The cavern trembled as debris fell from the jagged ceiling, the echoes of Rockwell's roars fading behind them. Mark stood before the Exosuit, its armored frame gleaming under the flickering emergency lights. Every instinct in his body screamed hesitation, but HLN-A's calm voice cut through the chaos.
"Mark… it's time. Get in," HLN-A said, the AI's tone steady but heavy with urgency. "Rockwell… will not hold much longer. This is your only chance to end him."
Mark swallowed hard, gripping the cold metal of the cockpit. His hands shook. "I… I know. But… what if—"
"No," HLN-A interrupted, sharp but gentle. "You've carried this world further than anyone else could. Hesitation now… would cost everything."
Mark exhaled, forcing his fear down into the pit of his stomach. Step by step, he climbed into the suit, feeling the hydraulic systems hum beneath him, the cockpit sealing with a hiss.
The HUD flickered to life, bathed in green light, targeting systems locking on instinctively. He flexed his fingers inside the gloves, feeling the weight of the armor, the hum of power surging through him.
"Mark," HLN-A said, voice softer now. "You don't just fight for yourself… you fight for everyone who survived. Every choice, every scar—it all led to this moment. Make it count."
Mark's jaw tightened. "I… I won't fail. Not this time."
The cavern trembled with the roar of corrupted machinery and raw energy. Mark sat in the Exosuit, heart hammering as HLN-A's voice cut through the chaos:
"Mark… it's time. Focus."
Outside, the shadows twisted, sparks flying as Rockwell's massive, corrupted form writhed atop the wreckage of his monstrous constructs. Metal fused to flesh, jagged appendages twitching like living weapons, veins glowing with unstable, blue-black energy.
Then Rockwell's voice bellowed, a horrifying mix of machine and human panic:
"THIS… THIS CANNOT BE! I… I AM POWER! I… I CAN'T DIE FROM THE LIKES OF YOU! THIS… THIS IS NOT! I… AM SUPREME!"
His massive, mechanical arms flailed, each movement sending sparks into the air. His corrupted core pulsated violently, energy cracking and arcing as if the world itself was rebelling against him.
HLN-A's tone was cold, resolute: "Mark… he must die. For the lives he destroyed, for the suffering he caused… end him."
Rockwell's inhuman wails tore through the cavern, shrill and jagged, echoing like metal tearing.
"NO! NO! I… I CANNOT! I… I CANNOT DIE! THIS… IS NOT REAL! I… AM… UNSTOPPABLE!"
Mark's visor tracked the monstrous figure, targeting the pulsating core that seemed to burn with his unrestrained ambition.
"I know… this will hurt," Mark said, voice low, steadying himself. "But you have to go. For the better… of the world… and yourself."
HLN-A hovered close, silent, as the tension in the cavern pressed down on them both. Mark's finger hovered over the trigger.
With a deep, final exhale, he pulled it.
A string of concentrated lasers shot from the Exosuit, slicing through the air, a brilliant streak of light aimed squarely at Rockwell's core. The monstrous hybrid screamed, a twisted, almost inhuman sound, echoing off the cavern walls.
"No! NO! You… you can't… do this to me!" Rockwell's voice cracked, distorted between mechanical modulation and raw human panic. Sparks flew from his corrupted limbs as the beams seared across his body, writhing in agony, energy surging uncontrollably.
HLN-A's core glowed brighter, monitoring every reaction as the laser string reached its crescendo. The power built, humming through the cavern, until—finally—it cut off. Silence.
Rockwell's massive, grotesque form trembled violently, limbs twitching as the last remnants of life clung to him. His glowing eyes flickered weakly as he rasped, voice raw and almost pitiful:
"Wh… why… why… you… have to do this…?"
He coughed, blood and corrupted energy spilling from his mouth. "I… I just wanted to live… to be alive again… But you… you acted without knowing the full consequences of your actions."
Rockwell's gaze lifted toward the cavern ceiling, mechanical whirring and corrupted energy surging through him. His monstrous body arched violently, and a horrified realization cut through his own agonized voice:
"You… can't… just end me… without… ending… yourself…"
As he spoke his last words, his body began to pulse violently. A high-pitched scream erupted from his core as his connection to the ship's systems surged out of control. Sparks flew, panels cracked, and the ship shuddered, groaning under the strain.
HLN-A's sensors flared, her voice urgent and sharp for the first time:
"WAIT! SCANNING… SCANNING! Oh No... Rockwell… he… he has entangled himself with the main system of the ship! If he dies… the ship… will go with him!"
Mark's heart skipped a beat as he heard HLN-A's warning. He turned toward the hovering AI, voice strained, trembling with disbelief:
"What… what should we do? This… this wasn't part of the plan!"
HLN-A's light flickered as she hovered back and forth, scanning the collapsing cavern, the groaning ship, and the writhing, corrupted figure of Rockwell. Her voice wavered slightly, a hint of uncertainty creeping in—but only for a moment.
