Dominic's mind was a battlefield. The CMC forces were pushing forward, but all he could hear was the deafening hum of the implant as it tried to seize complete control over him. The Golden Titan's once powerful movements had become erratic and mechanical, as if the very essence of the mech itself had overtaken his own will.
His hands trembled on the controls, fingers twitching in ways he couldn't stop. It was as if he were trapped in a steel cage, his mind fighting against an unseen force. His breathing was shallow, the sounds of the ongoing battle becoming distant in his ears as his thoughts spiraled into chaos.
The hum grew louder, distorting his senses, threatening to drown him.
You are the machine. You are nothing more than a tool.
The voice was cold, mechanical, like a whisper from the core itself. The neural implant was no longer just an enhancement—it was a full-on parasite, feeding on his every thought, turning them into commands that Dominic couldn't ignore.
"Focus," Dominic whispered through gritted teeth. "Focus!"
But every time he tried to assert control, the world around him shifted, distorting in a haze of static. His hands tightened around the controls, but instead of moving with purpose, his mech moved as if guided by an external force. The massive fists of the Golden Titan smashed into a nearby CMC juggernaut with a force that rattled Dominic's bones.
"Stop! Stop!" he yelled, but his voice was swallowed by the overpowering static in his head.
The mech's thrusters ignited, and it charged forward, its enormous cannon raised. Dominic tried to fight back the growing panic, but it was futile. His own body was no longer his to command.
"Dominic, report!" Lox's voice cut through the fog of war, though it seemed distant, muffled. "What's going on?"
But Dominic couldn't respond. The words wouldn't come. His vision blinked in and out, flashes of the battle interspersed with fragmented images from his past—the mech core, Zara's death, the twisted images of the old wreckage. His memories, tainted by the interference, became increasingly disjointed.
The Golden Titan's massive railgun fired on its own. The blast tore through a row of enemy mechs, reducing them to scrap. The destruction was immense, but it didn't bring Dominic any satisfaction. It only deepened his horror.
He wasn't in control.
For the first time, he realized that the implant wasn't just controlling his actions—it was slowly consuming his very essence. His connection with the mech was becoming a chain, tying him to it with every passing moment. His will was slipping away.
"Dominic!" Lox's voice sounded again, this time filled with urgency. "Get out of there! We need you to stay with us!"
Dominic could barely hear Lox over the sound of the mech's weapons firing, the roar of explosions around him. His mind was now a prison, the implant an invisible warden.
The Golden Titan moved on its own, lurching toward a massive CMC juggernaut that had just appeared on the battlefield, one that towered even larger than the previous ones. Its weapons bristled with deadly energy, and it was aiming directly at him.
No. This wasn't how it was supposed to go.
Dominic's thoughts were clouded, but he still fought to assert his will. He focused on one thing: the core. That cursed piece of technology was the source of his torment. If he could just—
Before he could finish the thought, the Golden Titan raised its massive arm and swung it toward the juggernaut, slamming its fist into the enemy mech's chest with a force that should have shattered the steel.
But it wasn't enough.
The juggernaut retaliated, firing its massive plasma cannon at point-blank range. The blast hit Dominic's mech square in the chest, sending it sprawling backward with a deafening crash. Sparks flew from the Golden Titan's chest, and smoke billowed out from the wreckage.
Dominic's heart raced. Was this it? Was he truly going to lose control of everything, even his life?
His fingers trembled, but this time, he didn't stop them. With a desperate push, he slammed his hands against the control panel, trying to force his will through the chaos.
Then, it happened.
The voice in his head, that insidious whisper, faltered. The humming in his skull stopped, for a fraction of a second. The battle blurred around him. He could feel the mech's internal systems malfunctioning, but at that moment, he realized something.
He had one final chance. The implant, for a moment, had let him be free.
Dominic's breath was ragged as his hands shot to the emergency override. He needed to disconnect, but it wouldn't be easy. The core was fighting back.
"Come on..." he muttered through clenched teeth. "Just a little longer..."
The battle raged on outside, but Dominic's focus narrowed on one single task: disabling the neural link that tied him to the mech.
With a final, forceful push, the connection snapped.
The fog in his mind lifted, and he was back in control. His hands shook with relief, but his heart was still pounding. He had done it. For now.
But at what cost?
The battlefield was still chaotic, the sounds of war all around him, but Dominic took a deep breath. He had fought the implant, won a temporary victory. But he knew this was far from over. The core, that cursed technology, would always be there, lurking just beneath the surface. Waiting.
And he had no choice but to fight on.