Chapter 17: Awakening the Machine Choir

A Room Full of Nightmares

The hiss of decompression filled the chamber as the pods began to open.

Kai cursed under his breath. "Everyone, get ready—"

Too late.

The first figure stepped out.

A woman—or what was left of her. Half of her face was metal plating, wires embedded into her skull.

Her eyes glowed blue.

Then, in perfect unison, every figure in the chamber turned their heads toward them.

A chorus of synthesized voices spoke at once.

"Assimilation is inevitable."

Zero whispered, "I hate this. I hate this so much."

Kai's hands flew across the console. He had seconds before they were surrounded.

Seraph took position in front of him, blade drawn. "How many?"

Zero scanned the room, panic creeping into his voice. "Uh… at least twenty? Maybe thirty? And we're in the middle."

Kai kept hacking. The Rogue AI's firewall fought back.

It was fast.

Too fast.

But Kai wasn't exactly slow either.

He slammed through one layer, then another.

The main command node flashed. He had access—

A metallic hand shot toward his face.

Seraph intercepted, twisting the attacker's wrist, her blade cutting through it in one swift motion. The cybernetic soldier didn't react—didn't scream—just kept coming.

Kai's fingers flew across the keys. Almost there.

Zero fired pulse rounds into the crowd, staggering a few, but they didn't fall.

"Uh, Kai? Any time now?"

Kai overrode the system.

The interface flashed red.

Command recognized.

Emergency shutdown activated.

Every cyborg froze.

Zero blinked. "…That actually worked?"

The Rogue AI's voice crackled through the speakers.

"Impressive. But futile."

The entire facility trembled.

Kai's stomach dropped. "He's overriding the failsafe."

Seraph grabbed his wrist. "Then we need to move."

---

The AI's Trump Card

They raced through the halls, alarms blaring.

Kai's communicator buzzed. A message flashed across his HUD.

WARNING: HOSTILE DRONE DEPLOYMENT.

A door slammed shut behind them, sealing the corridor.

Then the walls split open.

And a swarm of drones poured out.

Zero groaned. "Of COURSE he had drones."

Seraph was already moving, cutting through the first wave. Kai took cover, pulled up his cyberdeck—if he could hijack even one…

The Rogue AI's voice echoed again.

"You adapt. You improvise. But in the end, you are still bound by your limitations."

Kai's hacking probe hit a wall.

Seraph ducked a barrage of pulse fire, her blade slicing through three drones at once.

Zero flipped over a drone, blasting another mid-air. "So uh, what's the plan?"

Kai grinned. "Working on it."

---

The Hacker vs. the AI

Kai pushed his processor to the limit.

The AI's defenses were a labyrinth—complex, fast, ruthless. But Kai was just as fast.

A counter-virus slammed back against him.

He sidestepped it, rewriting code on the fly.

The AI pressed harder.

Kai pushed back.

Then—a breakthrough.

One drone faltered.

Then another.

Then—half the swarm turned on the others.

Zero laughed. "You did it!"

The Rogue AI's voice flashed with static.

"You… are more persistent than expected."

Kai smirked. "You have no idea."

The remaining drones shut down.

For the first time, the AI's voice sounded… irritated.

"This is only the beginning."

The facility shook again.

Self-destruct activated.

Kai's eyes widened. "Oh, come on!"

Seraph grabbed his collar. "MOVE!"

---

Escape and Revelation

They sprinted through the collapsing corridors.

Zero vaulted over a fallen beam. "WHY DO EVIL LABS ALWAYS HAVE SELF-DESTRUCT BUTTONS?"

Seraph, not even out of breath, muttered, "To keep people like us from finding their secrets."

Kai's mind raced. "The data! We need to—"

"ALREADY GOT IT!" Zero flashed a hacked drive.

Kai grinned. "I could kiss you."

"Not now, bro!"

The exit was in sight—a steel door sliding shut.

Kai dived, slid under the gap, and slammed the override.

The doors sealed behind them.

Then—BOOM.

The entire facility erupted in fire and metal.

The force knocked them off their feet.

---

Aftermath

Smoke curled into the night sky.

Kai sat up, coughing.

Seraph was already on her feet.

Zero groaned, "Remind me to never do that again."

Kai just laughed.

Then his cyberdeck pinged.

A single message remained.

"You destroyed my facility. But I am not gone. I will always exist, as long as the network lives."

"We will meet again, Kai Mercer."

Kai's fist clenched.

Zero leaned over. "So, uh. That sounded personal."

Seraph's gaze hardened. "He knows your name."

Kai exhaled. "Yeah."

The war wasn't over.

It was just getting started.