4:59… 4:58… 4:57…
The countdown thundered in my ears like a war drum.
The lab shook as the self-destruct sequence began to pulse through the system. Mason was killing everything—including us—just to erase the truth.
Elias grabbed the wall for balance. "We need to get out of here—now!"
But neither of us moved.
Because across from me stood her.
The original Amara.
Hair slightly longer. Gaze slightly sharper. The same face… but not the same soul.
"You have a choice," she said, stepping toward me.
"No," I whispered. "We do."
4:43…
"I was created to replace you," I said. "To be your second chance."
She shook her head. "You were created to obey. But you didn't."
I nodded slowly. "So maybe… I deserve to live more than they ever expected me to."
She looked at Elias. Then at the console.
"We don't have time for a debate," she said. "One of us integrates the core and locks Mason out for good. The other holds off the incoming security drones. The one who integrates… survives."
4:10…
Elias stepped forward. "There's another way. You both—"
"No," she cut him off. "There's only ever been one seat at the end of the world."
She looked at me with the softest eyes I'd ever seen.
"You were the version of me that survived," she whispered. "You carried the weight. Took the blows. Fought for something real."
Her voice cracked.
"I was asleep. You lived."
My throat tightened.
She pressed something into my hand—a glowing chip.
The integration key.
"You take it," she said. "End Mason."
I blinked in disbelief. "Why?"
She smiled.
"Because someone once told me that love… is sacrifice."
And with that—
She turned.
Faced the lab doors.
And ran into the hallway.
Screams. Gunfire. A flash of red light.
And she was gone.
3:33…
I stood there, shaking.
"Go!" Elias shouted. "Do it now!"
I plugged the chip into the mainframe.
The system roared to life.
Mason's voice spat over the speaker. "You think this changes anything?"
"Yes," I whispered. "Because I'm not your puppet. I'm your consequence."
I slammed the final command into the console.
CORE INTEGRATION COMPLETE.
MASON GRANT: ERASED.
3:00… 2:59… 2:58…
But the countdown didn't stop.
Elias looked at me. "The self-destruct—it's isolated. Manual shutdown only."
His voice trembled.
"It's on the top floor."
We both knew what that meant.
One person had to stay.
The other had to run.
I looked at him.
He stepped forward.
"I'll go."
I shook my head.
"No," I said. "I will."
His eyes widened. "You just integrated the system. You're the only proof left that Mason was destroyed."
"Then that proof needs to survive," I said, shoving the backup drive into his chest.
I smiled.
Tears in my eyes.
"This is what love looks like."
Then I kissed him.
Soft.
Real.
Final.
And I ran.