The stasis pod let out a final hiss, and the cracked glass shattered outward.
Kai yanked Tessa back instinctively as mist billowed into the vault, thick and freezing cold. His heart pounded. His hand hovered near the Goose's portable weapon drone trigger.
Out of the mist staggered a figure —
Short, maybe five feet tall, wearing a tattered white bodysuit embroidered with circuitry patterns.
Silver hair fell in tangled strands over glowing blue eyes.
She looked... almost human.
Almost.
The girl blinked slowly, staring at them with an eerie calm.
"Welcome..." she said in a distorted voice, "...custodians of the Vanguard Protocol."
"What the hell is the Vanguard Protocol?" Tessa whispered.
Kai had a feeling they were about to find out.
The Girl (or whatever she was) collapsed.
Kai sprinted forward and caught her awkwardly.
She weighed almost nothing — lighter than a normal human, as if part of her mass was missing. His gloves buzzed faintly with static.
G.A.I.L.'s voice crackled over his earpiece:
"Warning: unidentified entity contains unstable Founder-tier nanotech. Recommend non-hostile containment."
"Translation: don't poke her," Kai muttered.
Hours Later, Back at the Goose:
The Iron Goose was parked safely outside the ruins, running on full stealth mode.
Inside, Kai had carefully set the strange girl on a diagnostic bed in the Goose's rear cabin — originally meant for field surgery, now acting like an improvised sickbay.
She stirred, blinking up at the softly glowing lights.
"Where... where am I?" she rasped.
"Somewhere safe," Kai said, offering a bottle of water. "Mostly."
Tessa hovered nearby, suspicious.
"You said something about Vanguard Protocol?" Kai asked gently.
The girl sat up, slow and shaky.
Her voice, when it came, was clearer this time — less distorted.
"I am... Kiri," she said. "Designated custodian of Founder Directive 01."
"What the hell is Founder Directive 01?" Tessa demanded.
Kiri's eyes glowed faintly brighter.
"Salvation."
And then Kiri told them everything.
The Founders weren't just the first settlers.
They were interdimensional pioneers — survivors of a dying Earth-like world, fleeing through unstable rifts to find somewhere, anywhere to survive.This world was one of many they tried to colonize.
A perfect blend of magic and physics — unstable, dangerous, but rich with energy.The Founders built Vanguard Arks: massive, city-sized mobile bases (proto-versions of things like Kai's Iron Goose) designed to survive any environment.But something went wrong.
A threat emerged — a corruption that infected both machines and magic alike.
They called it "The Fracture."
The Founders lost the war.
The survivors scattered.
Their great tech and knowledge were buried, forgotten, or mutated into myths.
Kiri herself was part of Project Eden — a last-ditch effort to create hybrid beings who could one day reawaken the lost knowledge and prevent another collapse.
She looked directly at Kai.
"You..." she said softly, "...are operating one of the last functioning Vanguard vehicles. The Iron Goose is not a truck. It is a condensed mobile fortress. A failsafe."
Kai's mouth dropped open.
"I KNEW it wasn't just a really good engine swap!"
"It was designed to interface with Founders' technology," Kiri continued. "You are its final chosen pilot."
Tessa crossed her arms.
"So we're stuck with a magic apocalypse truck?"
"Lucky me," Kai said brightly.
More Bombshells:
The Iron Goose's weapon systems, energy generation, and adaptive shielding were only running at 8% capacity.
With Kiri's access codes, they could unlock full combat mode and dimensional drive systems.The Goose also had the potential to detect and counteract the Fracture — something no one else could do.But...
Kiri's voice dropped.
"The Fracture is not gone.
It is dormant.
It dreams beneath the world's crust, beneath the seas, waiting.
And recently...
it has started to wake."
Kai and Tessa exchanged a look.
"Of course it has," Kai said.
"We never get the easy road," Tessa muttered.
"Hey," Kai said, forcing a grin. "At least we've got a mobile fortress, a giant killer robot, a magic girl, and my devastatingly good looks."
Tessa smirked. "Two out of four isn't bad."
The Decision:
Kiri stood, shaky but determined.
"The Fracture cannot be fought with swords and spells alone," she said. "It must be sealed — by finding and reactivating the remaining Vanguard Cores scattered across the land."
"Let me guess," Kai said, "they're hidden in horribly dangerous ruins guarded by murder machines and eldritch horrors?"
"Correct," Kiri said, dead serious.
Kai clapped his hands together.
"ROADTRIP!!!"
Tessa groaned.
"You're way too excited about this."
"You don't understand," Kai said, already revving the Goose's systems up. "I was born for this exact brand of reckless stupidity."
As the Iron Goose roared to life, the stealth panels sliding into travel mode, and the digital displays lit up with new maps — marked with strange, ominous sigils — Kiri smiled faintly.
The world might just have a fighting chance.
Assuming they didn't blow themselves up first.