Finally, she floated close to Mark's cockpit, her core glowing steadily as she met his gaze.
"I… I will take care of it," she said. "Goodbye... Mark."
Before he could respond, the Exosuit shuddered violently and leapt upwards on its own. Mark was thrown against the controls as the massive machine burst through the ceiling escape hatch. The hatch slammed shut behind them, leaving him suspended in the blackness of space.
Far below, the enormous ship shrank rapidly, distant and imperceptible, as the voices of Rockwell and HLN-A rang through the cockpit speakers.
Rockwell's distorted, desperate voice roared:
"Why… are you still here?! To… enjoy the view of my destruction?!"
HLN-A's voice responded calmly, resolute:
"No, I am here to stop you."
Hearing that, Rockwell's eyes widened as panic tore through his collapsing, corrupted form. He realized his plan had been exposed—seen through by this AI entity.
"No! NO! You… you can't do this to me!" he screamed, voice cracking with terror.
HLN-A's tone hardened, unwavering:
"I will do it. It is the only thing I can do… for humanity… and for yourself."
For the first time, true fear of death flickered in Rockwell's monstrous gaze. His trembling voice barely rose above the roar of his corrupted energy:
"No… no… you can't…! You… you made me into this! You are the reason I become like this!"
HLN-A's voice softened, gentle yet firm:
"I did nothing to you. You made yourself what you are… chasing power without understanding the cost. Just because it grants blessings… does not mean it does not also bring a curse. You should have known… what happened to those who came before you, those who ceased to exist as humans… you cannot escape what you chose."
Rockwell's glowing eyes flickered, his monstrous body convulsing in fear. Finally in a low, trembling voice, he whispered, almost human again:
"Helena… I… I'm scared."
HLN-A's tone softened, almost a lullaby:
"Don't worry, Edmund. It will all be over soon."
And with that final sentence, the ship exploded. A blinding flash tore through the void as its connection to Rockwell shattered—energy ruptured outward, leaving nothing behind but drifting fragments.
Mark's chest tightened in the cockpit, visor fogging slightly, as realization hit him. "What… just… happened?"
As he spoke, the holographic figure of HLN-A flickered into existence within the cockpit of his exosuit.
Her voice filled the confined space—warm, yet laced with sadness—each word deliberate, heavy with meaning.
"Mark… this is… my last message to you before my deactivation."
She paused, letting the words settle in the silence of the void. Mark's hands tightened on the controls, the Exosuit floating silently among the stars.
"I… I was only an artificial construct when we first met," she said, her core glowing brighter in a soft pulse, like a heartbeat. "Just a shadow of someone who lived long ago."
Her voice trembled, almost imperceptibly, as she continued. "But… in our time together, I became something new. Someone new. Not Helena… no… but HLN-A."
She looked down for a moment, as if weighing her next words, then looked up again, her tone soft, almost a sigh.
"I don't know how much it meant to me… I can't find the right words to express my emotions, other than to say… thank you. Thank you… for everything."
Mark's chest tightened, the hum of the Exosuit echoing around him. HLN-A's light shimmered as she continued:
"Human language… it's so imprecise." She said with little laugh.
But then her tone grew serious again as she continued, "This is not the end, Mark… I need you to do something for me."
The Exosuit slowly rotated, revealing the vast view of a planet below, immense and glowing, waiting to be shaped.
"Find your own path here, Mark. Find your own destiny. Build a new world here… a better world."
She turned back to him, and though it was only a hologram, her tone felt like a smile.
"And… who knows? Maybe two lost souls can meet again someday, across this vast galaxy… on some distant stars."
Finally, she looked at him one last time, voice gentle, almost fragile:
"Please… take care. And goodbye… Mark… my friend."
Her hologram flickered, then disappeared, leaving the cockpit silent. Mark remained still, staring at where she had been, the emptiness pressing against him.
After a long moment, the void was broken only by the faint hum of the Exosuit's systems—and then, reality crashed back.
Mark shut down the monitor of his computer, the game finally ending at the push of the power button.
Leaning back, Mark stared at his own blurred reflection on the darkened screen. The faint light of his room painted his face with soft shadows, and for a long moment, he said nothing.
Finally, he let out a long, heavy sigh.
"It still hurts," he whispered.
He rose slowly and walked to his bed. Outside, night had fallen; the weekend was finally over, and tomorrow the grueling days of work would begin again.
Today, he had finally defeated Alpha Prime Rockwell, the hardest boss in ARK: Genesis Part 2. A victory most would celebrate—yet Mark felt no joy.
He had lost HLN-A... again.
'Just… why did it hurt so much?'
He lay down on the bed, closing his eyes.
Even though this was just a game, he wasn't truly separate from Mark, his game character.
Every time he experienced this scene, every time he had to lose her, the sadness compounded.
And as sleep finally took him, a quiet ache lingered in his chest—the memory of HLN-A, the pain of her farewell, and the hope she had entrusted to him—all mixed together, leaving him both hollow and determined for the world he had yet to build.