Maul destroyed the cyborgs easily, as if they were nothing.

His tusks caught the first one in the chest. Lifted it. Slammed it into two more behind it.

The cyborgs didn't scream. They just kept firing.

Plasma bolts burned Maul's tough hide. He roared as his Unstoppable Fury skill activated. Every wound made him stronger, angrier and more dangerous.

For every cyborg Maul destroyed, two more came running through the hangar doors. These weren't the basic models. These were heavy assault units armed with weapons that could actually hurt his creation.

One of them fired a rocket.

BOOM!

The explosion hit Maul in the side. He stumbled and crashed into a parked fighter.

"We need to move!" Vanessa grabbed Jonah's arm, pulling him toward a side exit. "Maul can't hold them forever!"

She was right. Already, more cyborgs were rushing in. At least thirty now. Maybe forty.

Jonah dismissed Maul. The massive brute vanished in a flash of light, returning to his Beast Space to heal.

They ran.

The side exit led to a narrow corridor. It had exposed pipes and flashing lights.

They heard heavy stomping behind them. The cyborgs were coming

"There!" Vanessa pointed to a junction ahead. "We can lose them in the service tunnels!"

They rounded the corner.

And found five more cyborgs waiting.

"Oh, come on!" Jonah stopped all of a sudden

The cyborgs raised their weapons. No hesitation. No mercy.

Vanessa moved faster. Her hands blazed with runic light. She hit her hand against the corridor wall. The runes carved themselves into the wall, glowing bright blue.

"Get down!"

Jonah dropped.

The runes exploded. Not with fire or force, but with electricity. Lightning jumped from wall to wall, destroying all electronic system in range.

The cyborgs stopped moving. They dropped to the floor in sparking heaps.

"Nice one." Jonah stood, looking impressed.

"Learned it from a book." Vanessa said. "Come on. Before more show up."

They ran again. Deeper into the ship. The corridors were confusing. Endless turns and sealed doors. Everything looked the same.

Jonah summoned Specter. The creature appeared as a shimmer in the air. "Scout ahead. Find us a path to the bridge."

Specter vanished through a wall.

They waited. Jonah leaned his back against the wall, trying to catch his breath. His head was pounding from the phase jump.

Vanessa leaned against the opposite wall. She looked worse. Sweat dripped down her face. Her hands shook a bit.

"You okay?" Jonah asked.

"Define okay." She tried to smile but she couldn't. "My head feels like someone's hitting it with a hammer. My legs are weak. And I'm pretty sure I sustained a serious injury from the crash."

"So... not okay."

"Not even a little bit." She slid down to sit on the floor. "But we are alive. That's something."

They started hearing footsteps in the distance. Getting closer.

"Not for long if we stay here." Jonah offered her his hand. "Come on. Just a little further."

She took it. She allowed him pull her up. "You said that three corridors ago."

"This time I mean it."

Specter reappeared through the wall. Its presence in Jonah's mind made a picture. The route went three levels up and two sections over to the bridge.

"Got it." Jonah relayed the information. "We go up."

They found a maintenance shaft with a ladder that was rusty and narrow. It hurt. It hurt to climb. Every step was extremely painful for his tired body

Vanessa climbed more slowly. She made a pained face every time she pulled herself up.

"Talk to me," Jonah said. Trying to keep her focused. "Tell me something."

"Like what?"

"Anything. Favorite color. Worst meal you ever had. Doesn't matter."

She was quiet for a moment. Then, "Purple. My favorite color is purple."

"Yeah?"

"It's the color of twilight. That moment between day and night when the world feels... possible. Like anything could happen." She paused. Then climbed another rung. "What's yours?"

"Gold." He didn't have to think about it. "Like the light from the Dragon's heart. Like the energy from Sylva. It's the color of hope."

"That's actually pretty deep for a kid from the Undercroft."

"I've had good teachers."

They reached the top of the shaft. A sealed hatch blocked their way.

Vanessa placed her hand on it. Runes glowed instantly. The lock clicked and the hatch opened.

They climbed through into another corridor. This one was different. Officers' quarters, maybe. Or command level.

Specter led them forward, past windows that showed the battle raging outside.

They turned a final corner.

