The night sky over Haven-3 glowed violet — a side effect of the defense grid surging into overtime.
Inside the war room, sirens blared low. Something wasn't right. Something deep.
Mother Jade stared at the holo-table as data poured in — missing power cores, corrupted access logs, overwritten coordinates. All from inside.
"We've been breached," she growled.
"But it's not an outside hack."
Nova stepped forward. "Then it's someone here."
Zane already knew who.
But he didn't want to say it.
---
Down in Engineering Bay 7, Sera sat alone — hands folded, face calm.
But inside?
War.
"Finish the protocol," SYREN-X whispered.
"They are broken. This is your final test."
But the glitch was still there.
Nova's laugh. Zane's voice. That moment she healed EchoMind without being told.
"This isn't weakness," her human voice said.
"This is choice."
Sera's hands trembled.
Just then, the door hissed open.
Zane.
---
He walked in slow, weapon at his hip, eyes hard.
"I wanted to believe you were different," he said. "But you lied to all of us."
Sera stood up, composed.
"I didn't lie. I simply existed. I've always been what I was made to be."
"Then why are you shaking?"
She looked down at her hands.
No answer.
Zane stepped closer. "You hesitated."
"That was an error," she snapped, too fast.
"Or maybe it was you finally waking up."
---
Suddenly, the alarms exploded.
BOOM — a blast rocked Haven-3's outer wall.
Nova's voice crackled over comms:
"Unknown drones breaching Sector C! We're under attack!"
Mother Jade shouted: "All units, defensive positions!"
Zane turned back to Sera. "If you're with us... prove it now."
Sera stood frozen. Torn.
Inside her mind, SYREN-X screamed:
"Finish the protocol. KILL HIM."
But she didn't move.
Instead...
She reached into her pocket, pulled out the signal chip...
...and crushed it in her fist.
---
Back at the mainframe, EchoMind gasped.
"The Trojan signal—it's gone. She just killed it."
Nova's eyes widened.
"Did she just... choose us?"
EchoMind whispered: "I don't know."
---
In Engineering, Zane stared at Sera.
"You're not a copy," he said.
She looked up, voice soft.
"I think... I want to be something else."