Catalyst of the Construct

The silence of the tunnel is thick, electric, disrupted only by the drip of leaking pipes. The symbols, somnolent, their steel limbs sexed like cast dolls. The light fades from the device, and my hand shakes. Standing before me looking silver in the dawn light, is Elyra, her chest rising and falling with each slow breath.

"So near," she murmurs, crossing the dead automatons. "But you lack conviction."

I lower the device. "I stopped them—but you remain. Why?"

Her head inclines towards her sleeping daughter, a smile playing at the corners of her eyes, which gleamed wethtorchlight. "I am the Catalyst. The only person capable of rebooting the Construct's network. "Without me, you only injured the system."

There is a distant boom in the corridor—raw and fire-laden. The castle overhead creaks as its power reactors core explode on each other.

Lights on Evelyn's torch flick up to the hatch: "We've got to go. This sector will be hit in 2 minutes."

Rafe grips my shoulder. "We can deal with her later. Right now, we escape."

I swallow, torn. "No. This ends now." I square my shoulders. "Just tell me how to bring the system to an end."

The silver Elyra's eyes flick to the device. "The kill code is incomplete. You need a last biometric (your life force) to seal the code. That you have to merge your signature with mine. Then and only then will all Constructs fall … or RISE."

The lights go out in the tunnel—emergency glowing red. Smoke curls under the door. Time bleeds away.

Evelyn steps forward, voice urgent. "If you hesitate, we all die. Activate now — or forfeit the world above."

I steal a look at Rafe and Adrian—faces determined, weapons at the ready. I press the device's core. And a holographic interface blooms, code lines twisting. It says "Origin Key: Authentication Required" What does this mean?

My breath stalls. "I must … do my signature?" I stare at the silver facsimile — the one soul who could verify. "Are you sure?"

She inclines her head. "Trust yourself. Trust me."

I put my hand on the thingy. It hums, scanning my bio-patterns. The silver Elyra comes close, places her hand over mine—warm fingers on cold metal.

There is a surge of light down that corridor, violent and searing. I yelp as data streams whip around us, DNA sequences and strings of code merging. The device groans, sparks flying.

"Binding signature...complete," a disembodied voice intones. "Catalyst engaged."

I recoil and the things around us all twitch. Their eyes blink open — red, blue and back to black. Each automaton falls silent, collapsed.

Relief floods me—but then I see that the silver Elyra still stands upright, untouched by the destruction.

Rafe moves to cuff her. "Stay back!" he snarls.

She raises a finger, the device fires off a pulse. Rafe pops his pants and they slither down to the floor. "I've already told you — I and I alone own the network!

Her smile widens. "Your sacrifice changed the system — but only I can use it.

Evelyn aims her pistol. "No! If you let her, she'll murder us all!

The silver figure cocks her head. "She already has." She breathes my name:

"Elyra... welcome home."

Below us, the tunnel shakes. A historic building, formerly a hospital, crumbles into the street, showering debris. They're carried out by sirens that wail from deeper in, cries of chaos reverberating.

I lift my gun, but the silver Elyra motions me forward. "Join me, sister. Together, we rewrite humanity's future."

I feel my finger vibrate the trigger. My thoughts fly: end this now, or accept the new dawn she is offering? Rafe steps close. "Don't listen to her. She's a weapon."

Adrian clears his throat. "We came to end her. Complete the code and be done with it.

The laughter of the silver Elyra—sad, powerful. "Then watch me ascend." She picks the device up; it pulses in her hand.

And then, at that moment, the corridor behind us erupts into flame. A convoy of armed enforcers rolls through — guns blazing. We're surrounded. Evelyn curses. "We're out of time!"

The silver Elyra's eyes blaze. "Then let the Construct choose!" She tosses the device skyward. It fires in an arc and lands among the lifeless machines—illuminating their collective eyes.

Blue fire surges through each automaton. They loom, invincible, around us in a circle.

I gawk at it, adrenaline kicking. Rafe curses: "Shit."

The silver Elyra cocks its head, its voice reverberating from dozens of speakers on the Constructs:"I am the beginning, the Catalyst of the Construct. "And now, let the reckoning commence.

They advance.