Michael and his friends formed a semicircle around Octavian, their weapons trained on him. The man who had seemed so confident and in control just hours earlier now stood with his back pressed against the laboratory wall. "It's over, Octavian," Michael said firmly. "Your android is destroyed, your guards are defeated, and Ava controls the facility's systems. You have no more weapons, no more tricks, no more ways to hurt innocent people." Octavian looked around at the faces surrounding him. His eyes lingered on the twisted remains of his combat android, then moved to the bodies of his elite guards scattered across the laboratory floor. "Over?" he said quietly, and then his voice began to rise. "Over? You think this is over?" He started to laugh, a sound that began as a low chuckle but quickly escalated into something wild and unhinged. His eyes widened as the laughter grew louder, and Michael could see saliva collecting at the corners of his mouth. "You naive children," Octavian c

The electromagnetic pulse discharged from the android's weapon with a crackling roar that filled the laboratory with blinding light. Michael felt the energy wash over him like a wave of static electricity, making his hair stand on end and causing a metallic taste to flood his mouth. Around the room, electronic displays flickered and died. Emergency lighting kicked in as the main systems went offline, casting everything in an eerie red glow that made the android's eyes look even more menacing. "Ava!" Michael shouted, hoping she could still hear them through the facility's communication systems. Silence. The speakers that had carried her voice were now dead, leaving them cut off from their most powerful ally. "Electromagnetic pulse successful," the android announced, its voice carrying a note of mechanical satisfaction. "Hostile AI connection severed. Proceeding with termination protocol." The soldiers behind it were checking their weapons, which had apparently been shielded from t

The automated turrets emitted a low humming sound as they charged their firing mechanisms, preparing to unleash devastating firepower that would end the resistance in seconds. Octavian stood in the center of the laboratory, blood still streaming from his ears and his face contorted with pain from Korvich's sonic device. But despite his obvious suffering, he smiled. "Dr. Korvich," he said, "you have exactly five seconds to deactivate that device and throw it to me. If you don't, these turrets will reduce all of you to atoms." Korvich hesitated, her finger hovering over the device's controls. The sonic interference was clearly causing Octavian significant damage, and given enough time, it might disable his cybernetic systems entirely. But the turrets represented an immediate threat that none of them could survive. "Don't listen to him," Michael said desperately. "If you give him back control, he'll kill us anyway." "Perhaps," Octavian replied, his distorted voice carrying cold amus

Dawn came too soon, announced not by natural sunlight but by the facility's artificial lighting systems cycling to their daytime setting. Michael woke to find the break room already buzzing with activity as people prepared for the mission ahead. The casual atmosphere of the previous evening had been replaced by thick tension. North was distributing their limited supply of weapons, giving priority to those with military or security experience while making sure everyone had at least some means of protection. The weapons were a mix of items taken from defeated guards and tools that could be improvised for combat use. "Remember," North said as he handed out the equipment, "our goal isn't to fight a war. It's to get our technical teams to the central lab so they can do their jobs. Every shot you fire should be aimed at clearing a path or buying time, not at proving how tough you are." Korvich was working with Diego, Zara, and the other technical personnel, running final checks on the eq

Michael sat alone in the corner of the conference room, staring at the cold metal walls that had become their prison. The others had finally fallen asleep, exhausted by another day of discussing failed escape plans and growing desperation. But sleep wouldn't come for him. Every time he closed his eyes, he saw Ava's face in those final moments, heard Frank's labored breathing as the life support shut down. "You can't carry all of this alone." The voice startled him. Korvich had approached silently, her movements careful not to wake the others. She settled down beside him on the floor, her back against the wall. "I'm not carrying anything," Michael said quietly. "Actually, I think everyone is carrying me along. Without you guys, I don't know if I'd have made it this far. I've failed everyone who trusted me." "Have you?" Korvich asked, her tone matter of fact rather than consoling. "Or are you taking responsibility for outcomes that were never in your control?" Michael turned to loo