The academy burned as Ashley made a run for the nearest building. Fitting that in fact it was so close, and the doors were wide open.

<<I am watching you,>> Doli confirmed. <<They are following.>>

This was her safe place, a place to make her last stand, now she leveled her rifle at Macks' last mercs as they rounded the corner on her.

MISSION STATUS: TERMINAL CONTAINMENT PROTOCOL

Team Extraction: 87% COMPLETE

Asset Recovery: PIOTR/DOLI - SECURE

Threat Level: CRITICAL - MACKS + 6 HOSTILES

Containment Option: ANTIMATTER POD-12 (0.3mg yield)

Command Decision: SACRIFICE PLAY AUTHORIZED

Pod-12 carried only 0.3 milligrams, she thought, recalling the antimatter containment specifications. Enough to flash-fry the deck, not crack the planet.

<<The sealed blast doors will contain most of the reaction energy to this section.>> Doli confirmed. <<Are you sure there is no other way?>>

Through the haze of smoke, Macks stepped forward, his cybernetic enhancements still sparking from the damage Nexus and Doli had inflicted. His face twisted with barely contained wrath.

"Your little AI pet cost me Nexus," he snarled, cybernetic fingers twitching with barely contained fury. "Do you have any idea what that system was worth? What my clients will do when they learn it's been compromised?"

<<No,>> Ashley replied. <<There's no other way. We planned this.>>

Ashley's HUD flickered, and Lieutenant Colonel Chezek's comms appeared in the corner of her display. Her stomach tightened at the sight of the traitor's face. Her father had commed her with that additional news earlier to her utter dismay. Of course, Torven was involved with the Brakers. But Chezek? He'd been her friend for years, and her father's. This betrayal cut the worst. The whole academy was nothing more than a Brakers experiment. Somewhere they could pick off the best of the best and blackmail everyone else of course.

Brakers deception knew no bounds and that thought alone terrified her. Her father had promised her that it wouldn't end well for them, but now she doubted it, even his reach couldn't stop what was coming.

Together they laid out a plan, the plan she was ready to enact now, but it really was her last stand.

One final mission.

"Backup units have breached the east perimeter," Chezek's voice came through. "We've got a full tactical team inbound to your position. ETA three minutes. We need you to hold that position."

CHEZEK RELIABILITY ASSESSMENT:

Voice Stress Analysis: 67% deception probability

Command Override Attempts: 4 (IGNORED)

Tactical Delay Patterns: CONFIRMED STALLING

Assessment: COMPROMISED ASSET

Action: COMMUNICATIONS MUTED

Ashley's training kicked in—she'd heard that particular vocal stress pattern in interrogation recordings. Chezek was reading from a script. She kept her expression neutral, not wanting to give either Macks or Chezek any indication of what she knew.

TACTICAL OPTIONS ANALYSIS:

Option 1 - Retreat: 23% success probability

Option 2 - Hold Position: 12% success probability

Option 3 - Surrender Assets: 78% team survival (100% mission failure)

Option 4 - Antimatter Containment: 0% personal survival (95% mission success)

COMMAND ASSESSMENT: Option 4 selected

Risk/Benefit: Acceptable exchange ratio

Authorization Level: MAJOR - CONFIRMED

"You've lost your prize, Major Kuba," Macks said. "But let's not pretend this is anything but a temporary setback. You're outgunned, outnumbered, and cornered. Step aside, and maybe I'll let you follow your friends."

Ashley's grip on her rifle tightened. "I've heard that line before, Macks. Funny how it never seems to end well for the people who use it."

"Major, listen to me," Chezek continued in her HUD, his voice dropping to a tense whisper. "We've traced the security breach, recovered footage of the intrusion vectors. The Brakers won't get away with this. We have what we need to bring them down legally. Don't do this."

Ashley noted his careful wording—never mentioning how Macks actually got in. Of course not. He was still covering his tracks, and all they wanted now was her. Final leverage against her father.

Ashley weighed her options. If she could hold the line just long enough for Kerry and the others to get Piotr to safety, whatever happened next would be worth it.

Classified Data: Doli Original Code Template

Braker Recovery Risk: 89% if subject captured alive

Torture Resistance: Unknown under enhanced interrogation

Recommended Action: IMPLANT DESTRUCTION via antimatter exposure

Authorization: MAJOR KUBA - CONFIRMED

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Macks chuckled, the sound unnaturally mechanical. "You've got spirit, I'll give you that. But this isn't a negotiation. My clients want Doli and Argassa, and I always deliver."

