Chimera 7 Temporal Safeguard

The air hangs thick with the scent of brine and something… metallic. A low, rhythmic thrum vibrates beneath your feet, resonating deep in your bones. You open your eyes, blinking against the dim, flickering light. You're lying on cold, damp metal, strapped into a contour-molded chair. Panic claws at your throat. You try to move, but the restraints are unyielding. Above you, a series of blinking lights dance across a complex console, spitting out strings of unintelligible symbols. The rhythmic thrum intensifies, becoming a pulsating drone that drowns out almost all other thought. Where are you? And more importantly, why? A voice, synthesized and distant, cuts through the drone. "Awakening sequence complete. Neural assimilation… seventy-two percent. Initiating cognitive input. Subject designation: Chimera-7." Chimera-7? That's not your name. Or… is it? A flicker of memory, like a half-remembered dream, dances at the edge of your consciousness. Fragments of labs, sterile white corridors, faces blurred and distorted. Experiments. Pain. But the details remain stubbornly elusive. The synthesized voice continues, seemingly unaware of your inner turmoil. "Objective designation: Safeguard. Primary directive: Protect the Chronarium. Secondary directives: Neutralize all threats. Preserve temporal integrity." Temporal integrity? Chronarium? This makes no sense. You strain against the restraints, desperation rising. You need to escape. You need answers. Suddenly, the lights intensify, bathing the chamber in an eerie, pulsating glow. The drone reaches a fever pitch. The synthesized voice, now closer, more urgent, speaks directly into your mind. "Threat detected. Incursion imminent. Prepare for activation. The fate of time itself… rests in your hands." Then, silence. The drone subsides, leaving a ringing in your ears. The lights dim, revealing the outlines of the chamber. You're in some kind of metallic capsule, surrounded by humming machinery. You are Chimera-7, or at least, that's what they call you. And something terrible is about to happen. Your mission, should you choose to accept it… or rather, are compelled to accept it… begins now. Can you unravel the mysteries of your past and fulfill your designated purpose? Or will you become another victim of this strange, temporal war? The Chronarium awaits. And time is running out.