Location: Tavara – Ember Central Core, Sub-Level 7
Nora's fingers flew over the holographic keyboard, eyes locked on the rapidly shifting streams of encrypted data. Sweat dripped from her brow despite the icy air-conditioning in the Ember core room. Estelle's fragment was more than a key—it was a message. A desperate cry from a woman who had played too many sides and now wanted redemption.
Victor's voice crackled over the comms, tense and clipped.
"We're holding the corridor, but we've got limited ammo. Nora—how long?"
She glanced at the time stamp. "I need five minutes, maybe less!"
Outside, explosions boomed—closer now. Ember's servers pulsed with blue light, reacting to her input like a living thing. The AI system hidden within Ember was awakening… and choosing its side.
Kael's voice broke through. "Nora, there's movement behind us. Secondary breach on Sub-Level 5. I think they're inside already."
Nora swallowed hard. There was no time to panic. Only time to finish what she'd started.
Estelle's data unraveled before her eyes, revealing a series of access commands, hidden memories, and old recordings from her mother-in-law's past. One caught her attention—an image of a very young Victor in a hospital room, his mother whispering lullabies as a man's silhouette stood guard outside.
Her breath caught. That man wasn't just a bodyguard. He was one of the current attackers—masked under a different name. One of Archer's lead commanders.
"Victor!" she yelled. "One of the infiltrators is someone from your past! I think he was close to your mother—check your visuals for Commandant Reyes!"
Victor's voice hissed back. "Reyes? That's impossible. He vanished when I was a child."
"Well, he's back," she said. "And he's working for Archer."
The final encryption layer faded. Nora hit 'EXECUTE.' Ember hummed with power, awakening. The system now fully obeyed her—and Victor.
"Sequence unlocked," she whispered. "We own Ember."
Suddenly, the lights flickered. Ember's holographic avatar appeared—soft-featured, feminine, glowing in silver-blue light.
"Hello, Nora Langford," it said. "Directive activated. Family protection protocol—online."
Her eyes widened. "Family protection?"
"Yes," Ember responded, scanning the environment. "Initiating security lockdown. Tracking all hostiles in the building."
"Do it. Help Victor."
"Confirmed. Launching autonomous drone defense. Targeting priority: Archer operatives. Shielding corridor now."
She grabbed her earpiece. "Victor—Ember's live. You've got backup incoming!"
On the other end, she could hear gunfire, shouting—and then silence.
Nora's blood ran cold. "Victor?!"
No answer.
Just static.
Then…
"I'm here." His voice was ragged, breathing heavy. "They almost got Damien. But we're alive. And we're moving."
Relief surged through her chest.
Just then, the door behind her burst open—Kael stood, covered in ash, weapon drawn. "We need to move. Reyes is leading a team into the vault. Victor needs you at the front."
Nora shut down the interface and backed away from the now-sealed Ember core. "Let's go."
As they sprinted down the hallway toward the final stand, Nora gritted her teeth.
This war wasn't over.
But now, they had a weapon no one expected:
The truth—and Ember.