The lab screamed again, metal groaning under the strain. Sparks arced across the room, hissing like angry serpents. My chest burned. Fear, pride, and jealousy twisted inside me, a raw cocktail I couldn’t ignore. Every second mattered. Every move counted.
Vorde’s hand gripped mine, steadying me, but I felt the tremor in his fingers. Blue eyes locked on mine, sharp, urgent. “Veronica, we can’t survive this if you hesitate.” His voice was steady, but I heard it break under the weight of truth, trust, and fear. I need to be perfect. I have to save him, and all of this.
“I know,” I hissed, teeth clenched, fingers itching for the console. The figure in the green glow had stepped fully into the lab, calm, impossibly composed, radiating power. Not code. Not a fragment. Alive. Real. And it knew m
