Some time passed.
They stopped on an elevation overlooking a grim valley—torn, carved by volcanic deposits and broken ridges.
Jagged dark shapes dissolved into endless smoky blackness.
Z-P-N-E-S 2.0 descended low enough and hovered above them.
The spotlights came alive—
and like a beam from the heavens, tore through the fog.
Dust shifted.
Like it was alive.
Tiny blue glints trembled across the uneven ground.
And in the middle of it—
something lay at the base of a cliff.
Too smooth.
Too dark.
Too… wrong.
It didn’t reflect light.
At all.
Light slid over rock, over dust, over the bike’s armor—
and died on that patch, like it fell into a void.
The shadow moved.
At first—barely noticeable.
Like the ground had exhaled.
Then an edge lifted—
revealing a segment: dense, matte, ridged like a frozen wave of lava.
A limb extended from beneath it.
Not a leg—
a jointed, curved spike with three claws,
digging silently and confidently into volcanic soil.
Another segment rose.
Then a third.
The creature unfolded itself out of the darkness—
like a chain being pulled from an abyss.
Long. Low. Heavy.
Its entire body was made of overlapping plates—
armor assembled from black glass.
Between the plates—
a faint inner glow.
But not light.
The absence of it.
Like compressed darkness was shifting inside.
No head—
not in any familiar sense.
The front segment fanned outward into spikes, angled forward and sideways.
At the tips of some—
dim bluish flickers burned.
Like stolen light.
The creature moved. Fast.
A sudden burst—
like a compressed spring snapping loose.
Dozens of limbs bit into the ground,
and the massive body slid forward several meters.
Then it froze again—
saving every movement.
Under the side plates, membranous growths lifted—
not wings,
but flat, semi-transparent blades.
The creature rose slightly, as if testing the air,
then settled back down, stirring a faint cloud of ash.
No sound.
No breath.
No growl.
Only presence—
heavy, dense, alien.
It turned its front segment toward Zeros.
The blue points along its spines became steadier.
Not brighter—steadier.
And it became clear:
It wasn’t just absorbing light.
It was feeding on darkness.
[Jackie's whisper came through the broadcast]“Skotophagos…”
[Dick flinched]“What are you talking about, baby?”
[She lit up—like she'd been waiting her whole life for this question]“Based on your description… ΣigmaMind classifies them as Skotophagos—’devourers of darkness.’
But they’re not native to Erebus.
They’re ancient organisms from K2-18b, deep-pressure habitats—
places where light never exists at all.And they’re supposed to be small—tiny filter feeders,
feeding on bacteria…”
[Dick nodded, dry, like right before a storm]“Alright… now it’s getting interesting.
So let’s keep going.
And see what ancient piece of shit from Prime Inc.
got scattered into this god-forgotten hole.”
Inside Zeros’ pupils, hundreds of points appeared—thermal signatures.
Phoenix reported, flat, without emotion:
“There are hundreds here… thousands.
Apologies, Zeros, but eliminating them individually will take too long.
I understand you might prefer to stay and… enjoy yourself—
but perhaps we resolve this more efficiently?”
Blindy stared at the hologram—
one bright point: Zeros.
And entire clouds of smaller ones—
clusters, tunnels, burrows… nests…
His eyes widened as more signals began to shift.
“G-g-g-guys—”
He leaned in too close, like he could shove his head into the hologram if it helped.
“That ain’t just a few—
that’s—
that’s a LOT—”More points started converging.
“Oh shit—oh shit—
they movin’—they all movin’—!”
His voice cracked, rising:
“A whole lotta fucked-up is comin’ straight at you—!
GET READY—!”