And there it was. The bridge doors. Sealed tight.

"This is it," Jonah said.

"Great." Vanessa brought out a small device from her pocket. Some kind of scanner. "Give me two minutes to crack the lock."

"We don't have two minutes." Jonah summoned Maul again. The brute appeared. Just big enough for the corridor.

"What are you doing?" Vanessa asked.

"Something stupid." Jonah pointed at the door. "Maul. Break it."

The creature charged.

WHAM!

His tusks hit the door force. The metal buckled but it didn't break.

Again.

WHAM!

A dent formed.

Again.

WHAM!

The door tore free from its hinges. Then crashed.

Alarms rang out loudly. Red lights started flashing.

They rushed onto the bridge.

It was huge. Filled with screens and control stations. But Completely empty. No crew. No soldiers.

And no Sterling.

Just a hologram in the middle of the room. A projection of Julian Sterling, smiling.

"Congratulations," the hologram said. "You made it."

Jonah's heart sank. "You're not really here."

"Of course not." Sterling's image pointed around the empty bridge. "Did you think I would risk my physical body? That would be a bad move. The Apex is remotely piloted."

"Where are you?" Vanessa demanded.

"The Moon. In the Nexus." Sterling's smile became wider. "Safe. Secure. Untouchable. But don't worry. You won't have to live with that frustration for long."

Every screen on the bridge changed and red text appeared.

SELF-DESTRUCT SEQUENCE ACTIVATED.

60 SECONDS.

"No!" Vanessa rushed to the nearest console and started typing frantically. "I can stop it. I can hack this."

"You can't." Sterling's voice was calm. "The system is triple-encrypted with quantum locks. Even your considerable skills would take hours to crack. You have one minute. Not nearly enough time."

55 SECONDS.

Jonah looked around the bridge.

If the Apex exploded, they would all die. The hostages. The Fleet nearby. Ariana. Silas. Everyone.

There had to be a way.

50 SECONDS.

"Jonah." Vanessa's voice was sounding scared. "I can't stop it. The encryption is too complex. I'm sorry."

His mind raced. What could he do? He couldn't hack computers. He couldn't disable bombs. He was a Weaver. His power was about life and connection.

Connection.

An insane idea formed.

"Vanessa, how does the ship think?"

She looked up from the console. "What?"

"The Apex. How does it make decisions? How does it control itself?"

"It has an AI core. An artificial intelligence that manages all the ship's functions. Why?"

45 SECONDS.

"Because AIs aren't so different from my Progeny." Jonah walked to the main control console. "They are both minds. Both things with will and purpose."

"Jonah, what are you doing?"

"Something really, really stupid."

He placed both hands on the console. Closed his eyes and reached out with his power.

Not to create and not to heal. But to dominate.

He had bonded with Haven willingly. The station had accepted him. But the Apex wouldn't. It was Sterling's creation and it was loyal to its master.

So Jonah wouldn't ask. He would take it by force.

His mind hit into the ship's AI with force.

The response was immediate. The AI fought back. Its presence was alien. It screamed in his mind with loud noises.

GET OUT. GET OUT. GET OUT.

"No." Jonah pushed harder. He used his power to surround the AI's core. "You are mine now."

The AI fought back hard. It put up firewalls and tried to push him out.

Jonah held on. Blood dripped from his nose. His vision blurred.

30 SECONDS.

"Jonah!" Vanessa was screaming his name. "Your vitals are spiking! You are going to kill yourself!"

He couldn't answer. All his focus was on the battle happening in his mind.

The AI was strong. It was built to resist hacking and to be independent.

But Jonah wasn't a hacker. He was a Weaver. And every Progeny he made had a core. A spark of self.

He found it. Hidden beneath layers of code and logic. A small point of mind that made decisions.

He crushed it.

Not destroyed. He just... overwrote it. He replaced the AI's will with his own.

The ship screamed one last time.

Then went silent.

Every screen on the bridge went dark.

The countdown stopped.

00:02.

Two seconds.

Jonah opened his eyes. His vision blurred. His nose was bleeding. So were his ears.

Then his legs gave out.

He collapsed.

The last thing he heard was Vanessa shouting his name.

Then nothing.

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