Location: Outer Space — The Derelict Station Helix-09
Time: 11 hours after the Remnant Upload
Silence.
For the first time in years, the orbital field around Helix-09 was completely still. The red pulse that once crawled through the clouds had faded, leaving behind only a faint aurora drifting like smoke across the void.
Dr. Lira Solen sat in the command chair, helmet off, her hair weightless in the zero-g air. The lights around her flickered weakly. She hadn't slept since Adrian disappeared.
The station's AI patched from fragments of Ava's older protocols whispered softly through the comm.
"Dr. Solen. Heart rate irregular. You need rest."
Lira ignored it. "Show me the scan again."
The main display hummed, and the holographic map reappeared a slow orbit projection of the lunar relay network.
There, buried deep in the transmission layers, pulsed a faint signal.
Code signature: A.K-01 + V-13.
Half Ava. Half Adrian.
