Unknown Location – Underground Vault, Geneva.Sabine stood alone, deep beneath a mountain range, in a vault sealed since the early days of the Covenant project.The REVERB counterstrike had cost her nearly everything public trust, investor confidence, even her control over several clones.But this vault held a final contingency One even Isadora didn’t know about, A glass cylinder hissed open, Within it stood a man Not a clone Not a synthetic Something… else.Project: Version Zero.A failed prototype from before Robin’s DNA was perfected Too aggressive. Too independent. Too unpredictable But now, Sabine needed chaos. And Version Zero was built only for chaos. “Wake up,” she whispered.The figure opened his eyes. “Give me a target.”Dubai: At a rooftop hideout overlooking the Covenant Stadium, Robin stood with Layla, Sierra, Ashar, and Raya, The mission had succeeded, Across the world, millions rejected Sabine’s manipulation. But Robin didn’t smile. Because this war was far from over.A

Location: Stade du Rhône, Marseille Global Broadcast Reach: 3.2 Billion ViewersThe world had never seen a match like this, No referees. No teams. No sponsors. Just two men. A ball. And the soul of football suspended in every heartbeat.The stadium was packed fans, legends, executives, AI scientists, hackers, and children in threadbare jerseys. Some came to witness greatness. Others to mourn its end.At center field, Robin Ashwood stood alone in red and white, Across him, dressed in pitch black, cold and silent, was Version Zero, Every light faded but one, casting long shadows from both men, The announcer’s voice echoed: “This is not just a game. This is a reckoning.”The whistle blew. Z struck first faster than a blink, cutting through space with an unnatural calm. His feet barely touched grass. His movements were coded elegance.Robin dodged, parried, intercepted, But even when he succeeded, it felt like surviving not winning. The crowd watched in awe, Commentators whispered: “Z isn

Location: Ural Mountains, Kazakhstan – Restricted Military Zone Time: 03:47 A.M.Cold bit deep into Robin’s skin, sharper than any stadium wind he’d ever faced. The jet had landed two hours ago at a decommissioned Soviet runway. No radar, no flight log. Only Ashar’s ghost codes got them through.Ashar adjusted the night-vision goggles beside him. “We’re not alone. Thermal signatures inside the mountain. Human… and something else.”Layla loaded a pulse jammer into her pack. “Whatever this place is, it isn’t just a lab. It’s built like a bunker, but the schematics don’t match military architecture.”Sierra wiped frost from her visor. “No this is older. Like a vault.”Robin stood ahead of them all, eyes fixed on the jagged rock wall now sliding open like ancient jaws. The mountain itself was opening, The door bore one symbol. A circle within a triangle, and within that a football. Sabine’s final sanctuary had a name. Project UPLINK.They stepped inside. No alarms. No resistance. Just the

Location: MINDPITCH Simulation Core Second Half BeginsRobin wiped the blood from his virtual lip, The crowd was silent an eerie, synthetic hush. Not one cheer. Not one whistle. Just the sound of static wind brushing across a stadium born of memory and madness.Across the pitch, Alpha-R stood tall, unbothered, like a god forged from algorithms and resentment, His eyes were voids “You’re not ready,” Alpha-R hissed.Robin rolled his shoulders. “I wasn’t ready when they left me alone in the alley. I wasn’t ready when they threw me off the academy list. I wasn’t ready when they said I’d be forgotten. And I’m still here.”He kicked the ball, The second half had begun.Alpha-R moved in straight lines, calculated efficiency perfect angles, flawless turns, But Robin didn’t play perfect anymore He played wild.He faked shots only to fall, He stumbled into possession, used scuffed passes, unpredictable spins.He let emotion guide him rage, sorrow, laughter, even fear. And Alpha-R? He couldn’t c

Location: Florence Safe House, War RoomThe air was heavy with disbelief. Ashar projected the satellite image of the man on the orbital station again. Taller, older, hair streaked with gray but the jawline, the eyes, the intense stare… it was like looking at Robin in twenty years.Robin’s voice barely came out. “That can’t be him.”Sierra responded gently. “The DNA match is 99.98%. No lab in the world could fake that.”Layla's face darkened. “You said your mother never talked about him?”Robin’s fists clenched at his sides. “She said he died before I was born. That he left during the riots. That he was gone.”Ashar frowned. “He wasn’t gone, Robin. He was hiding. And he wasn’t running from danger. He was building something.”Sierra pulled up the classified dossier:Subject: Dr. Lennox AshwoodOccupation: Neural Architect, Quantum Simulation EngineerStatus: Deceased (Falsified)Affiliation: Covenant | Sabine Coalition | Origin DivisionAt the bottom: Project: CROWNObjective: To design