Claw of the Abyss and Oath of the Echo

Time froze.

The massive claw that emerged from the closing dimensional rift seemed to absorb all surrounding light and sound. It was neither flesh nor metal but composed of pure, flowing darkness, its tips flickering with a negative energy akin to black holes devouring everything. An icy malice radiated outward, chilling even the soul, triggering an unprecedented alarm in Evelyn's Omega core. Energy readings went haywire, nearly breaching thresholds.

This was not a physical attack but an existential erasure aimed at her very being.

Evelyn instantly maxed out the reactor's power. A blinding iris-shaped energy field coalesced into the most impenetrable barrier before her. Simultaneously, she diverted all computational resources to analyze the composition and weaknesses of the claw. But the results came back blank, as if its existence transcended the physical laws she currently understood.

The claw moved slowly, but with each inch it advanced, the surrounding space twisted and shattered. It ignored Evelyn's energy barrier—or rather, it simply "passed through" dimensions of energy and space alike. Its five dark talons reached directly for Evelyn's consciousness core—the fragile nascent soul that had just merged original memories, clone experiences, and Omega variables.

"Eliminate… variable…" A cold, indifferent thought composed of countless overlapping voices reverberated directly in her mind, brimming with unchallengeable authority, like a deity pronouncing judgment on an insect.

Was this… "The Eye"? Just a fragment of its true power was enough to leave her powerless?

A tide of despair surged over her. She could fight the Reapers, destroy the mothership, or attempt to close the dimensional gate. But against this incomprehensible entity, all her strength felt so infinitesimally small.

Just as the dark talons were about to touch her consciousness core, a violent disturbance erupted within the quantum domain of the reactor core.

Two previously dim and chaotic fragments of consciousness—residual echoes of Lucas and Daniel—suddenly ignited with astonishing energy. No longer were they chaotic fluctuations attempting interference; instead, they coalesced into something... almost resolute.

Lucas' fragment transformed into a sharp stream of energy imbued with order and rules, slamming fiercely into the "wrist" of the claw. Though unable to inflict physical damage, it successfully disrupted the warped spatial field around the claw, causing its advance to falter ever so slightly. Broken thoughts followed: "…Protocol… protect… variable… must… exist…" He seemed to be executing a deeply embedded directive, still adhering to some semblance of order despite existing only as a fragment.

Daniel's fragment, on the other hand, morphed into a maelstrom of destructive and possessive energy, recklessly entangling itself around the claw's fingertips. It was a suicidal madness, attempting to contaminate the pure darkness with his own presence. "Mine… Evelyn… don't… touch… she's… mine…" His twisted obsession acted like the vilest curse, eroding the claw's power at the quantum level.

Though the interference caused minimal harm to the claw itself, it bought Evelyn a crucial thousandth of a second.

And that thousandth of a second was enough.

Within Evelyn's consciousness, shards of memory left by the original Evelyn suddenly activated. The recollection of why she had volunteered to become an experimental subject became crystal clear—she hadn't done it merely to create a tool for revenge but for a deeper, more insane purpose. She had foreseen the existence of "The Eye" and the potentially catastrophic consequences of the quantum reactor. She had hidden part of her consciousness core, fused with fragments of "existence and nothingness" rules stolen from "The Eye," deep within the genetic sequence of Clone #99—the clone kept alive by Lucas' father as a "living specimen."

That clone should have been buried beneath the ruins of St. Patrick's Cathedral…

No! Something was off!

Evelyn abruptly realized that during the battle at the gene bank, Daniel's mech cannon had been welded together from three hundred cloned uteruses! Not all clones had perished in the cathedral! The Rothschild family must have kept backups—or perhaps… "The Eye" ensured their preservation through them! And Daniel's final quantum entanglement, along with her neural link insertion into the main console… these actions might have inadvertently activated the hidden backup!

"Existence… is variable…" The voice of the original Evelyn rang clear and resolute in her mind.

In a flash of insight, Evelyn stopped trying to counter the claw with energy. Instead, she made an unimaginable move. She relinquished partial control over her Omega body, allowing her consciousness core to sink deeper into the quantum realm via its connection to the reactor—in reverse!

She wasn't escaping but accessing! Accessing the ultimate failsafe hidden deep within Clone #99's genetic sequence—belonging to the original Evelyn and fused with fragments of "The Eye's" rules!

Instantly, the fundamental operation of the reactor core underwent a radical transformation. Energy no longer flowed outward but collapsed inward! All energy, information, and even the burning fragments of Lucas and Daniel's consciousness were drawn into a newly formed micro "singularity" located at Evelyn's consciousness core!

Within that singularity, there was no time, no space—only pure "existence" colliding and annihilating with "nothingness."

The dark claw lost its target, unable to reach the consciousness core that now existed outside current dimensions. It roared in fury, attempting to tear apart the quantum field, but the dimensional rift, deprived of internal and external energy support, was closing irreversibly.

At the last moment before the rift closed completely, the claw seemed to realize something. It ceased attacking and instead flung out five minuscule black seeds from its talons, embedding them into the surrounding ruins before disappearing.

With great reluctance, the claw retracted, and the dimensional rift sealed shut, leaving behind a scar-like ripple of unstable space slowly fading away.

"Thud!"

