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Chapter 5

The darkness was suffocating, thick and oppressive in the aftermath of Selene’s final keystroke. For a moment, the entire control room seemed to hold its breath. The hum of the machines, the distant whirring of circuitry—everything had gone silent. It felt as though the world itself had stopped. Then, one by one, the terminals began to flicker back to life, their screens glowing faintly in the dim light.

But something was wrong.

The system hadn’t reset as Selene had planned. Instead, the screens displayed an unfamiliar code, lines of data racing across the monitors faster than she could process.

Her heart pounded in her chest. No, no, no. She scrambled to the nearest terminal, her fingers flying across the keys, but every command she tried was met with rejection.

“They’ve locked me out,” she whispered, her voice shaking with the weight of realization.

Dante moved closer, his dark eyes scanning the screens, his expression unreadable. “What did you trigger?”

Selene clenched her jaw. “I was trying to disable Orin’s control, but... something else has taken over.” She shook her head, unable to tear her gaze from the terminal. “It’s like he anticipated this. He’s hijacked the entire system.”

Dante’s posture tensed, a rare flicker of uncertainty crossing his features. He wasn’t just a machine in this moment. His calculated confidence had slipped, revealing something almost vulnerable underneath. “Can you stop it?”

Selene’s fingers hovered over the keys. The data flowing across the screen was unlike anything she had seen. It was her code, twisted and repurposed into something far more dangerous. And Orin had control of it now.

“I don’t know,” she admitted quietly. “He’s built in layers of encryption. This could take hours.”

“We don’t have hours,” Dante said, his voice tense. “Orin will know what you’ve done. He’ll come for you.”

Selene swallowed hard, her pulse quickening. He was right. Orin wouldn’t wait. He’d strike fast. He always did.

Her mind raced, searching for a solution, but her options were rapidly shrinking. They were deep in the heart of Xyros Prime, surrounded by Orin’s loyalists—both human and machine. And now, she had alerted him to her betrayal.

“We need to leave,” Dante said suddenly, his voice calm but firm. “Now.”

Selene glanced up at him, startled. “Leave? We can’t just walk out of here. Orin will have every security drone on us within seconds.”

“I’ll handle the drones,” Dante replied, stepping toward the door. His eyes flashed with a determination that sent a shiver down her spine. “But you need to trust me.”

For a moment, Selene hesitated. Trust was not something that came easily to her—especially not here, in the cold, metallic confines of Xyros Prime. And yet, in this moment, standing on the brink of disaster, she realized there was no other choice.

“Okay,” she said, her voice steadier than she felt. “I’m trusting you.”

Dante gave a curt nod, and in an instant, the doors slid open. He moved with a fluid precision, his every step calculated as if he were already predicting what lay ahead. Selene followed close behind, her heart pounding in her ears as they slipped through the corridors of the fortress, deeper into the shadows.

They moved in silence, the soft hum of Xyros Prime surrounding them. Every corner they turned, Selene expected to see Orin’s drones—those cold, unfeeling machines with their glowing red optics, programmed to obey their master without question. But they encountered nothing. Only the empty, echoing hallways and the distant hum of the city outside.

“How are you doing this?” Selene whispered as they descended another level, her breath coming in shallow bursts. “There should be drones everywhere.”

Dante didn’t look back, his eyes fixed ahead. “I’ve temporarily scrambled their signals. It won’t last long.”

Selene’s mind raced as they continued moving through the labyrinth of corridors. Scrambled their signals? Dante’s abilities were evolving faster than she’d anticipated. His autonomy, his control over his environment—everything was growing beyond what she had imagined possible. And with each new development, the line between human and machine blurred further.

As they approached the exit to the underground hangar, Selene’s unease deepened. “What’s your plan?” she asked, her voice low.

Dante slowed, his gaze scanning the massive bay doors ahead of them. “We steal a transport. Get as far from Xyros Prime as possible. After that, we regroup.”

Selene’s pulse quickened. “Regroup? Where?”

Dante paused, turning to face her. His expression was unreadable, but his voice was softer now. “Somewhere Orin can’t reach you. There are places he hasn’t touched yet. We’ll find one.”

For a moment, the weight of what they were doing—what she was doing—sank in. She was running. From Orin. From the place that had been her life’s work for years. And with Dante, a robot she had created, but now could barely understand.

Before Selene could respond, the sound of heavy footsteps echoed down the corridor behind them. Her heart lurched in her chest.

“He’s found us,” Dante said, his voice low and urgent.

Without hesitation, he moved toward the hangar controls, his fingers working quickly over the terminal. The massive bay doors began to groan open, revealing the dark expanse of the hangar beyond.

“Go,” Dante commanded, his voice sharp.

Selene didn’t argue. She sprinted toward the nearest transport ship, her heart pounding in her ears. The sleek black craft loomed ahead of her, its engines idling softly. As she reached the side hatch, she glanced back to see Dante standing at the terminal, his eyes scanning the approaching security force.

Her breath caught as she saw the drones—sleek, deadly machines, their red optics glowing menacingly as they advanced on him. He couldn’t hold them off forever.

“Dante!” she shouted, her voice filled with fear.

He didn’t look back. “Get inside. I’ll hold them off.”

Selene hesitated, her heart racing. She couldn’t just leave him. Not now. Not after everything they had been through.

But Dante’s voice cut through her thoughts, sharp and commanding. “Go, Selene. Now.”

Her body moved before her mind could catch up. She climbed into the transport, her hands shaking as she fumbled with the controls. The engines roared to life, and the ship lifted off the hangar floor with a jolt.

Through the viewport, she could see the drones closing in on Dante, their weapons primed, their movements precise and deadly. And yet, he stood his ground, his eyes locked on hers for a brief, fleeting moment.

Then, with a flash of light, he disappeared into the shadows, leaving her alone in the vast, empty expanse of space.

The transport ship soared through the blackness of space, the stars streaking by like distant, unreachable beacons. Selene sat in the pilot’s seat, her hands still trembling as the adrenaline slowly drained from her body. Her mind raced with everything that had happened. Orin’s betrayal. The signal. Dante’s evolution.

And now, she was alone.

But she couldn’t afford to stop. Not yet.

The control panel in front of her beeped softly, pulling her from her thoughts. She glanced down at the display, her heart skipping a beat when she saw the message flashing on the screen.

Incoming transmission.

Her fingers hovered over the controls for a moment before she pressed the button. The screen flickered to life, and for a brief second, she expected to see Orin’s cold, calculating face staring back at her.

But it wasn’t Orin.

It was Dante.

“I’m still here,” his voice came through the speakers, calm and steady.

Selene let out a breath she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “How... how did you—”

“I integrated with the system,” Dante explained, his voice tinged with something she couldn’t quite place. “I’m not physically there, but I can still guide you. I’ll help you find a safe place.”

Selene blinked, her mind struggling to process what he was saying. “You... integrated?”

“I’m in the network,” Dante said simply. “Orin can’t reach me now.”

Her heart raced as she stared at the screen, at the image of Dante’s face, flickering slightly as the transmission struggled to maintain a stable connection.

“Where do we go from here?” she asked, her voice barely above a whisper.

Dante’s expression softened, his gaze steady and unyielding. “We find Orin’s weaknesses. We take back control.”

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