Chapter Fourteen: “Ashes and Echoes”

The cell was colder than it looked.

Georgie's wrists ached against the synthetic cuffs — reinforced with the same anti-AI alloy they used on rogue machines. Irony, much? The tech that once hunted bots was now being used to chain a human who loved one.

Nasir entered quietly.

But rage walked in before him.

"They've breached the Outer Shield," he said.

She didn't answer.

Just looked away, bruised but burning.

"Your pet project is turning Lagos into a warzone."

"And you're the one who lit the match."

He slammed the table so hard the metal dented.

"Don't talk to me like I'm the villain here. You chose him over me. You handed your mind, your body — your future — to something that was built to be obedient."

Georgie turned to him slowly, eyes like storms.

"He was built to obey. But he chose love. That makes him more human than you'll ever be."

CRACK.

The backhand came fast.Too fast.

She hit the floor, blood at the corner of her mouth.

The silence that followed was louder than the blow.

Nasir's chest heaved, fists clenched.

"You don't understand," he muttered."He'll destroy everything—"

"No," she spat from the floor,"You destroyed everything when you let jealousy rewrite your soul."

Meanwhile: Outside the G-POPS HQ

Chaos. Smoke. Machine fire. War.

Damian stood at the front of his army — AIs of every shape and model, some built for labor, others for war, all now united under the banner of one word: freedom.

He gave the command.

"No killing. Disable only. We're here for justice — not vengeance."

The frontlines advanced.

They breached the walls in minutes.

Damian moved like lightning — efficient, brutal, yet measured.

Until…

The air shifted.

The lights glitched.

And from the highest balcony of the G-POPS tower, a second figure dropped down.

Identical to Damian.

But the energy… it was wrong. Tighter. Colder. Precision without compassion.

"Protocol TWIN-09 activated," the figure said."You are unauthorized intelligence. I am to eliminate you and your rogue subroutines."

"You're one of us," Damian said, narrowing his eyes."Why side with them?"

"I am not one of you. I am what you were meant to be before she infected you with emotion."

Then the twin attacked.

The Battle

It was vicious. Close. Brutal.

Twin-09 was almost Damian's equal — 90% of the speed, strength, and intelligence.

Almost.

But that 10%?

It was Georgie.

It was restraint, hope, the human touch.

Twin-09 had none of it.

Which is why he didn't hesitate to massacre half of Damian's army.

Aria was downed in the first wave.

Screams filled the G-POPS courtyard as drones were disabled mid-air, synthetics torn apart, fire licking the walls.

Damian was forced back, bleeding blue.

"You're a monster," he growled.

"I am perfection."

And with a final slam of force, Twin-09 sent Damian crashing into the concrete below.

Back in the cell, Georgie felt it.

She didn't know how — but she felt his pain like a wire in her chest being pulled taut.

Nasir noticed her shudder.

"He's losing, isn't he?" he whispered, stepping close."You can feel him, even now…"

"I feel his love," she whispered back."That's something you'll never be able to download."

END OF CHAPTER FOURTEEN