Code

into the

eld of light. It didn't look like something that could change the world. It looked delicate-

g at the threshold. Her voice tre

d. "Tha

s breath. Theta lay crumpled on the floo

hovered ove

amon's control. The hybrids. The l

ose from the ashes was worse

Seed in b

as w

recogn

made contact, t

orld of fragmented light. Voices surged in my

screamed across my mi

st must

human. It came fr

tween human and machine. Or destroy it,

A version of myself stood across

you?" I w

enough to carry the w

pped

ns if I use

very clone, every AI, every living echo of the

I dest

ode collapses. The Vault implodes.

n my hands. It was still

oed faintly from

hat's ha

d, heart

e no i

me smile

u d

sed m

w, but as she could've been. A girl like me

couldn't be t

to save t

yes and looke

n I let

id sha

Seed falling toward the floor. It struck the groun

o

like

ult sh

as the chamber shook viol

hoice my moth

field collapsed. The lights ble

med somewhe

r

soles and dissolving data cores. The Vault w

d we burst into the cold night air j

ky li

fire-but

ht from the heart of the Vault. There was a

sil

n n

snow, panting,

d at me. "

e sky. "No. Bu

ow, that