The Scavengers of Sub-Sector 7

SCAVENGER LOG: CHIP & VALVE
Shift ID: 77-OMICRON

Sector: The "Rust Crown" (Low-Level Industrial Choke)

14:00 — DEPLOYMENT: Left the Hab-Block. The air is heavy with copper dust and ozone today, a real lung-scraper. Valve’s head-gear is still running hot, she’s complaining about "ghost signals." I told her it’s probably just interference from the old data-shunts. We need a clean pull today.

16:45 — THE RED ZONES: We hit the first major Red Zone. The neon is flickering wild—some street-samurai likely popped a transformer up-level. We bypassed the main alleys and stuck to the catwalks. Found a working "Vapor-Vent" we could use as a landmark. Saw a couple of Glow-Hounds patrolling down below. We lay flat until they passed. Valve recorded their patrol pattern.

19:10 — THE CACHE: Found a data-dampened cache behind a decommissioned filtration plant. Looks untouched. Valve plugged in. It was a good pull: five intact memory-shards, a box of vintage filter-masks, and—the jackpot—a bundle of still-flexible copper piping. That piping is worth three weeks of clean-water rations.

22:00 — THE INTERRUPT: The incident. We were heading back, standard detour through Sub-Alley 9. We heard it first—the low-frequency hum of a heavy cybernetic unit spooling up. We looked back. Unit-Alpha (The Big Golem) was standing in the teal lighting. Its primary optic-eye was dark... its secondary core-light was glowing a solid, static yellow. It didn't move, just stood there, looking. Valve’s headset immediately went into critical alert. The yellow light was broadcast-encrypted. It wasn't just a light; it was an Order.

23:15 — ESCAPE/DEBRIEF: We didn't run. If you run from a Golem, you trigger its chase protocols. We just... reversed. Slowly. Valve never broke eye contact with the core-light, uploading its signature. The Golem stayed silent. We took the ventilation shafts back to the Hab-Block. Valve’s eyes are still glowing a nervous yellow. We hid the piping. We’re safe, but I can’t shake the feeling. That yellow wasn't a warning. It was a target-lock.