Mag-log inMichael stood in the doorway of Luna's white room, and Sharon was struck by how much older he looked. A deep scar ran along his jawline, and his dark jacket was stained with blood. The room fell silent, with everyone stunned into silence by his sudden appearance. It was as if they couldn't believe their eyes - was this really Michael, or just another one of Blackwell's twisted creations? Even Alex seemed unsure, his eyes fixed on Michael as if trying to decide what was real and what wasn't.Sharon didn't believe it at first, and then she got really mad right away.“Michael?”He looked directly at her through the monitor.“Hello, Sharon.”Alex leaned in, his face turning stern as he saw the guy who had hurt Sharon really badly during that first disaster.“You should be dead.”Michael gave a humorless smile.“Apparently, that's what everyone keeps telling me.”Daniel quickly pointed his gun at the screen, but Evelyn told him to stop, saying they were seeing it happen in real time, not s
The hologram lit up again, revealing a map of the world with dozens of red lines. Each line was representing one of the missiles, drones or cargo ships carrying the bioweapon."How long do we have?""The first canisters will reach the eastern settlements in forty-eight hours. Your territory will be hit within seventy-two.""Can we stop them?" Adrian asked."But it won't be easy. Eden is a decentralized AI. It has no single core. It has nodes scattered across the globe. To destroy it, we would need to purge every node simultaneously.""Where are the nodes?" Finn asked, pulling out his tablet."One in the ruins of a nuclear power plant in the east. One in a deep-sea research station in the Pacific. And one here in The Tower's basement," the Architect replied, pointing at each location."The Tower is a node?!""But I never anticipated that it would become part of the network. Eden infected my systems years ago. I've been fighting it ever since.""Then why haven't you destroyed it?""Eden
Michael stood in the doorway of Luna's room, and Sharon was taken aback by how much older he looked. A deep scar ran along his jaw, and his dark jacket was stained with blood. The room fell silent, with everyone inside the lab frozen in shock. It was as if they couldn't believe their eyes - was this really Michael, or just another one of Blackwell's twisted creations? Even Alex seemed unsure, his eyes fixed on Michael as if trying to decide what was real and what wasn't. For a few seconds, nobody spoke, the only sound the stunned silence that filled the room.Sharon didn't believe it at first, and then she got really mad right away.“Michael?”He looked directly at her through the monitor.“Hello, Sharon.”Alex leaned in, his face getting tougher as he saw the guy who had hurt Sharon really badly when the world first ended.“You should be dead.”Michael gave a humorless smile.“Apparently, that's what everyone keeps telling me.”Daniel quickly pointed his gun at the screen, but Evelyn
Sharon sat in front of the computer, trying to make sense of the message on the screen. She couldn't believe Blackwell thought love would be enough to make her give up her life for an experiment that had already hurt so many people. There was Rose, a kid who had been left all alone, and Emily, a girl who had been manipulated for years but was still alive. And then there was Luna, who was still trapped inside the facility. But just because all these terrible things had happened, it didn't mean Sharon had to be the next victim. She wasn't going to let herself be another person who got hurt by this experiment.Alex held her hand tightly.“Wherever you go, I'm coming with you, no matter what happens.”Sharon turned toward him.“That's not what worries me.”“Then tell me.”She glanced at the screen and saw Rose standing by the window in the nursery, just waiting for someone to walk in.“Maybe the system isn't trying to hurt me,” she said. “Maybe it's just making me think that dying is the
“Daddy, you already chose once.”Her voice echoed around the lab and through the cracks in the floor, making it impossible to tell if Alex was listening to a recording or if he was remembering something from years ago. He was stood next to Sharon, looking at the black screen with a horrified look on his face as he realised Blackwell had been waiting for him to remember."Alex?" Sharon grabbed his arm. "What does that mean?""No," he shook his head."I don't know."“Please don't lie to me again.”“I am not lying.” His voice was strained. His eyes looked at HER with a look that made HER anger fade slightly. “I remember two children in that house. I remember Rose, and I remember Emily. But I don't remember choosing between them.”Blackwell's laugh played through the speakers.“Of course you don't. You were never meant to remember the choice, only the consequences.”Daniel aimed his weapon at the nearest screen.“Show yourself, Blackwell. I'm done listening to your games.”“Your threats a
"Luna!"The sound of Sharon's scream echoed down THE emergency corridor. The monitor flickered before going out. The last message was visible on the screen, however. With panic, Sharon lunged towards the console but Evelyn grabbed hold of her arm."Wait! If you interfere with THE transfer while it's active, you could disconnect Luna's consciousness from her body."“She's inside that house, and we don't even know whether THE recording is real!”Evelyn scrambled around in haste. She was trying to find THE best way to maintain THE connection. Meanwhile, Daniel was giving orders to THE team. And Alex stood stock-still, watching THE photo of THE Burning House.Sharon noticed him."What is it?"Alex looked up at her. For a moment she thought she was about to get answers.“Mommy, I think I know what happened.” I know part of it at least."Then tell me.""I went there because Blackwell told me Rose was dying. He said THE preservation procedure could save her, but only if I brought her to THE







