Chapter 104

The Real Lex

Rhea ran a neuro-frequency scan on Lex while he slept. She built it herself from salvaged Cartwright tech.

What she found wasn't human.

Not entirely.

The scan revealed two distinct wave patterns. One was Lex. Steady, familiar.

The other… was fragmented. Faster. Older. And it resonated with the Eden encryption she'd once carried in her own head.

She whispered, "Nine…"

She sat on the bed, staring at him as he slept—peaceful. Dreamless.

> "Lex, if you're still in there," she said, tears rising, "you have to fight her."

> "She's not your shadow. She's mine."

---

Kaia's Firewall

The next day, Rhea encrypted Kaia's brain with a homemade firewall—using pieces of the same code that once shielded her from full Eden control.

But Kaia stopped her hand.

The baby looked up.

> "I can hear them, Mommy."

Rhea swallowed. "Who?"

Kaia tilted her head.

> "The ones watching Daddy."

> "And the one inside."

Final Scene of the Arc: The Shattering

Lex stood in the garden that evening, holding Kaia. He looked peaceful. But Kaia's body went stiff.

Rhea saw it in an instant.

> Lex blinked—and this time, his shadow didn't move with him.

Rhea stepped forward, heart pounding. "Put her down."

Lex didn't respond.

And then, in Lex's voice, but Nine's tone, came a whisper:

> "You should've deleted her, Muri."

> "Because now she's the only one who can stop me."