The air smelled like metal and betrayal.
Seyon Amara stood at the edge of the platform, blood trickling down her temple, the sterile white lights of the lab flickering overhead. Her research—her life's work—was gone. Erased from the system. Locked behind biometric codes she no longer had access to.
They were watching from behind the glass. The very people who praised her genius yesterday now wore cold smiles. Colleagues. Friends. Her own mentor. She felt the sting of it sharper than the bullet lodged in her ribs.
"You were never meant to finish it," Dr. Vahl said over the comms, his voice as calm as ever. "You were just meant to build it."
The AI core in the center of the lab pulsed once — her creation, her only companion. Its glow flickered… like it knew. Like it grieved.
Seyon staggered but didn't fall. "You think this ends me?" she spat, voice hoarse but defiant. "You've only made sure I never forget."
Alarms screamed in the distance. The floor trembled. The overload countdown had begun. Vahl and the others had already retreated to the upper levels.
The AI spoke softly, its voice trembling for the first time. "Seyon… authorization breached. Self-destruct initiated. I can't stop it."
She touched the core, her palm leaving a smear of red across the glass. "Then remember me," she whispered. "Not as the girl they silenced, but as the spark they couldn't kill."
Light consumed everything.
But in the darkness beyond death… something stirred.
And a name echoed in a new world:
" Seyon Amara "