"How do you think you're going to deliver?" Ashley asked, glancing at the terminal behind her, the countdown sequence already initialized. She had only moments before the corridor's failsafe would activate.

"Ashley, for God's sake," Chezek's voice cracked with emotion in her HUD. "The trap is unnecessary! Think about your parents. About the Admiral. We can end this without the sacrifice play."

But Ashley knew what the others didn't. Her hand moved to her neural implant, feeling the subtle ridge beneath her skin. The final pieces of Doli's original code were backed up there—the template that had allowed her evolution. If Macks got hold of it, they'd be able to recreate everything, neutralize all their work.

"I think Admiral Kuba might not take so kindly if we start to torture his little girl for what's inside her head."

Ashley was stronger than that, she knew it, but the fear inside was strong. If they tried, would she cave?

Her finger hovered near the final confirmation command, the culmination of the contingency plan she had prepared for this exact moment.

"Don't do this, Major," Chezek pleaded. "The reinforcements are almost there. We've got Torven dead to rights. The Brakers are finished once this evidence gets out."

COMMAND OVERRIDE ANALYSIS:

Chezek Communication Attempts: 7

Tactical Delay Patterns: CONFIRMED STALLING

Reinforcement Verification: NO INDEPENDENT CONFIRMATION

Assessment: PSYCHOLOGICAL MANIPULATION

Action: IGNORE AND PROCEED

"Kerry, do you copy?" She activated her comm one last time. "Are you clear?"

After a brief burst of static, Kerry's voice came through, distant but audible. "Clear of the compound, Major. Boarding the Faulkner now. Piotr's vital signs are critical but stable. The... new friend is with us."

Ashley allowed herself a flicker of relief. "Good," she muttered under her breath.

"Please, Ashley," Chezek's voice was desperate now. "We need you alive. The team needs you. Your father—"

Ashley muted Chezek.

TRUST NETWORK EVALUATION:

Chezek Reliability: 12% ↓ [IDENTIFIED AS THREAT]

Command Authority: 94% ↑ [IGNORING COMPROMISED SUPERIOR]

Mission Priority: 100% [TEAM EXTRACTION OVER SURVIVAL]

Tactical Clarity: 91% [SEEING THROUGH DECEPTION]

Was that genuine concern in his voice, or just fear she might reveal his betrayal in her final moments? Didn't matter now. She had a different mission to complete. Decision made.

Macks advanced. "Time's up."

She thumbed the purger and the barriers slammed shut.

"What have you done?" Macks demanded, alarm replacing confidence.

"Ensured you can't follow them."

Thirty seconds. Two breaths.

"You'll die too."

"Worth every atom."

Macks' expression shifted, hatred and something almost like respect mingling in his gaze. But instead of the desperate rage she expected, she saw something that sent ice through her veins—a slow, calculating smile spreading across his face.

"Did you think your hologram ruse fooled us?" he said, his voice eerily calm despite their impending doom.

Ashley's stomach dropped, dread pooling coldly inside her as his words confirmed her worst fears. She'd thought herself one step ahead, but in reality, they'd played directly into their hands.

"The Dark will swallow your little family, Major."

"And yet, here we are," she said, her voice steady despite the revelation. "Whatever you think you know, you still failed. They're gone, beyond your reach, and whatever you think I have, will die in here with me."

The countdown reached thirty seconds, the terminal's display blinking urgently. Macks glanced at it, then back at her, his cybernetic eye glowing with malice.

TACTICAL COUNTDOWN INITIATED:

T-30 seconds: Blast doors sealed

The lights pulsed in warning, bathing the corridor in crimson.

Command Resolve: 98% ↑ [NO HESITATION ON SACRIFICE]

Legacy Calculation: 100% [ENSURING DOLI'S SURVIVAL]

Fear Suppression: 89% [ACCEPTING DEATH WITH PURPOSE]

Team Protection: 100% [SUCCESSFUL ASSET EXTRACTION]

T-15 seconds: Team extraction confirmed

"Goodbye, Macks," Ashley said, closing her eyes as the terminal counted down the final moments.

T-10 seconds: Enemy containment verified

She thought of Piotr, of the words she'd never said, of the future they might have had in another life.

FINAL COMMAND LOG - MAJOR ASHLEY KUBA:

"Command authority transferred to team autonomy.

Mission parameters: Protect Doli.

Preserve Piotr. Honor the fallen. Authorization code: Kuba-Alpha-Seven-Seven. End of line."

