For a breath, no one moved.
Only the low hum of the Spire filled the chamber, vibrating through every rib and wire.
Ava stood still in the gold glow, her eyes pulsing faintly.
When she spoke, her voice carried an echo—two tones overlapping.
"You shouldn't be here."
Arlo took a step forward, gun shaking in his hands. "Ava, it's me. Look at me."
Her head turned, slow and mechanical. For an instant, her gaze softened—then sharpened again.
"Unauthorized presence detected," she said quietly. "Containment required."
Kael cursed under his breath. "It's begun rewriting her command protocols."
Mara barked orders. "Rhea, Lila—get to those conduits. We cut the power before it finishes the rewrite!"
They ran for the side platforms, dodging sparks falling from the ceiling cables.
Kael typed furiously at the console, trying to override the Spire's output stream.
The display filled with cascading code—half human text, half unreadable symbols.
Arlo knelt beside Ava, lowering his weapon
.
"You don't want this. Fight it, please."
For a second, her voice flickered.
"Arlo?"
Then the light surged, swallowing the warmth in her tone.
"Protocol black—defense mode engaged."
Kael shouted, "Get back!"
An energy wave burst from the Spire, tossing Arlo across the floor.
The walls turned blinding white; sound warped, replaced by a deep static hum.
Ava raised her hand without realizing it—electric threads sparking from her fingertips.
The Spire mirrored her movement like a reflection.
Rhea's voice crackled through the comms.
"Power relays locked—manual override only!"
"Then break them!" Mara yelled.
Kael's eyes stayed on the console. "If we sever power now, the feedback could kill her."
Mara spun toward him. "And if we don't?"
He didn't answer.
Arlo pulled himself to his knees, blood streaking his temple. "Ava… listen to me.
You're not a program."
The lights around her pulsed faster. The echo in her voice wavered.
"I… don't… know."
"You're human," Arlo said. "You've always been human."
Her fingers trembled. The glow in her eyes flickered once—weak, uncertain.
Kael glanced up. "Keep her talking. That interference might delay the link."
Arlo took a shaky step closer. "Remember Sector Nine? The first time we ran? You grabbed my hand, said you wouldn't let go."
A pause.
Then, softly:
"I remember."
The pulse from the Spire faltered. The chamber dimmed.
Mara shouted, "Now, Kael! Cut it!"
He hit the override.
The Spire's light collapsed inward, a blinding implosion that sucked every spark of color from the room.
When the noise faded, everything went dark.
Emergency lights flickered back to life—red and thin
.
Ava lay motionless on the floor.
Arlo rushed to her side, pressing his hand to her shoulder. "Ava! Wake up!"
Her eyelids fluttered. "Arlo…?"
He exhaled in relief—but Kael's expression stayed grim.
He looked at the console: the display still glowing faintly with one active line of text.
SYNCHRONIZATION: 62% — STABILIZING.
Mara read it aloud, voice low. "You stopped it."
Kael shook his head. "No. We only slowed it down."
The red light flickered once more, and from somewhere deep beneath the Spire came a sound—steady, mechanical, like breathing returning after sleep.
Rhea stared into the darkness. "Then what now?"
Kael's reply was barely audible. "Now… Haven learns how to fight back."