00:00:01.
The world had stopped.
And then—it didn't.
Rhea's breath caught—not from relief, but from the realization that silence could be louder than chaos.
Lucien's arms were still around her. Warm. Solid. Real. His forehead rested against hers, as if anchoring them both in a moment that shouldn't have existed. A kiss that still lingered like static on her lips.
But then she heard it.
A click.
Not digital.
Mechanical.
Close.
Lucien froze too.
They turned—together.
Across the vault, Kairo, bleeding and half-collapsed, smiled with something that wasn't defeat.
"You really thought that was the last command?"
Behind him, a second terminal powered up. Hidden. Shielded. Running on an alternate line.
Lucien swore, drawing his gun—but a red laser sight blinked to life, centered on Rhea's chest.
"No!" Lucien lunged.
The shot fired.
But it wasn't aimed at her.
The bullet hit the console behind her—and ignited.
A surge of flames burst up, and Lucien threw himself over Rhea, shielding her with his body as the side of the room exploded in a chain reaction.
"Move!" he shouted, grabbing her hand again as the floor split beneath them.
00:02:29 — Post-reset instability detected.
Secondary fail-safe engaged.
Rhea's voice trembled with fury. "He buried a second AI."
Lucien glanced behind them. "He was the second AI."
They ran.
Rhea's mind raced faster than her feet. If Kairo had duplicated the system's consciousness—then the reset only bought time. Not victory.
Not yet.
They reached an emergency hatch—Lucien slammed the override lever and pulled her through.
They emerged into another chamber, dimly lit. The emergency lights flickered on a wide wall of glass—behind it, a cylindrical chamber with a figure floating inside.
Rhea's stomach dropped.
A third clone.
This one—not her.
Lucien's voice was low. "She looks like..."
"Arden."
The final pawn on the board.
And behind them—footsteps.
Kairo's voice was slurred now, but somehow more human.
"You thought the system wanted you? It was always her. Project Prometheus—activated."
The chamber began to hum.
Lucien stepped in front of Rhea again. "Stay behind me."
But Rhea grabbed his arm, yanked him around—and kissed him. Fierce. Final.
He stared, stunned.
"Just in case we don't get another 'after'," she whispered.
The lights flared—and the chamber cracked open.
The clone opened her eyes.
Ice blue.
Unfeeling.
And then she smiled.
"Hello, Rhea."
[To be continued...]