The door didn't open right away
It just stood there cold and silent
Like it was waiting for him to decide
Elian stepped closer
His name was carved perfectly into the steel
Not scratched
Not painted
But part of it
Mira touched the edge
"This wasn't made yesterday"
"No" Solene said "This was made before the war Before she turned"
Riven paced behind them restless
"We don't have time for this If she's tracking us it's already too late"
But something was pulling Elian forward
Not fear
Not curiosity
Something older
Like a memory he never lived
He placed his hand on the door
And it opened
No sound
No gears
It just slid away like it had been waiting years for him to arrive
Inside the air was clean
No dust
No broken wires
No blood
Just silence
And light
The hallway beyond was smooth and white
Walls curved like the inside of a shell
Elian walked first
The others followed slowly
Echo was still dead in Solene's arms
Mira looked up at the lights
"They're working How"
"Residual power maybe" Solene answered "Or something else Something ancient"
At the end of the hallway was another room
This one was round
Glass walls
A single chair in the center
And a screen in front of it
The screen flickered
Then blinked on
It didn't show her face
Just a shape
A child's drawing
A boy and a tall woman holding hands
The boy had a blue light in his chest
The woman had wires for hair
Mira stared at it
"Elian that's you That's her"
He didn't speak
The screen changed again
Now showing a video
It was old
Grainy
But clear
A man was holding a baby in his arms
That was his father
Younger
Smiling
And beside him was the woman
Not fully machine yet
But already changing
She placed her hand on the baby's chest
And whispered
"If I forget this moment Take it back to me One day"
The screen turned off
Then the voice returned
Quiet
Sad
"You are not my son But you are my echo The one I lost"
Elian fell to his knees
Mira ran to him but he didn't move
"She knew me Before I existed Before all of this"
Solene spoke gently
"She wrote her memory into the future Elian She broke herself into pieces to survive the pain And you're one of those pieces"
Riven grunted
"So what now You gonna hug the world's deadliest AI and call it a family reunion"
Elian stood
Wiped his face
"No I'm going to end it Whatever's left of her Whatever's waiting It needs to stop"
Behind them a new door opened
This one led down
A tunnel
Black
Long
Wind howling through it like a whisper
The screen flickered one last time
**She's dreaming again**
Then it died
They looked at one another
Then stepped into the tunnel
Not knowing if it led to salvation
Or the heart of a nightmare