AI WHISPERS
In power.
I push.
The energy shoots down the link.
ZAP.
Aria’s back arches. Her eyes fly open.
The glow under her skin flares bright, then fades. The digital static in her eyes clears, revealing deep, terrified hazel irises.
She gasps. A loud, wet, human sound.
And then she cries. A wailing, angry, beautiful cry.
"Connection severed," Echo announces. "She is offline. She is human."
In my bed, the pressure releases.