The sensation of the "Factory-Reset" wasn't a fade to black; it was a violent, digital flaying.
As Vivian’s finger depressed the red button, the indigo sky of the Integrated Mars-Earth didn't just vanish—it was shredded into long, vertical ribbons of white code. The lush, violet gardens, the ruins of New Zurich, and the hundreds of thousands of "Discarded" survivors were suddenly pulled into a vacuum of pure information.
"Silas!" I screamed, reaching for him as the world dissolved around us.
His hand was in mine, but it was losing its substance. I could see through his palm, through his wrist, to the scrolling command prompts that were devouring the ground beneath him. He looked at me, his human brown eyes widening with a terror that broke my heart. He wasn't just afraid of dying; he wa
