The chamber vibrated with the hum of the pulse generator. Red lights bled into the steel floor as Reika stepped forward, the neural drones trailing her like specters.

"You came to shut me down," Reika said. "But all I did was finish what your mother started."

Rin raised her weapon. "Our mother built strength to protect. You’re trying to enslave minds. Don’t twist her legacy."

Reika lifted a hand, and the drones charged.

Rae launched first, intercepting the left drone mid-air. Sparks erupted as she slammed it into a console. Rin dodged the second, landing a precision strike that temporarily disabled its optic sensors.

Ji Woo, patched into the facility’s security system from the elevator shaft, activated suppressors to disrupt the generator’s energy field.

"You have a 90-second window before it overloads," she warned.

Reika reached for the main console.

"You think strength lies in fists and reflexes," she said, voice rising. "But true evolution begins when you let go of fear. I’m giving the world clarity."

Rin leapt forward, grabbing Reika’s wrist. "You’re giving it silence. That’s not evolution. That’s tyranny."

Reika twisted free, activating a failsafe on her neural uplink.

The room shook. The pulse generator surged. Rae slammed the last drone into the wall and ran to the control panel.

"Too much energy," she shouted. "If this pops, we’re underwater toast."

Ji Woo’s voice crackled. "Redirect it. There’s a backup relay in the east wing. You’ll have to go manual."

Rin looked at Rae. "I’ll hold Reika. You reroute."

Rae nodded once, then sprinted. Behind her, Reika lunged—but Rin tackled her into the side scaffolding.

"Stay down," Rin snarled.

Reika laughed even as she coughed. "You don’t know what comes next. I’m just the spark. Others are already burning."

Rin’s jaw tightened, but she held her grip.

Seconds later, Rae reached the relay terminal. With a scream of effort, she punched the override code Ji Woo sent. The pulse arced sideways, out through the secondary relay line.

The generator powered down.

Lights died. Silence fell.

Reika slumped. Ji Woo’s voice came soft: "Signal terminated. The broadcast never launched."

Rin stood over Reika, heart pounding. "You lose."