The lab had become a living storm. Sparks hissed and exploded from every console, shadows leaping and twisting across walls slick with smoke. The pulse of chaos throbbed in my chest. My lungs screamed for air, my pulse hammered in my ears, but I couldn’t stop. Every second counted.
Vordon’s hand found mine, iron-tight, grounding me against the tremor running through my own veins. His blue eyes were wide, sharp, fierce, and haunted by fear.
“Veronica, whatever happens,” he said, voice raw, trembling with pride and dread.
“I know,” I snapped, adrenaline lancing through me. My fingers itched toward the interface, toward the device, the fulcrum of everything. But it wasn’t just code I faced anymore. The final adversary had taken form: a living, breathing presence, calm, composed, radiating
