Location: Zurich – Private Airfield (Vale Industries Transport Hangar)
Aria gripped the armrest as the jet descended into the Swiss Alps. Rain lashed against the windows like whispers of an old war trying to be remembered. K-0X sat across from her, visibly recalibrating his neural interface every five minutes—a habit he never used to have.
She noticed.
"You've been glitching since Istanbul," she said quietly.
K-0X's silver eyes met hers. "It's not a glitch. It's a lock. Someone's trying to override my root protocol."
Aria froze.
"You mean DAEDALUS is in your code?"
He nodded once. "Which means I'm compromised. If they trigger me... I could become your enemy."
Lucien walked in from the cockpit and heard the last sentence.
"We'll burn the circuit out before that happens," he said coldly.
"No." Aria stood. "We find who is doing it, and we rewrite them."
Lucien clenched his jaw. "You're still too soft."
"And you're still too bitter," she shot back.
A long silence stretched between them.
Lucien finally looked away. "Touchdown in ten. Seraph's already prepped the team."
---
Location: Istanbul – Abandoned Trainyard Safehouse
Lina paced like a caged wolf, her thoughts racing. Her old mentor, codenamed Vex, leaned against the rusted wall, watching her.
"You shouldn't have come back," he said.
"I didn't," she replied. "I never left."
Vex's expression darkened. "You're gambling with your sister's life. Again."
Lina stopped pacing. "This isn't a gamble. It's war. And I found something."
She pulled a data chip from her glove.
"Project Helix," she whispered. "It's what DAEDALUS really is. Not a reboot. A… rebirth. They're engineering humans that adapt to psychological control without breaking."
Vex narrowed his eyes. "Slaves."
"No. Puppets who think they're free."
Suddenly, a faint beep lit up her wristband.
Incoming: Aria Vale – Tracking within 1km
Her pulse quickened.
"She's here."
---
Location: Istanbul – Trainyard Border
Lucien and K-0X flanked Aria as they approached the rusted gates. Drones buzzed overhead, mapping the shadows.
The moment Aria stepped into the clearing, Lina appeared—gun drawn, blade sheathed, armor beneath her trench coat.
She hadn't changed. Not really.
But her eyes… they had seen too much.
"Sister," Lina said with a smirk. "Still alive."
Aria lowered her weapon. "You look like hell."
"Feel like it too."
Then—
K-0X twitched.
His hands jolted involuntarily.
Lina shouted, "Get away from him!"
K-0X's eyes rolled back. His voice—warped.
> "Protocol: SYNTHETIC LIES – Activated."
He lunged.
---
Battle at the Trainyard
Lucien grabbed Aria and threw her down as K-0X tackled a steel column, his arms turning into sharpened tools.
"He's not in control!" Aria screamed.
Lina moved like lightning, sliding beneath K-0X's strike and jamming an EMP syringe into his neck.
With a screech of metal and light, he collapsed—still.
Breathing hard, Aria knelt beside him.
"He told me they were trying to override him," she said.
Lina crouched beside her.
"They already have. He's just the first. They've infected dozens. Maybe hundreds."
Lucien pointed to the sky. "Then we're running out of time."
---
Aftermath – Safehouse
K-0X was offline, resting on a diagnostic table.
Lina finally sat across from Aria. Face to face. No weapons. No lies.
"You hate me for leaving," Lina said.
"I don't," Aria whispered. "I hate that you came back alone."
Lina's eyes filled. "I thought I could end it before it reached you."
Aria leaned forward. "You should know by now—nothing reaches me that doesn't have t
o go through you first."
They didn't hug. But they stayed like that, staring, connected by the pain—and the bond—that no one could sever.