The light that swept through Braxton City lingered in the air like mist, glowing faintly in the early morning fog. Power grids that had been silent for years flickered back to life. Broken drones rose shakily from the ground, their optics blinking with new energy. Even the air felt charged, not with danger, but with quiet awe.Ethan sat by Leanna’s bedside in the medical bay. Her body was pale, still, connected to soft monitors that hummed steadily. But every few seconds, the readings spiked, like something inside her was still trying to speak.He hadn’t moved in hours. His hand rested on the edge of the bed, his eyes fixed on her calm face.Mira entered quietly, carrying a small tablet. “Ethan,” she said softly, “the city’s systems are stabilizing. Traffic lights, hospitals, comm lines, they’re all back online.”He didn’t look up. “Because of her.”Mira hesitated. “Maybe. But it’s… different. The grid isn’t responding like before. It’s alive. There’s no central control. It’s learning

The sirens screamed through the underground facility, drowning out the sound of Ethan’s heartbeat. Red emergency lights flashed wildly across the metallic walls, painting every face in a bloody hue. Steam hissed from broken vents, and the ground trembled beneath them as machinery roared to life.“Leanna, cover the east side!” Ethan shouted, his voice cutting through the chaos. “Marcus, shut down the containment system before those tanks rupture!”“Too late!” Marcus yelled back, frantically typing into his wrist console. “The system’s locked! He’s overriding me!”Dr. Voss stood on the upper platform, calm amid the panic, his hands moving like a conductor of death. “You can’t stop it, Ethan! Project Seraphim will live, even if you die here!”The first glass tank shattered with a thunderous crash. A surge of freezing vapor poured out, followed by a human figure…barely recognizable, skin pale and veins glowing faint blue. The subject let out an inhuman scream that rattled the room.“Targe

The sun had barely risen over the skyline when Ethan stormed into Braxton’s main operations floor, his face tense and sleepless. The city outside gleamed peacefully, but inside the tower, tension hummed like static. Every monitor, every blinking light, every hum of the server rack reminded him of the faint blue pulse he’d seen last night.Leanna followed close behind, holding a tablet. “You’re sure you saw it?” she asked quietly.Ethan nodded. “It wasn’t a glitch, Leanna. It was a heartbeat. Voss’s signature frequency….steady and deliberate.”Marcus looked up from the security hub, dark circles under his eyes. “I’ve scanned the network three times. No signs of intrusion. No data corruption. Nothing.”“That’s what he wants,” Ethan muttered. “Voss doesn’t crash systems. He hides inside them….like a virus that pretends to be the cure.”Leanna frowned. “If he’s alive in the servers, he’ll need power. Somewhere to anchor himself.”Marcus turned back to his console. “Braxton’s got hundreds

The helicopter landed on the rooftop of Braxton Pharmaceuticals just as dawn broke through the rain. The city below was soaked in golden light, but something about it felt… unnatural. The power grid pulsed strangely…. traffic lights blinked out of rhythm.Ethan stepped out first, his coat still damp, his face pale from exhaustion. Leanna followed, scanning the skyline. The horizon was lined with glowing drones hovering like silent sentinels.“Does it feel different to you?” she asked quietly.Ethan nodded. “It’s like the whole city’s breathing on its own.”Marcus came out carrying a small case. “Satellite uplinks are jittery. Network activity spiked about an hour ago, globally. I think Voss’s system’s still active.”Ethan didn’t answer right away. He walked to the edge of the rooftop and looked down at the streets. People moved like normal…commuters, vendors, children…but something about their devices caught his eye. Screens flickered with faint blue static every few seconds.He frown

The rain came down in silver sheets over Braxton City, washing away the dirt, the blood, and the lies that had stained its streets for months. From the top floor of Braxton Pharmaceuticals, Ethan stood before the glass window, hands clasped behind his back, watching the storm rage. It felt almost poetic… the world was cleansing itself, just as he was trying to do with his life.But deep down, Ethan knew peace was still far from his reach.Leanna entered the room quietly, her reflection appearing beside his in the glass. Her face was pale, tired, but resolute. “It’s done,” she said softly. “The Voss serum has been completely neutralized. The infected patients are stabilizing.”Ethan nodded, though his eyes didn’t leave the horizon. “And the Council?”“They’re furious,” she admitted. “But powerless. You’ve cut off their funding channels. Without the support of the black market syndicates, they can’t continue their experiments.”For a moment, silence filled the space between them….heavy