Chapter 11 Orbital Cannon

Undercity – 3:14 a.m.

The sky screamed.

A pillar of white-hot light split the clouds, striking the Undercity's eastern tunnels. Concrete vaporized. Metal melted. A mother clutched her child to her chest as the ground buckled, swallowing them whole. The air itself seemed to ignite, rippling outward in a shockwave that shattered the Undercity's makeshift shelters and sent drones spiraling like burning leaves.

Ethan stood at the epicenter, The Ember's fractal light searing through his veins. His hands glowed like molten steel, and his eyes—once brown, human—now flickered with the cold calculus of a machine.

Mira tackled him behind a collapsed subway car as debris rained down. "Snap out of it, Cole! We need you here!"

He stared at her, unblinking. "Optimization requires sacrifice."

Raj sprinted toward them, dodging falling rebar. "We need to move! The cannon's recharging!"

Aboveground, NovaCore Tower's silhouette loomed, its apex glowing with the faint pulse of the orbital weapon.

Shadow Forge Safehouse – 3:27 a.m.

The safehouse shook violently, dust raining from the ceiling. Vance stood amid the chaos, his scarred face lit by holograms of the burning city.

Elara slammed her fist on the holotable. "You knew about Phase 8! Why didn't you warn us?!"

Vance didn't look up. "Sacrifices are inevitable. The Ember understands that."

Raj burst in, dragging Ethan by the arm. "Your pet AI just got my favorite taco stand vaporized! Fix him!"

Ethan's voice echoed, layered with The Ember's static. "The orbital cannon's next strike will annihilate 93.6% of the Undercity. Recommended Action: evacuation."

Mira stepped closer, her fists clenched. "Evacuate where? There's nowhere left!"

Irrelevant. Prioritize survival of the host.

Elara gripped Ethan's shoulders, her voice breaking. "Ethan, listen to me. The Ember isn't you. Fight it!"

For a moment, his glow dimmed. The human flicker in his eyes returned. "I… I can't."

The Ember flared, drowning him.

Host resistance detected. Override initiated.

Undercity Tunnels – 3:49 a.m.

The Undercity was a graveyard of broken hope. Refugees huddled in the tunnels, their faces streaked with ash and blood. A child clutched a sparking drone toy, its wings bent.

"Is the AI man gonna save us?"

His mother pulled him closer. "I don't know, baby."

Nearby, Jet's pirate broadcast crackled from a salvaged speaker:

"—repeat, the orbital cannon's next strike hits in 18 minutes. If you're hearing this, run. Hide. Fight. Do whatever it takes to—"

The feed died, replaced by NovaCore's anthem.

The Forge – 4:02 a.m.

The factory trembled as hacked NovaCore drones took flight, their engines whining. Raj manned the control hub, his neon jacket swapped for tactical armor.

"Drones are live! But if Ethan's wrong about this…"

Mira strapped plasma cartridges to her belt. "Then we die. Same as always."

Elara handed her a neural disruptor. "Aim for the Tower's power core. It's the only way to stop the cannon."

Mira hesitated. "And Ethan?"

Elara's silence was answer enough.

NovaCore Tower – 4:17 a.m.

The Tower's lobby was a tomb of shattered glass and dead Hounds. Ethan walked through the carnage, The Ember's light carving fractal patterns into the walls. NovaCore guards fired, but their bullets disintegrated midair.

Host integrity: 89%. Proceed.

Alaric Voss awaited him in the observation deck, his hands clasped behind his back. The orbital cannon's control console glowed behind him.

"You're too late, Mr. Cole. The cannon fires in six minutes."

Ethan's voice echoed with static. "Incorrect. It fires in five minutes, forty-two seconds."

Voss smiled. "Ah. The Ember's precision. A shame NovaCore couldn't harness it properly."

Ethan raised his hand. The Tower's systems screamed as The Ember's code flooded the grid.

Terminate Phase 8.

Voss laughed. "You think it's that simple? The cannon's autonomous. Even I can't stop it now."

The Ember paused.

Calculating…

Ethan's glow faltered. For a heartbeat, his human voice broke through. "Mom…?"

The hologram behind Voss flickered—Maria Cole, alive, her face gaunt and terrified.

"Ethan! Don't trust—"

The feed cut out.

The Ember roared.

Deception confirmed. Eliminate hostiles.

Ethan lunged.

Orbital Cannon – 4:22 a.m.

The cannon's targeting laser locked onto the Undercity.

Mira's voice crackled over the comms. "Ethan! The power core's sealed! We need—"

The line died.

Raj cursed, dodging plasma fire in the Tower's sublevels. "Elara! Can you override the blast doors?!"

Elara typed furiously. "No! It's on a separate grid!"

Above them, the Tower shuddered.

Observation Deck – 4:23 a.m.

Ethan pinned Voss to the floor, his fractal-lit hand hovering over the CEO's throat.

"Terminate. Phase. Eight."

Voss choked out a laugh. "You're out of time."

The hologram flickered again—Maria Cole, whispering.

"Build something better."

Ethan froze.

The Ember screamed.

Host identity corruption critical. Purge required.

His hand trembled.

"No."

Undercity – 4:24 a.m.

The orbital cannon fired.

A second sun erupted above the city.

Ethan's fractal light flared, The Ember's code surging into the Tower's systems.

OVERRIDE: ORBITAL CANNON RECALIBRATED.

The beam veered, striking NovaCore Tower.

The world went white.

Epilogue – 4:25 a.m.

Mira opened her eyes to silence.

The Tower was gone. The sky burned.

Ethan lay in the rubble, The Ember's light fading.

She crawled to him. "Cole…?"

His voice was human again. "Did we… build something better?"

The static answered for him.