ログインThe heartbeat came again.THUMP.The entire facility trembled.Ava tightened her grip around Ethan's hand.THUMP.The lights flickered.The hundreds of people standing behind Ava began looking around in confusion.THUMP.A crack appeared across the floor.Ethan stared at it."That's impossible."Ava looked at him."What?""Genesis was the foundation.""And?""It was destroyed."Another heartbeat.THUMP.Ethan's expression changed."Not all of it."The crack widened.A cold mist escaped from beneath the floor.Lily moved closer to Ava."I don't like this."Veronica looked toward the darkness."Neither do I."Elara stepped forward.For the first time since Ava had met her, she looked genuinely frightened."He's awake."Ava turned."Who?"Elara didn't answer."Ethan."He looked at her."You know what's down there."Elara nodded."Yes.""What is it?"She swallowed."The first consciousness."Ava frowned."I thought that was you.""No."Elara shook her head."I was the first human consciou
Genesis screamed.Not an alarm.Not a machine.A scream.It came from every wall, every screen, every chamber.Ava covered her ears."What is happening?"Ethan stared at her glowing palm."You're overriding it.""How?""I don't know."Elias smiled."I do."Ava turned toward him."Then tell me.""You finally stopped playing by its rules."The countdown on the screens accelerated.02:0001:5901:58Ethan moved toward the central console."We need to shut the system down."Ava stopped him."No."He looked at her."No?""If we shut it down, what happens to everyone connected to it?"Ethan's expression changed."They die.""Exactly."Ava looked around the laboratory.Hundreds of chambers.Hundreds of people.Some were still alive.Some were barely breathing.She couldn't destroy Genesis.Not like this.Elara stepped forward."Then what will you do?"Ava looked at her."Free them."Elara laughed."You can't.""Watch me."Ava placed her glowing palm against the Genesis Core.The moment she t
The figure stepped into the light.Ava's breath caught.He looked exactly like Ethan.Not similar.Not close.Exactly.Same height.Same dark hair.Same sharp jaw.Same eyes.Except there was something different about him.His eyes were completely black.He smiled."Hello, Ethan."Ethan didn't answer.Ava tightened her grip on his hand."Who is he?"The man looked at her."Surely you know."Ava shook her head."I don't."He smiled."I'm the part of him he buried."Ethan stepped forward."You're not real."The man's smile widened."Neither were they."He gestured toward Lily, Veronica and Ava."And yet here we are."Lily moved closer to Ava."He's lying."The man looked at her."Am I?"Lily's expression changed."You were never supposed to wake up.""Neither were you."Veronica stepped forward."Enough."The man turned toward her."Still pretending you're in control?"Veronica's jaw tightened."You don't control me.""No."He smiled."I created the rules you follow."Ava looked at Etha
The voice echoed through the darkness."Daddy?"Ava's blood ran cold.Ethan's eyes were wide open.He wasn't looking at Ava.He was staring into the darkness behind her."Did you hear that?" Ava whispered.Ethan didn't answer.The voice came again.Closer this time."Daddy..."Ethan slowly pushed himself upright."No."Ava grabbed his arm."Ethan, what's wrong?"He looked at her.For the first time, she saw genuine terror in his eyes."I killed her."Ava's heart skipped."Who?"He shook his head."I killed her."Jonathan's face turned pale."Ethan..."Ethan looked toward him."You knew."Jonathan swallowed."You weren't supposed to remember.""Who was she?"Jonathan didn't answer.Ava stepped between them."Who was she?"Jonathan looked at Ava."The first."Ava frowned."The first what?""The first thing Ethan created."A metallic sound echoed beneath them.CLANG.CLANG.CLANG.The floor trembled.Lily appeared beside Ava."We need to leave."Veronica shook her head."It's too late."
The word remained on every screen.ETHAN.Ava stared at it.Then she looked at him."No."Ethan didn't move.His face had gone completely still."Ava...""No."She stepped backward."You said his name."The woman who called herself Architect Zero smiled."I did."Ava shook her head."You said Ethan was the enemy.""I said the answer was Ethan.""That's not the same thing.""No."Architect Zero's smile widened."It is worse."Ethan finally looked at her."What do you want?"The woman laughed softly."Still pretending?""Answer me.""You really don't remember.""Remember what?""Building us."Ava's eyes widened.Ethan looked confused."I never built anything."Architect Zero walked closer."You didn't build us with your hands."She touched the side of her head."You built us here."Silence.Jonathan suddenly rushed toward the control panel."Ethan, don't listen to her."Ethan turned."Why?"Jonathan froze."Because she's trying to manipulate you.""Then tell me what she's lying about."
The room went completely silent.Not peaceful.Not calm.Silent in the way a graveyard was silent before something crawled out of the ground.Ava's body remained suspended in the center of the chamber.Her head hung forward.Her hair covered half of her face.Energy moved beneath her skin like lightning trapped inside a human body.Ethan didn't move.He lay several feet away, his body unnaturally still."Ethan!"Ava tried to scream.But the voice that came from her mouth wasn't hers.It was Veronica's.Jonathan stepped backward.For the first time since Ava had known him, fear completely erased the confidence from his face."No," he whispered.The screens surrounding them flickered.One by one, they displayed the same message.SYSTEM REBIRTH: 72%Then,ARCHITECT COUNT: 4Jonathan stared."Genesis," he whispered.The word seemed to shake the entire room."What have you done?"A low laugh came from Ava's body.Veronica's laugh."You asked for an Architect."The lights went out.Then cam







