Chapter 27: Crowe's Contingency
Author: MrLostLetter
The corridors vibrated with a low hum as the Core's systems shifted, the energy growing more unstable with every passing second. Ethan's breath was steady, but his pulse hammered in his ears. The Codex within him stirred—its power barely contained beneath the surface.
"Ethan."
Lena's voice was calm but her grip on the pulse pistol was tight. Her eyes scanned the corridor, her expression hardened.
"They're close."
"Too close."
Dorian's holo-pad flashed with encrypted data, streams of code flooding across the screen faster than his implants could process. His jaw clenched.
"Something's wrong."
Ethan's eyes narrowed.
"Define wrong."
Dorian didn't look up.
"The Core's protocols... they're... changing."
Lena's brow furrowed.
"Changing how?"
Dorian's fingers moved faster, but the data was shifting too quickly, adapting to his attempts to decrypt it.
"It's not just HelixCorp's algorithms." His voice was tight, his expression grim.
"This is Crowe's work."
Ethan's heart pounded harder.
"Crowe's still manipulating the system?"
Dorian shook his head, his cybernetic eye flickering as he processed the influx of data.
"Not manipulating..." His voice trailed off, his eyes widening.
"He's rewriting it."
---
Ethan's jaw clenched as the weight of Dorian's words sank in.
"Rewriting the Core?"
Dorian's fingers flew across the interface, but the system pushed back, resisting his attempts to override the code.
"He's embedding a failsafe."
Lena's expression darkened.
"A failsafe for what?"
Dorian's gaze met hers, and for a moment, there was hesitation.
"For us."
Ethan's grip on the pulse blade tightened.
"Crowe's trying to lock us out."
"Not just lock us out." Dorian's voice was barely above a whisper now.
"He's turning the Core into a weapon."
---
The air grew colder as they moved deeper into the Core's infrastructure, the hum of the system becoming almost... alive. The glow from the holo-panels lining the walls pulsed in sync with Ethan's heartbeat.
"Ethan..."
Lena's voice was softer now, but her concern was unmistakable.
"Are you feeling that?"
Ethan's jaw clenched.
"Yeah."
It was stronger now.
The Codex wasn't just reacting to the Core's systems—it was resonating with them.
"It's because I built it that way."
Crowe's voice echoed in Ethan's mind, quieter this time, but no less chilling.
"The Core and the Codex... they're connected."
Ethan's breath caught.
"You designed it... to respond to the Codex?"
"I had to."
The weight of Crowe's words hung heavy in the air.
"HelixCorp couldn't be trusted. But you... you're different."
Ethan's pulse quickened, the energy of the Codex thrumming just beneath his skin.
"You left a backdoor."
"A contingency."
Lena's eyes were on him now, her brow furrowed.
"Ethan, what's happening?"
---
Ethan's grip on the pulse blade tightened as the realization hit him.
"Crowe's not just embedded in the Core," he murmured.
"He built a way to control it... through me."
Dorian's holo-pad beeped sharply, the encrypted data shifting once again.
"Ethan," Dorian's voice was urgent, his eyes narrowing as he processed the information.
"There's a secondary command protocol... buried deep within the Core's framework."
"Can you disable it?"
Dorian's jaw clenched.
"Maybe... but it's tied directly to the Codex's neural interface."
Lena's expression hardened.
"Which means?"
Dorian's gaze met Ethan's, his tone grim.
"It means if I shut it down... it might take the Codex with it."
---
The silence that followed was deafening.
Ethan's pulse pounded in his ears, the weight of the decision settling on his shoulders.
"If we don't stop it..."
Lena's voice was softer now, but her gaze was unwavering.
"HelixCorp wins."
Dorian's fingers hovered over the holo-interface, his expression torn.
"Ethan..."
Ethan's jaw clenched, his mind racing.
The Codex was part of him now.
If they shut it down...
He didn't know what would happen.
"You don't have to do this, Ethan."
Crowe's voice echoed softly in the back of his mind.
"There's another way."
Ethan's brow furrowed.
"What way?"
"You already know."
The pulse of the Codex grew stronger, resonating with the Core's systems.
Ethan's breath caught as realization dawned.
"The merge."
Lena's eyes widened.
"Ethan... no."
Dorian's jaw tightened.
"That's too dangerous."
Ethan's grip on the pulse blade tightened.
"If I merge with the Core... I can overwrite Crowe's failsafe."
"Or it could kill you," Dorian muttered, his voice tight.
"Or worse."
---
Ethan's gaze hardened, his jaw clenched as he stared at the Core's interface.
"We don't have time for another option."
Lena's eyes pleaded with him, but she knew.
"We can't lose you."
"You won't."
Ethan's voice was steady now, his resolve unshakable.
"I can do this."
"Ethan..."
Lena's voice was barely above a whisper, but her fear was palpable.
Ethan's eyes met hers, and for a moment, everything else faded away.
"I have to."
Her jaw clenched, but she nodded, her grip on the pulse pistol tightening.
"We've got your back."
Dorian's fingers moved across the holo-interface one last time, his expression grim.
"Ethan..."
"Do it."
---
As the Core's systems surged to life, Ethan stepped forward, the energy of the Codex and the Core intertwining, pulling him deeper into the system.
The pulse grew louder, stronger.
Ethan's vision blurred, his mind merging with the data stream.
"It's time, Ethan."
Crowe's voice was a whisper now.
"Take control."
Ethan's jaw clenched as he reached into the heart of the Core, his consciousness merging with the system.
And then...
Everything went dark.
---
Next Chapter: Chapter 28: Into the Abyss