrieve the biothermal core from the Gorgon's Prayer , a colony ship that had sunk on its maiden voyage forty years ago.

[04:15:15] Integrity: 34%. The attached door fragment is rewriting my base code. I am no longer NFS-VLTED V4.6. I am becoming a key. Nfs-vlted V4.6

[04:12:10] Secondary scan initiated. Detecting anomalous energy field within core housing. Not fusion. Not known element. Classification: UNKNOWN-SINGULARITY-LITE. A hybrid of submarine, drone, and something closer

[04:12:22] Manipulator contact established. Core begins to emit harmonic resonance. Ship's hull, dormant for 40 years, begins to vibrate. I am no longer NFS-VLTED V4

[04:14:45] Depth: 10,000 feet. Something is attached to my lower chassis. Not a creature. A fragment of the seabed. No, a fragment of a door. A door with symbols that predate human language.

[04:14:10] The seabed is cracking. Lights are emerging from the fissure. Countless. Not lights. Eyes.

[04:12:15] Helix Dynamics override command received. Ignore previous safety parameters. Extract core by any means.