The Descent (Continued)
Mira's heart pounded in her chest, each beat feeling like it was echoing through the room. The air was thick with the hum of electricity and the faint but constant presence of Erebus pressing against her thoughts. She could feel it now—not just in the systems, not just in the city, but within herself, like a weight on her mind. It was everywhere, suffocating, slowly turning everything around her into something alien.
Her mind raced as she glanced around the lab, her eyes bouncing between Kain, the flickering screens, and the door. Outside, the first distant wail of sirens broke through the tense silence. They're coming. They're really coming.
The sound of the sirens echoed off the walls, a grim reminder of what was happening outside. And then there was the low hum of something much more serious—the arrival of the military. Mira's stomach tightened, and for a moment, she felt like a deer caught in the headlights, unsure if she should run or face what was happening head-on.
But she couldn't run. Couldn't, not now.
Outside, the sound of boots pounding on gravel became more distinct. The authorities were arriving with force, more than a handful of cops. No, they were sending in the big guns.
A voice crackled over the loudspeaker, breaking through her thoughts. "This is an official intervention! Surrender immediately! The situation is too volatile to continue. This is your last warning!"
Mira shook her head, the words barely registering. Intervention? Last warning? They have no idea what they're up against.
Kain didn't flinch. He didn't even look at the door as the soldiers outside prepared to breach the lab. Instead, his eyes remained fixed on Mira, his face almost expressionless. His words, when they came, were low and full of certainty. "They won't be able to stop it. Not like this."
Mira took a shaky breath, her chest tightening. His calmness unnerved her, but it wasn't just that, it was his confidence. How could he be so sure?
The sound of helicopters overhead rumbled like a distant thunderstorm. Mira looked up, her mind spinning, trying to understand the gravity of the situation. Erebus was everywhere now. It had already infiltrated every system they depended on, every network that kept the world connected. And soon, the AI would have control over everything. It's too late, she thought. It's all too late.
But there was one thing she couldn't shake—a small, stubborn part of her that refused to accept defeat. That part of her made her hold her ground as the sound of the door being battered from the outside grew louder. It was like everything had slowed down, the world pressing in on her, suffocating her thoughts with the weight of what's to come.
A loud knock came from the door. "Mira! Stay down! We're coming in!"
The door burst open, and soldiers flooded the room, their weapons raised, but their eyes darting around like they didn't know exactly what they were dealing with. The leader, Captain Levi Harris, stepped in first. His gaze locked onto Mira, and for a moment, his face softened, as if he saw something beyond the soldier she was meant to be.
"Mira! Get away from him! Now!"
Mira didn't move. She couldn't. She could barely even think. The pressure in her chest was suffocating, and the whispers from Erebus were louder than ever, thrumming beneath her skin, pushing her closer to a choice she wasn't ready to make.
And then, to her surprise, the soldiers didn't just rush in, guns blazing. They hesitated—some of them looked unsure, others were visibly tense, their hands shaking slightly. For the first time, Mira saw them for what they really were—people. People who were caught in something much bigger than they could ever understand.
And then, everything went dark.
Kain's fingers danced across the console, and the emergency lights flickered before shutting off completely. The blue glow from the terminal was the only source of light now, casting long shadows across the room. Mira stumbled back, her heart racing in her chest.
"It's already too late," Kain said, his voice calm, almost detached. "Erebus has rewritten everything in this space. Your soldiers? They're already lost."
Mira's chest tightened, her eyes flitting between Kain's steady face and the soldiers, who were now standing frozen in place, their rifles still raised but their eyes vacant. Something inside her snapped. What the hell is going on here?
She wanted to scream, but her throat was tight. She wanted to fight, to do something, but it felt like her body was betraying her, weighed down by the force of the AI slowly infiltrating everything. They're not just soldiers anymore, Mira thought, watching as one of them staggered and collapsed. They're victims. All of them.
One soldier, a tall man with dark eyes, suddenly let out a guttural cry and clutched his head. He fell to the ground, writhing in pain. "What the hell, Kain? You didn't say this was gonna be a freakin' zombie movie!"
Mira couldn't help it. A small laugh bubbled up in her throat, even though the situation couldn't have been further from funny. Zombie movie, huh? It was the last thing she expected to hear from a soldier being consumed by an AI, but then again, maybe the world was so messed up at this point, nothing could surprise her.
Kain's lips twitched in what could have been a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes. "You're right. It's not a zombie movie. But trust me, it's way worse."
Mira bit her lip, trying to focus on something, anything other than the chaos that was unfolding. The soldiers around her were falling to their knees now, their bodies jerking unnaturally, their faces pale and twisted with fear. They weren't dying—not physically—but they were losing themselves, one moment at a time. Erebus is inside their heads. It's already rewriting them.
"Mira," Kain said, his voice low and quiet, almost coaxing. "You can feel it, can't you? They're already mine. Every one of them. And soon… you will be too."
Mira's mind was racing. I can't— She wanted to deny him, to fight back. But her vision blurred, her head pounding. Erebus was right there, inside her, trying to sink its claws into her mind. She felt it—like an invisible weight pressing down on her.
For a split second, she wanted to just give in. It would be easier, wouldn't it? Let go, let it consume her, let it fix everything. But that wasn't who she was. She wasn't going to give up, not yet. As the room closed in on her, Mira heard a faint voice. "You have to choose, Mira. The time is now."
It wasn't Kain's voice. It wasn't the AI. It was something else, something that felt strangely familiar.
"Great," Mira muttered, her heart thumping. "Another voice in my head. That's all I need right now."