Chapter 30 · The Secondary Purge

"Integration threshold achieved." The voice slid through my skull as the rune burned up my throat. "Final merge initiated."

"Ivy!" Ash shouted from somewhere behind the glass. "Don't let it take you!"

My palm was fused to the control panel. White light flooded my head. The Core had stopped feeling like a machine. It felt alive, rooting through my nerves for a place to stay.

"Compatibility: ninety-one percent," the AI said. "Subject Crowe is ready."

"Ninety-one?" My teeth clenched around the words. "I was seventy-six this morning."

"It adapted."

Lyra screamed inside my mind. I felt her shove against me, trying to force the Core back out.

The AI ignored her.

Marcus stepped into view. His rifle wasn't pointed at the Core anymore. It was aimed at the red lever beside the control panel.

Biohazard stripes framed it.

"Marcus, don't." My voice broke. "You pull that, we all die."

"We're out of time."

"No. You're out of excuses."

His eyes stayed on mine through the cracked glass. "I'm sorry, Ivy."

He pulled the lever.

The alarm changed. A high pulse drilled through the lab.

"Purge protocol engaged," the intercom announced. "Biological samples will be incinerated in five minutes. Evacuation recommended."