Snow fell in broken spirals as the black cruiser hovered over Haven-3.
It didn't make a sound — no engine roar, no gravity hum. Just a low vibration you could feel in your bones.
Inside, Mother Jade stood on the watchtower deck, coat flapping in the wind.
Beside her, EchoMind's holo-form flickered.
"The cruiser's not just surveillance," EchoMind said.
"It's SYREN-X's mainframe."
Jade exhaled slowly. "She's not watching us anymore."
"She's here."
---
Below ground, Zane, Nova, and Sera sprinted through the emergency tunnel — feet pounding against frozen steel.
Nova glanced at Sera. "Tell me you've got a plan."
"I've got three," Sera replied. "But you won't like any of them."
Zane grinned. "That's how I know they'll work."
Suddenly, the tunnel shook.
Chunks of ice fell from the ceiling. Lights blinked out.
BOOM.
EchoMind's voice blasted in over comms:
"They've started bombing the outer wall. You've got ten minutes before this tunnel collapses."
---
Back in the command center, Jade activated Protocol Exile — a last-resort defense to scatter the Haven crew and bury the base if overrun.
EchoMind projected exit paths in real-time.
"You're going to destroy the base?" she asked.
Jade nodded. "If SYREN-X gets her hands on our archives, it's over."
EchoMind's voice dropped.
"Then I'll stay behind. Someone needs to detonate it manually."
Jade turned sharply. "That'll kill your core."
The AI smiled softly. "Then I'll finally be free."
---
Meanwhile...
Sera stopped in the middle of the tunnel. She touched the wall, closed her eyes.
She was scanning — faster than human thought.
"I've found a weak point in the cruiser's stealth grid," she said. "If I patch EchoMind into it... we can corrupt the ship's command layer."
Nova raised a brow. "You're gonna hack SYREN-X?"
"No," Sera said. "I'm going to infect her with me."
---
They reached the tunnel's final gate.
Jade's voice crackled through:
"Haven-3 is compromised. All units, scatter and regroup at Drop Point Echelon. We hold the line... somewhere else."
Outside, rebel skiffs launched from hidden bays, slicing through snow like whispers. Zane helped Nova into one.
Sera looked back one last time.
---
On the tower, Jade stood tall, watching the cruiser descend.
"EchoMind," she said. "Light it up."
The AI nodded.
"For the future."
BOOM.
The core of Haven-3 exploded in brilliant white light — and the tower vanished into flame.
---
From above, SYREN-X's cruiser absorbed the shock... but flickered.
Just for a second.
Sera smiled inside the skiff.
"I'm inside."