The sun shone with a suspicious intensity that morning. Not because of the heat, but because everything seemed too normal.
— I'm paranoid — said Carlos while watching a pigeon at the window of his house —. That pigeon is looking at me weird. What if it's a drone?
— Carlos — replied Marta over the call —. It's seven in the morning. Are you already in "conspiracy theory" mode?
— No. I'm in "I have a radar for weird things since the secret base" mode.
— Well, stop interrogating birds and come to my father's lab. I found something.
As soon as Alex and Carlos arrived at Marta's improvised lab — a room filled with electronic components, science books, a fish tank with a fish named Schrödi —, she was already waiting for them with a serious face and an external memory in hand.
— What is that? — asked Alex.
— It's part of the recovered files from Headquarters 03. This part was encrypted. But when connecting to the base, Max activated something… and this was unlocked last night.
— And what does it contain? Mutant dog cookie recipes? — joked Carlos.
— No. It contains a transmission. An old format of compressed data, Morse code style. It comes from an unknown source. But the most disturbing thing is the date.
Silence.
— What date? — asked Alex.
— 30 years ago.
Carlos blinked.
— But… how? And why is it appearing now?
Marta connected the memory to a screen. The file played. A rain of static filled the image. Then a blurry figure appeared: a man in a white coat, tense gaze, and the same spiral they had seen at the base, embroidered on the pocket.
"If you are receiving this… it means that Project H.U.E.S.O. has been reactivated."
"We are hiding. We are hiding. We made mistakes. And now, they are
Look to wake up. The others."
If you are there, remember what you are. Remember who created you. and be prepared...
They will come for you."
The transmission was cut. The screen returned to black.
The H.U.E.S.O project. — asked Carlos Betty, pulling out his notebook with the cover.
Decorated with a drawing of Max in hero mode. Is it an acronym?
"It's so," Marta replied. by U.E.S.O The United People Study You
Organized symbiosis. It was the original name of the experiment that developed dogs and
See Max and B-12. It was not just a military project, it was a real coexistence attempt.
Who are "the others"? He asked Alex, and he looked at Max.
Sitting in front of the screen, with the ears lifted.
Hours later, the group was gathered in the park, just where they had met.
The secret base. Alex had a copy of the file on his bag. Max seemed anxious.
I looked at the trees as if I expected something.
"There's no time for Max in the evening," Carlos said. That makes me nervous.
What if it was a warning? He asked Marta. What if "they" are
The nearby?
What if we stop saying "and yes"? He answered Alex. Every time we do it,
There is a murderer robot.
A crowd of branches interrupted them.
Max stood up.
"This was not a dirt," Carlos murmured, pulling out a bone-shaped linterna.
which had been modified in order to launch laser rays (in theory; in practice, only
It is lighted.
Among the trees appeared a figure. A young man with a beard.
Wipes, broken glasses and a land-covered shirt.
Don't get closer! He screamed, lifting his hands. They don't know who is watching them.
Are you… from the Project? — asked Alex.— Are you… human? — added Carlos.— My name is Elias Romero. I was part of the original research team. And if you found Max… then I no longer have to keep hiding.
The group surrounded him cautiously.— Where have you been all this time? — asked Marta.— Here. Underground. Changing hiding places. Because the Project… didn't close completely. It was reformed. Hijacked by a parallel organization. They are the ones who activated B 12 as a weapon. They made him lose his consciousness. And now… they want to reactivate all the units.
Alex frowned.— All? How many are there?— Twelve.
Silence.— Twelve dogs with special abilities, enhanced intelligence, and technological capabilities. And Max is the only one who still feels.
Carlos swallowed hard.— So there are eleven killer dogs out there, with chips in their brains, without empathy… and we have the only one who is still a good little dog.
Max barked modestly.— What do you mean by "they want to reactivate them"? — asked Marta.— The Project had a backup protocol. If Max was reactivated… the others would feel it. A kind of digital echo. A call.
— And what are we supposed to do? — said Alex, looking at Max with concern.Elias opened an old briefcase. Inside was a map with several marked locations. And in the center, a different symbol. One they hadn't seen until now: a bone crossed by a lightning bolt.
— This is the original command core. The last installation.
The Eco Tower.
There we can prevent the complete synchronization of the units. But only Max can open the central core. Because he is the Last Original Bone.
— It's an acronym within the acronym! — shouted Carlos, excited —. Incredible! The plan was laid out. The group had to infiltrate an old abandoned telecommunications center on the outskirts of the city. There, according to Elias, was the secret entrance to the Eco Tower.
— And how "abandoned" is it? — asked Marta while loading backpacks with equipment, food, and more cookies for Max.
— Let's say that… it may have some "guardians" — replied Elias.
— Humans? — asked Alex.
— Or something that was once.
Upon arriving at the site, the landscape looked like it was taken from a post-apocalyptic movie. Rusty towers, parabolics covered in moss, and a dense atmosphere that made it hard to breathe. Max moved ahead, sniffing the ground.
— It's here — said Alex.
The entrance was hidden behind a fallen metal structure. A rusty hatch with a buzzing symbol: the logo of the Eco Tower.
— This is real — whispered Marta.
When they went down the tunnel, a metallic voice greeted them: "Unit M.A.X. detected. Access authorized. Welcome… Last Bone."
Carlos let out a long sigh.
— This is getting more and more epic...
The Eco Tower
The Eco Tower activated like a titan awakening. Panels lighting up, lights bouncing between the walls, holograms emerging. And in the center, a circular capsule… with eleven compartments.
— Here is where the others were — said Elias.
— And are they empty? — asked Marta.
— Yes. They have already been activated. And now… they are coming.
An alarm began to sound.
— Final protocol initiated — said an automatic voice.
On the screens, coordinates began to appear. One by one, the points lit up.
Eleven lights. Eleven destinations.
Max barked loudly. His body emitted a blue pulse that momentarily turned off the lights.
Alex hugged him.
— We are going to find them. We are going to save them. All of them.
— And if they don't want to be saved? — asked Carlos.
Max approached him… and licked his hand.
— Then we will fight for them, even if they don't know it.
Above, the parabolics turned.
And in a distant base, a shadowy figure observed the movements of the Tower.
— The Bone has awakened — said a voice — . Let the hunt begin.