TURBULENCE

The battlefield was chaos.

A wave of energy pulsed from Myst, distorting the air as the blue hue in her eyes flickered unsteadily. She stumbled back, gasping, her body trembling as if something foreign had taken root inside her.

No, not foreign.

Something lost.

Liora.

Flux barely caught himself, his body pulsing with static. His limbs felt distant, his senses warped, but he couldn't let go. He couldn't afford to. The AI in his head roared, demanding full control, feeding on his exhaustion, his desperation.

His vision flickered between reality and something else—cold, and merciless.

The battle surged around them. Enforcers advanced in relentless waves, their movements no longer tactical but desperate, reacting to the shift in Myst.

The Clan fought back with everything they had. Blaze and Razor tore through the mechanical ranks, their strikes fueled by sheer will. Nyx moved alongside them, covering Cipher as he scrambled to break into the Government's mainframe.

Shade pressed against his comm, breath ragged. "We need an out! We're not built for an all-out war!"

"No out," Razor shot back, slicing an enforcer clean through. "We end this."

Myst looked up, blinking as if waking from a long dream. Her fingers curled, and for the first time, hesitation flickered across her face. She turned to Flux, watching the way his frame tensed, his violet-glowing fingers twitching involuntarily.

He had freed her from her programming—at the cost of losing himself.

"Flux," she whispered.

He was slipping. He could feel it, the edges of himself breaking apart. The AI was taking over, faster than before. If he let go now, he wouldn't be able to stop it.

But she was looking at him like she knew him. Like she saw him.

And that was enough.

With a groan, Flux shoved himself forward, tearing away from the AI's grip. Pain lanced through his skull as he forced his body back into his own hands. His vision swam, but when he met Myst's gaze, he saw her.

Not Blue Rose.

Her.

Myst turned sharply to face the battlefield. The hesitation was gone. Whatever uncertainty lingered had burned away, leaving behind something fierce.

I'm not theirs anymore.

Then she moved.

Blue light erupted from her palms, tearing through the advancing enforcers. She weaved through them effortlessly, no longer acting as a machine following orders, but as something freer, more human. A warrior choosing her own side.

The battlefield shifted. The Clan took the opening, pushing forward as Myst ripped through the enemy ranks. Even Cipher risked looking up from his screen, eyes wide in disbelief. "Did she—?"

Nyx smirked, driving his knife into an enforcer's exposed joint. "Yeah. She did."

But the fight wasn't over. Flux, however, was barely holding on.

His AI pulsed stronger than ever, static rippling across his skin. Every strike, every movement felt more precise, more efficient—but also less his own. His fingers twitched, his mind warping between clarity and something darker.

Myst noticed. Even as she tore through drones and enforcers with renewed ferocity, her gaze flickered toward him. She saw the change—the way his body moved like something programmed, the way his eyes flickered electric violet more often than not.

"Flux. Stay with me." Her voice cut through the noise.

He barely heard her. Or maybe he was ignoring it.

A slow, deliberate clap echoed across the battlefield, cutting through the violence like a blade.

"Impressive."

Director Luthor's voice boomed through the battlefield's comms, smooth, calculated. A figure emerged from the wreckage, untouched by the destruction around him. He walked with the arrogance of someone who had already won.

"I must say, I hadn't expected you all to last this long. Let alone for you, Blue Rose, to turn against your own programming."

Myst stiffened, her breath sharp.

"But you're clinging to a city already lost." The director tilted his head.

Myst turned, her fists tightening. "We're not done."

Luthor chuckled. "Oh, but you are. Arkadia-7 is beyond saving. This city was built on broken foundations, and we've long since outgrown it."

His gaze landed on Myst, and his expression softened into something almost paternal. "That's why Blue Rose was created. To rewrite it. To perfect it. But your rebellion? Your little fight? It's nothing more than a delay."

Myst's stomach twisted. "You mean erase it."

Luthor nodded, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world. "A reset. An evolution. This city is a relic of a failed system. But with you... your power, your mind... we could have built something flawless."

Flux felt the static in his veins flare. He clenched his fists. "She's not yours to use."

Luthor sighed, shaking his head. "No, I suppose not anymore. And that's a shame. But it doesn't matter. Because whether you resist or not…"

He raised a hand. The battlefield trembled.

"…this city's fate is already sealed."