She slowly lowers her hands.
Then presses a single key behind her.
The room alarms instantly explode.
Steel doors slam shut.
Security shutters drop over the windows.
Gage spins.
“Trap!”
Armed security teams pour through side corridors.
Weapons raised.
The control hub erupts into chaos.
River fires first.
Boone pulls Wren down behind the server racks.
Bullets hammer against metal panels.
Glass shatters.
Wren gasps as sparks explode from the consoles above them.
Boone shields her with his body.
“You alright?”
“Yes.”
“You keep working.”
“I am.”
Her laptop screen floods with code.
She’s inside the system now.
Trying to reach the root command.
Trying to shut the cascade down before Phase Three activates.
Across the room—
River and Gage push forward through the gunfire.
Disciplined.
Relentless.
The second Architect watches it all calmly.
Completely unafraid.