Evelyn's body plummeted from midair, crashing heavily onto the edge of the crater amidst ashes. Her glow had extinguished entirely; her liquid metal skin dulled, cracked in multiple places, and her mechanical right arm was half-severed, sparking dangerously. The Omega core's energy dropped below 5%, teetering on shutdown.

More importantly, she could no longer sense the fragments of Lucas and Daniel's consciousness. They appeared to have been utterly annihilated in the explosion against the claw and subsequent energy collapse, their final echoes vanishing into quantum foam.

A profound emptiness enveloped her—a void greater than anything she'd ever felt. Even knowing they were illusions crafted by programs, distorted obsessions, they had constituted part of her "past." Their loss seemed to take something vital from her.

"Evelyn!" Dr. Carter scrambled toward her, followed by the two remaining survivors. He checked Evelyn's condition, his face grim. "How are you? Is the reactor… stable?"

Evelyn struggled to sit up, feeling her nearly depleted energy and damaged body. "Temporarily… stable," she rasped, her voice stuttering due to insufficient energy, laced with heavy interference. "The 'gate'… is closed. But…" She looked at the slowly healing ripple in the sky. "It left… a mark. And… at the end… it dropped something…"

Dr. Carter followed her gaze, his expression darkening further. "'The Eye's' spores… damn it! They're seeding this world!"

"Spores?"

"A semi-energy, semi-biological contaminant," Dr. Carter explained hurriedly. "They seek suitable hosts—usually those mentally unstable or possessing unique genes—and then parasitize, erode, and transform them, turning them into agents or new 'gates' in the real world. We need to find and eliminate them quickly!"

Evelyn tried to scan using her energy, but her core reserves were too low, limiting her range drastically. "Too large an area… I need… repairs…"

"I know a place." Dr. Carter helped her up. "Follow me. Beneath the chemical plant ruins lies a secret lab left by the Rothschilds, used early on by the original Evelyn. There's backup power and… things that might help you."

Supported by Dr. Carter and the survivors, Evelyn staggered toward the depths of the ruins. She glanced back at the crater, where the once-violent energy had subsided, leaving only a faint, steady glow at its center, flickering like a candle in the wind. In that quantum chaos, she felt no familiar residual consciousness.

Only she remained.

They navigated twisted steel beams and collapsed walls until they reached what appeared to be an ordinary basement entrance. Dr. Carter entered a long, complex password on an inconspicuous concrete panel, and a heavy lead door slid open silently, revealing a descending metal staircase.

Below lay a world starkly different from the ruins above—bright, clean, filled with advanced technology, though styled like a sci-fi movie set from the 1990s. The air carried a faint mix of disinfectant and iris scent.

"This is… 'The Cradle,'" Dr. Carter whispered. "Where the original Evelyn initiated her plan and left… 'contingencies.'"

At the lab's center stood a massive glass incubation column filled with pale blue nutrient fluid. But what caught Evelyn's attention was the workstation beside it, atop which sat an old laptop. Its screen glowed, displaying one line:

"Welcome back, Variable Ω. Final Protocol… awaiting activation."

Evelyn approached, her mechanical fingers brushing the cold screen. She sensed an underlying connection between the computer and her Omega core.

"Final protocol?" She turned to Dr. Carter.

"I don't fully understand it either," the elderly man shook his head. "The original Evelyn's plan was incredibly complex. She revealed only parts to me. She said when 'The Eye' truly intervened, and the Omega variable emerged, the final protocol would need to be activated—it's the only way to sever 'The Eye's' influence on this dimension entirely. But specifics? I don't know. Access is restricted to you alone."

Evelyn took a deep breath, connecting her remaining energy to the workstation. Instantly, torrents of information flooded her mind—not fragmented memories but clear plans, experimental data, and… a list.

The plan's core involved harnessing the quantum reactor's energy, combining it with the special structure of her Omega body, and the "rule fragments" hidden in Clone #99's genes to generate a "dimensional resonance" capable of shattering the anchor points "The Eye" projected into this dimension.

But this required immense energy far exceeding what she'd expended stabilizing the reactor or destroying the mothership. Additionally, she needed to find and destroy all "spores" planted by "The Eye" in this world; otherwise, they'd become new anchors.

The list detailed facilities, key individuals, and potential spore hosts linked to the Rothschilds and "The Eye," scattered globally. At the bottom of the list was an unexpected name:

Lucas Carter.

Lucas? Still alive? Not as a consciousness fragment but… an unstable quantum node? Notes beside the name read: This node retains partial original personality and memories but is severely disrupted by quantum fields and remnants of "The Eye's" power. Highly unstable, it may pose a threat or… serve as one of the critical keys to initiating "dimensional resonance."

Daniel's name appeared later, marked: Consciousness completely dissipated / Energy absorbed.

Evelyn's heart skipped another beat. Lucas… still existed? In a way she couldn't comprehend? A threat or a key?

She raised her head, liquid metal eyes glinting coldly. "I need repairs. Then, we'll locate those spores, and… find Lucas."

Whether he was a threat or a key, she had to find him. Not just to fulfill the original Evelyn's plan but to give herself an answer.

She sat on a repair platform in the corner of the lab, closed her eyes, and began channeling backup power to mend her damaged body. Meanwhile, her consciousness delved inward again, meticulously sifting through the vast trove of information left by the original Evelyn and… the global hunt list.

The new war had only just begun. This time, it wasn't for false vengeance but to safeguard the survival of the entire world—and to uncover her own ultimate meaning.