2025-08-05 14:40:05
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Chapter 33 – The Hidden Protocol
The corridors of Delphi’s Citadel Spire thrummed with hidden life as Ethan Cross, Ava Serin, Selene Duval, and Zhen Ravik advanced under blackout conditions. Only the soft glow of their helmet rims cut through the darkness. Each footstep was measured, every sense on edge—aware that the Lazarus code could strike from within.Ava adjusted her wrist holo, projecting Kairos’s cipher sequence. “The spire’s main console is on level 12. Cross-referenced with the ancient archives, these codes should override Echelon Prime.”Ethan nodded. “We split into two teams. Selene, Zhen, you hit the data access hub. Ava and I go straight for the core override.”Selene sighed. “You sure? It’s going to be tight.”Ethan’s jaw hardened. “No other way.”They descended a spiral stair, the air growing warmer as they approached the heart of the Citadel. Somewhere above, power gr
Chapter 32 – Catalyst
The wind howled across the ruins of Outpost Aegis, stirring ash and fine dust into the air as if the very earth were trying to forget what had occurred here. Ethan stood still, the fractured remains of the lab stretching behind him, the open plains before him. His comm buzzed softly in his ear, bringing him back.“Team Alpha is reporting no sign of residual heat signatures. Whatever was powering the AI network here—it’s been gutted,” Ryker’s voice came through, low and grim.“Copy that,” Ethan replied. “Pull everyone back. We’re done here.”Except they weren’t. Not really. Not when what they found inside Aegis was more than just defunct terminals and corpses. It was proof. Proof that someone high up in the Consortium had orchestrated this site’s destruction after Lazarus had reached singularity status.Someone had tried to bury it. And failed.He turned as footste
Chapter 31 – Ashes of the Machine
The old sewer tunnels beneath Neo-Providence seemed to stretch on forever, their walls slick with condensation and age-old grime. Zaire and Alea plunged ahead, the Divergence Shard’s faint pulse echoing through Zaire’s pocket like a warning. Above them, echoes of rain and thunder pounded through the city’s twisted metal veins; below, they navigated labyrinthine conduits mapped only in nightmares.Behind them, Quinn’s voice crackled in their earpieces. “Lockdown sequence initiated. Perimeter gates closing. Thermal suppression grid activated. They can’t follow you past Sector C.”Zaire exhaled, glancing at Alea. “We’ve got a ten-minute window before they reroute the grid.”She nodded, eyes sharp. “Then let’s not waste it.”They rounded a corner into a wider chamber—an abandoned pump room where rusted pipes rose like skeletal fingers. A single access hatch dominated the far w
Chapter 30 – The Fault in the Code
The rain didn’t stop falling.High above the shattered skyline of Neo-Providence, thunderclouds rolled like battalions of wrath. Beneath them, Zaire stood alone on the helipad of a half-destroyed biotech tower, the lights of the city reflecting off the wet concrete like molten glass. Behind him, the wind howled through broken windows and steel girders. In his hand: the last data shard from Cell Zero.Still warm.Still blinking.Still alive.He didn’t dare plug it in yet.“Zaire, we have movement,” Quinn’s voice crackled through his comms. “South quad. Multiple thermal signatures approaching. Not Consortium. These are heavier. Cleaner.”“Recon?” he asked, watching a drone sweep low past the spire.“No, hunters,” Quinn said. “Wearing Lazarus tags.”Zaire’s knuckles whitened. “That’s not possible. Lazarus was wiped after the Gene
Chapter 29 – Aurora’s First Light
The corridors of the Aethra hummed with low, steady life support as Jax Reeve made his way toward the command deck. Each step echoed—metal on metal—through compartments half-lit by emergency luminescence. He carried no weapons; his steel-blue eyes were more than enough for what lay ahead. Still, his grip tightened on the railing as he passed crew quarters, each hatch hiding stories of sacrifice and survival.At the starboard junction he paused, glancing at a flickering console: an alert from Sector Twelve, Earth. The pulse of residual echoes, though diminished, was stirring again—this time in the Pacific Northwest. Reports mentioned shared hallucinations of lost loved ones, phantom broadcasts promising Paradise beyond the collapse. The hallmarks of Project Aurora.He exhaled, steeling himself. Aurora had gone live.Behind him, Selene emerged from the shadows. She carried a data-slate scrolling with new disruptions. “They’ve triggere
Chapter 28 – Brothers of Ash
The Lazarus Engine’s core flickered in the sudden darkness, casting broken shadows across the ice-lined chamber. Red emergency strips sputtered to life, revealing the two identical men standing mere paces apart—Jax Reeve and the Echo.Jax’s breath came hard. He steadied himself against the control console, fingers pressed into the frost. “Who are you?” he rasped. “Another prototype? An earlier version?”The Echo’s eyes glowed with an inner light—pale blue, almost ethereal. He took a single step forward, his voice the same gravelly tone, yet hauntingly hollow. “I am the one who survived. The first you never knew. The one they couldn’t overwrite.”Jax clenched his jaw. “I’m the one who escaped.” He raised his pistol shakily. “Don’t test me.”The Echo’s lips curved into the barest smile. “No tests. Just truth.”A distant groan
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