OLD DISTRICT — AFTERNOON
New Atlantis' forgotten quarter sits under a pale sun — cracked roads, rusted fire escapes, walls stained by decades of rain and silence.
Steel steps out of an INN vehicle, his jacket collar raised against the cold breeze. The tension in his eyes has settled since returning from leave — now sharpened into purpose.
A local police sergeant greets him.
SERGEANT HAYES
Agent Steel… you'll want to see this yourself.
Kid's been shaking since morning.
Steel nods, follows him inside.
---
APARTMENT BLOCK – HALLWAY
Fluorescent lights flicker with a low hum.
Paint peels like discarded snakeskin.
Apartment 6B.
Door half-open.
Steel knocks gently.
[Agent Steel]:(In a calm and steady voice)
I'm Jaxon Steel, INN. I'm here to help.
No answer.
Steel pushes the door open.
APARTMENT 6B
A cramped, dim room.
Curtains drawn.
A single lamp glows over a table strewn with old polaroids.
A man in his 30s sits on the floor, knees up, hands trembling.
Sweat beads across his forehead.
This is LIO MERCER, the only witness to the murder.
Steel kneels to his level — not as an agent, but as a human.
[Agent Steel]:Lio… no one's here to hurt you.
Just talk to me. What did you see?
Lio doesn't look up.
LIO:(VOICE SHAKY)I shouldn't have looked.
It — it noticed me.
Steel's expression hardens slightly, but stays gentle.
[Agent Steel]:What noticed you?
Lio lifts a trembling hand and points to the polaroids.
Steel slowly stands and inspects them.
---
ON THE POLAROIDS
Blurry street corners.
Crowded markets.
Random people.
But in several images, faint distortions appear — humanoid silhouettes, like something standing just outside the visible spectrum.
Blue static.
Flicker patterns.
Steel's pulse quickens.
His Neuro-Link hums lightly — reacting.
[Agent Steel]:(UNDER HIS BREATH)What the hell…?
Behind him, Lio starts crying.
LIO: I didn't take those pictures.
They were already here.
Steel turns sharply.
[Agent Steel]:What do you mean?
Lio finally looks up — his eyes hollow.
LIO:it left them.Like it wanted me to remember.
A cold wind seems to slip through the closed windows.
---
APARTMENT 6B — KITCHEN — LATER
Steel sets up a portable INN scanner on the table.
Susan's voice echoes in his memory.
"Sometimes the world leaves traces even when people don't."
He scans the polaroids.
Static jumps.
The images pulse — like living things.
DEVICE
(DEAD, FLAT TONE)
Unregistered energy signature.
Source: Unknown.
Pattern match: 0%.
Steel frowns.
His Neuro-Link pulses harder — a low vibration behind his ears.
Lio watches nervously.
[LIO] :it saw me through the window.
Then its head tilted… like it was listening.
Steel freezes.
[Agent Steel]:Listening to what?
Lio hesitates.
Then whispers:
LIO:To something inside the walls.
The lights flicker.
Steel's hand goes to his sidearm, eyes sweeping the room.
---
APARTMENT BLOCK ROOFTOP – MOMENTS LATER
Steel steps into the open air.
Wind whips across the rooftop.
He speaks into his comm.
[Agent Steel]:This is Agent Steel.
I have a witness showing signs of trauma linked to an unknown visual entity.
Possible connection to previous murder.
There's silence on the line.
Susan should be answering.
Romer should be on the channel.
Madison…
But nothing.
Steel lowers the comm slowly.
[Agent Steel]:(TO HIMSELF)Where the hell is everyone?
He scans the skyline.
And that's when he sees it.
---
A Distant Silhouette
Across the roofs —
barely visible —
a humanoid shape stands.
Still.
Unmoving.
Watching.
A faint ripple of blue static surrounds it.
Steel's heart kicks.
The silhouette tilts its head —
exactly the way Lio described.
Steel narrows his eyes.
[Agent Steel]:You again.
He runs toward the edge —
but the silhouette dissolves into flickering static and vanishes like a corrupted hologram.
Steel stops at the rooftop ledge.
Breathing hard.
Conflicted.
Alert.
Alone.
---
APARTMENT 6B – RETURN
Steel kneels in front of Lio again.
[Agent Steel]:You're safe.I promise you that.
Lio nods but doesn't look convinced.
Steel stands and looks back at the polaroids.
Each one seems heavier now.
More deliberate.
Almost like a message…
Left for him.
His expression darkens.
[Agent Steel]:(WHISPER)What are you trying to tell me?
---
TO BE CONTINUED....