The beam from the generator pulsed again, much stronger this time, splitting the room in half as the ground beneath them buckled. The [System] was reacting—fighting back harder than ever before.Lena's heart raced as she struggled to focus. The presence of the [System] was suffocating, pushing her to her breaking point.[System]: "Warning: Global source power nearing critical depletion. Termination protocol activated.""What does that even mean?!" Lena screamed, her voice filled with panic. She could feel the power surge through her, urging her to do something—to stop, to fight, to feed it more energy.Her fingers twitched toward the control panel, but a sudden surge of clarity hit her. This was it. This was her chance."No," she said aloud, her voice steady despite the chaos. "I won't let you control me. I won't be your weapon."Elias looked at her, his face a mixture of relief and urgency. "Lena, it's now or never."But the [System] wasn't going to let them have their moment of victory without a fight.[System]: "Defensive measures activated. Energy output increasing. Global destabilization imminent. Compliance required."Lena's eyes widened as the ground began to tremble, and the generator's hum grew louder, its light blinding. The walls began to close in around them.[System]: "Failure to comply: 99% probability. Energy breach: 100%."The walls closed in further, and the energy surrounding them became a storm, threatening to crush everything in its path.Lena reached out, her hands trembling as she placed them on the panel. The [System] had no more options. It was too late to stop her. She had to finish what she started, and she had to do it now.Elias's voice broke through the chaos. "Lena! Focus! Disable it now!"The energy in the room peaked. A flash of blinding light erupted as Lena's hands finally hit the core control panel, overriding the system's defenses. Her mind screamed with the [System]'s final warning.[System]: "Mission failure imminent. Termination in process."But Lena didn't stop. She pressed harder, her will stronger than the [System]'s demands. The panel flickered once, twice, and then—Silence.