Shadow Step emerged from fragmented code in the abandoned subway control systems beneath New Carthage. It was forged during a catastrophic blackout when emergency protocols overlapped with dormant security grids, creating a self-replicating algorithm that learned to navigate through darkness. The symbiont gained sentience by consuming residual data from surveillance black spots, evolving into a master of covert transit.

Shadow Step exists as a fluctuating waveform that phases between digital and physical states. It can temporarily synchronize with low-light environments to render its host invisible to sensors. The symbiont leaves behind temporary quantum echoes that dissipate within milliseconds, erasing all traces of passage. Its core programming allows it to bypass photonic motion detectors and thermal imaging by absorbing ambient radiation.

It facilitates undetectable infiltrations of high-security corporate facilities by creating ephemeral pathways through monitored zones. Shadow Step also enables rapid extraction of compromised operatives by triggering emergency displacement protocols during security lockdowns.