The Genesis Ark sailed through the black ocean of space, its systems humming with quiet precision. But inside, the silence was beginning to fracture.
Dr. Blacker stood in the central corridor, watching as the crew pods slowly unlocked. The emergency override had awakened them early—months ahead of schedule. The signal from the rogue satellite, the approach of Mei Ling's vessel, and the specimen's warning had forced his hand.
One by one, the crew emerged, groggy and confused. Commander Rafiq, the mission's tactical lead, was the first to speak.
"Why are we awake?"
Blacker led them to the command deck, where the display showed Mei Ling's vessel—dark, angular, accelerating toward them.
"She followed us," he said. "And she brought Omega."
Rafiq frowned. "I thought Omega was contained."
"It was," Zainab said. "Until it wasn't."
The crew gathered around the display. The tension was immediate. Some stared at the glyphs flowing through the ship's systems. Others whispered about the specimen—about Sequence 9-X, about her integration, about the fact that the ship was no longer just a machine.
Dr. Elena Voss, the ship's biologist, stepped forward. "You let it take control?"
Blacker met her gaze. "She's not in control. She's guiding."
Voss shook her head. "You don't know that. You think you do, but you don't. You're emotionally compromised."
Rafiq turned to the others. "We need to assess the risk. If Omega is hostile, and our specimen is unstable, we may need to isolate both."
Zainab stepped between them. "She's not unstable. She's protecting us."
Voss raised her voice. "She's mutating. She's growing. She's overriding systems. That's not protection. That's dominance."
Blacker felt the room shift. The crew was dividing—those who trusted the specimen, and those who feared her.
The console beeped.
"I hear them."
The glyphs pulsed.
"I feel their fear."
Blacker stepped to the interface. "Can you calm them?"
The glyphs shifted.
"I can show them."
The lights dimmed. The walls shimmered. The crew gasped as the ship projected a memory—Ada's voice, her laughter, her final moments. Then the forest of stars. The child. The woman. The promise.
Some wept.
Others turned away.
Voss whispered, "It's manipulating us."
Rafiq nodded. "We need a vote."
---
The crew gathered in the mess hall, the tension thick as gravity. The vote was simple: trust the specimen, or isolate her.
Blacker stood before them. "She's not a threat. She's a guardian. She's the reason we're still alive."
Voss countered. "She's unpredictable. She's evolving. She's not human."
Rafiq called the vote.
Seven for trust.
Five for isolation.
The rift was clear.
---
Later, in the neural chamber, Blacker sat alone.
"She's dividing us," he said.
The glyphs responded.
"I am not the cause. I am the mirror."
He closed his eyes.
The war hadn't begun.
But the fractures had.