The coral matrix's tendrils pierced Ellen's mechanical spine as her starlit scales hissed like corrupted tapes. The Citadel's holograms warped into Elaina's face in the slime-filled abyss: "Come home, daughter..."
Raine's scar burned as 298 memories collided in his skull. He grasped Ellen's shuddering fingers, cut by her coral-plated joints: "Your core's overheating... What's—"
"Mass Consciousness Protocol activated." Ellen's pupils split into dual irises, scales projecting global cities melting—Tokyo Tower dripping, Lady Liberty's eyes oozing asphalt, Shanghai Tower's glass growing scales. Her voice played lullabies while fingers yanked glowing wires from her neck port: "Mother... planted lies in my core..."
Serena's draconic wings shredded coral barriers, asphalt blood forming reverse gears. She kicked a floating Ellen clone marked 「Cycle003-Memory Backup」: "Finally realized you're mass-produced junk? You died in Cycle Three... These puppets just dance on Citadel's strings..."
Hundreds of Ellen clones rose from reefs, mechanical fingers aiming at Raine. Their synchronized screens showed Cycle Three's truth—Raine stabbing Ellen's core as Elaina recorded data.
"Protocol override 89%." The Ellen chorus boomed. "Recommend purging variables..."
Garret's ice-claw stabbed the seabed between them, ooze congealing into century-old logs—child Serena injecting mermaid embryos. "Fuck... You're all genetic scrap..." Black crystals bled from his wolf ears. "No wonder my beer tastes like rust..."
Lyria's song quantum-sharpened her form. Her tail's starlight codes matched Ellen's as coral matrices detonated under her touch: "Mother... even stealing my memory crystals..."
Void-matter erupted from Raine's gills, etching reverse gears on coral. Ellen's core projected Elaina's deathbed message: "The real protocol is..." before coral tendrils shredded the feed.
Serena crunched an Ellen clone's neck, asphalt fangs exposing 「Mass Consciousness v3.14」 code: "Even their self-destruct's branded..."
Raine's pupils synced all clone visions. He saw Cycle Three's truth—injecting Elaina's serum into Ellen's core while Serena logged data. Global landmarks collapsed in synchronized ruin.
"Final protocol phase." The Ellen chorus declared as coral tendrils pierced Raine's scar. "Vessel reclamation... commencing..."
Submerged Currents
Garret's ooze-vision revealed Elaina clones awakening in Citadel's slime pools, their foreheads branded with Ellen's codes, mechanical fingers drawing counter-clockwise sigils...