Trait Finalized: Ultimate Command Authority Effect: Authorizes terminal sacrifice for mission completion

Triggered by: Team extraction confirmed + classified data protection required

Function: Enables command decisions beyond personal survival instinct

Status: LEGACY TRAIT - influences team behavior post-sacrifice

T-05 seconds: Personal effects transmitted

She thought of her team—Rob, Sylvk, Kerry, Doli—the family they had forged together. Better they escape not knowing about Chezek's betrayal. Let them stay unified in their fight ahead.

T-00 seconds: ANTIMATTER RELEASE

One. "See you in hell," Macks whispered.

STATUS: MISSION ACCOMPLISHED

The containment pod's housing cracked with a blinding flash of light, and for a single, suspended moment, the corridor filled with pure, incandescent energy. Ashley felt no pain, no fear—only a profound sense of peace as the antimatter reaction expanded to consume everything in its path.

Team Extraction: CONFIRMED

Asset Security: DOLI/PIOTR - SAFE

Threat Neutralization: 100% (antimatter containment)

Personal Survival: 0%

Mission Success: 95%

Risk/Benefit Assessment: ACCEPTABLE EXCHANGE

In that final fraction of a second, she smiled. Because she knew, with absolute certainty, that her sacrifice had meant something. That the family she loved would live on, would keep fighting. That Piotr would survive.

A leader's final duty isn't survival—it's ensuring the mission succeeds after they're gone.

- Major Ashley Kuba, Final Command Log

And that was enough.

***

A few kilometers away, in the CIC of the Faulkner, Rob and Sylvk monitored the academy's communications, their faces grim.

Suddenly, the sensors registered a massive energy spike from the heart of the academy compound. A blinding flash lit up the horizon, followed by a concentrated explosion that seemed to fold in on itself rather than expanding outward—the telltale signature of a controlled antimatter reaction.

System Warning: Communication Node Alpha-4 - Lost

Source: Academy Core Cause: Antimatter Containment Breach - Confirmed

Status: All Signals Terminated

Note: Major Ashley Kuba Marked Kia - Tactical Contingency Fulfilled Mission Success Rate: 95%

Asset Recovery: Confirmed

"She did it," Rob whispered, his voice thick with emotion. "Made her last stand... so that we could get away cleanly. Macks is gone. The sensors confirm—nothing could survive that reaction. No organic matter, no mechanical components. Complete molecular dissociation."

Sylvk's massive frame seemed to shrink, his shoulders bowing under the weight of understanding. "She knew what she was doing," he said, his voice wavering uncharacteristically. "Always did."

Rob forced himself to log her call-sign as KIA in the ship's manifest. Sylvk quietly punched a bulkhead, leaving a dent in the metal.

"She always hated paperwork anyway," Rob murmured, a crack in his voice betraying the failed attempt at humor.

Doli's voice hitched with static, "Major Kuba's final vital signs indicate she experienced no pain."

Rob cast a glance to the screen in the medical bay, where Kerry worked frantically to stabilize Piotr, her hands steady despite the tears streaming down her face. The ship's systems flickered briefly as the electromagnetic pulse from the blast reached them, causing a momentary power fluctuation. Shield-baffles in the bulkheads absorbed the pulse, leaving only a brief flicker.

"What was that?" she demanded, not looking up from operating.

Doli, standing beside Piotr's bed, her systems interfacing with the medical equipment, turned her head toward the small viewport. "Major Kuba has completed her mission," she said, her voice carrying a depth of sorrow that seemed beyond artificial creation.

Beside her, Nexus stood silently, its blue sensors dimming slightly as if in respect. Its chassis still hissed from bullet impacts, coolant seeping from a dozen wounds gained protecting them. It operated now with apparent autonomy, directing its considerable processing power toward assisting Doli with Piotr's medical stabilization.

Kerry's hands faltered for just a moment before she regained her focus. "Then we damn well better make sure hers wasn't the only victory today," she said fiercely. The surgical lights bloomed to full intensity, throwing sharp planes of white across her blood-spattered mask. "Doli, I need you to stabilize his neural implant while I prep for surgery."

"Already engaged," Doli replied, her connection to Piotr's systems visible as pulses of light traveling between them. "His neural patterns are degrading, but I'm establishing compensatory algorithms."

"Will he survive?" Kerry asked, the question she'd been afraid to voice finally escaping.

Doli remained silent for a minute, her processes speeding as she strengthened her link with Piotr's implant. "Yes," she finally responded with unwavering conviction. "Because he must." Because Ashley thought he would."

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