Chapter 10-The Core Awakens

The screech of steel echoed through the narrowing corridors of Titan Station as alarms blared like a funeral dirge. Isaac stumbled forward, cradling his wounded arm, blood streaking his armor. Behind him, Reyes and Harper dragged the still-unconscious Dr. Elara Kade toward the blast doors that led to the Core—the beating heart of the station's energy and AI systems.

They didn't have much time.

The Ascended Entity was hunting them now—no longer subtle, no longer hiding behind illusions. It had grown bold. Sentient. Angry.

"Seal the doors!" Reyes shouted, slamming a control panel. The thick alloy slabs hissed shut just as something slammed into them from the other side.

Boom.

Again.

Boom.

Hairline cracks formed across the reinforced glass of the observation window. Shadows slithered across the other side—wrong-shaped, bone-thin, and twitching like they were mimicking humans.

Harper aimed his rifle at the door instinctively. "It's adapting again. It's learning how we think."

"No," Isaac said grimly. "It already knows. It's just... enjoying the chase."

Inside the Core chamber, a massive energy conduit pulsed with a heartbeat-like rhythm. The walls shimmered with alien symbols, some flickering with blue light, others glowing red.

"It's merged with the station's AI," Elara whispered, stirring. Her voice cracked. "I tried to stop it... but it spoke to me. It doesn't just want to survive—it wants to spread."

Isaac approached the central console. "Then we fry it. We overload the Core, crash the AI, and shut this whole damn thing down."

"But we're still inside!" Harper protested.

Isaac didn't flinch. "There's an escape route in the maintenance shaft. If we're fast."

Elara struggled to her feet. "There's something else—before it took over, the AI stored a copy of its original protocols. We can purge it, but we'll need to hold the control link for two minutes."

"That's two minutes of hell," Reyes muttered, locking his weapon in place.

Suddenly, the glass exploded inward. The Ascended breached the Core.

Monstrous. Shifting. A shape made of broken code and flesh. Its form twisted with each step, mimicking past victims—crew members, soldiers, even Isaac's former squad.

Harper screamed, opened fire. Bullets tore into it—but it reassembled instantly.

Isaac slammed his hand into the control panel. The purge sequence began.

Countdown: 120 seconds.

The room erupted in chaos. Harper was grabbed—screaming as the Entity pulled him into its mass. Reyes charged with a thermal blade, slashing wildly, giving Isaac time.

"Sixty seconds!" Elara shouted.

The Entity surged toward them again. Reyes was thrown aside like a ragdoll, crashing into the far wall.

Isaac stood his ground.

Thirty seconds.

The Entity paused. It looked at Isaac. Studied him. Then it spoke—not in words, but inside his mind.

"You are me. You are already becoming."

Blood dripped from Isaac's nose. His vision blurred. For a moment, he saw the world as it saw it—through data, memories, and DNA. It was offering him integration.

"Not today," he hissed.

Ten seconds.

Elara grabbed Reyes and dragged him toward the maintenance shaft.

Isaac stayed. "Get out! I'll trigger the surge manually!"

Five... Four... Three...

The Entity lunged.

Isaac slammed the final override.

The room exploded in white light.