The ceiling cracked open like something enormous had punched through it.
Dust exploded downward.
Chunks of concrete shattered against the floor.
Pipes burst, spraying cold water into the stale air.
Rowan's unconscious body jerked in Horace's arms.
Cassian screamed.
Chandler ducked and covered his head.
Aiden whimpered, trying and failing to sit up.
And Lucian—
Lucian stepped back with practiced ease, brushing a fleck of dust off his shoulder.
Horace bared his teeth.
"What did you bring down here?"
Lucian's expression was serene.
"Insurance."
A massive, metallic limb slid through the crack above us—
thick as a tree trunk,
jointed like an insect,
glittering with smooth black armor plating.
The machines around us froze,
sensors flickering like they'd gone blind.
Rowan's tablet lay cracked on the ground, but even half-lit, the screen pulsed red:
RESTRICTED UNIT DETECTEDTYPE: UNKNOWNAGGRESSION LEVEL: SIGMA
Chandler read it and shrieked—
"UNKNOWN?! What the hell does UNKNOWN mean?! Can't the tablet just say MONSTER?!"
Rowan, barely conscious, moaned softly.
Horace whispered, voice shaking with suppressed fury:
"Lucian…
you brought a SIGMA unit into the tunnels?"
Lucian smiled calmly.
"You left me no choice."
He tilted his head toward the widening ceiling crack.
"Come now. Witness what your choice has summoned."
Another limb slid through.
Then another.
The metallic creature lowered itself into the chamber—
not gracefully,
not mechanically,
but like something alive.
Its body unfolded, segment by segment,
taller than three men,
with a faceless head shaped like a pointed helmet.
Along its sides, dozens of scent receptors glowed a faint crimson—
each one opening, dilating, adjusting.
Searching.
Chandler clung to Rowan's sleeve.
"We are going to DIE.
We are SO going to die—
ROWAN, TELL ME WE'RE NOT GOING TO DIE—"
Rowan barely whispered,
"…Sigma-class isn't supposed to exist…"
Cassian held Aiden tightly, eyes full of terror.
"Horace—you can't fight that—
NOBODY can fight that—"
Aiden stirred, whispering through choked breaths:
"…run…"
Horace stepped protectively in front of all of us, shielding me with his body.
"Elleanore.
Stay behind me."
My voice trembled.
"I—I can't hide anymore."
"You're not hiding," Horace whispered back.
"You're surviving."
Lucian clasped his hands behind his back like we were observing art.
"This unit was built to neutralize Omega riots.
It can sense awakening levels across fifty meters."
Rowan's trembling voice croaked,
"H-Horace…
that thing is designed to nullify scent signals—
it'll override everything—
even Elleanore's influence—"
Lucian smiled at me.
"Unless," he murmured,
"she surrenders."
Horace took a step forward, shielding me.
"She's not going anywhere near you."
Lucian lifted his chin slightly.
"Then you'll watch what happens next."
With a faint mechanical groan—
the Sigma unit's sensors turned red.
Cassian gasped.
"It's locking onto someone—!"
Chandler whispered,
"Who—who is it locking onto—?"
I knew.
Before anyone said a word.
Before it moved.
Before Rowan's half-conscious whisper cracked the air:
"…Aiden."
Cassian's scream ripped through the chamber.
"NO—
NO—TAKE ME INSTEAD—
DON'T TOUCH HIM—!!"
Aiden, dazed, disoriented, leaned heavily against Cassian.
"Cass…
let go…"
"I WON'T—!!"
Horace cursed and surged forward.
"Rowan—Chandler—get behind me—move—NOW!"
Chandler dragged Rowan back desperately.
The Sigma unit raised its massive limbs—
and dropped to the floor.
Concrete split beneath it.
Dust shot outward.
Aiden released a strangled cry.
Cassian clung tighter.
Chandler's voice cracked,
"Horace—HOW DO WE FIGHT THAT—?!"
"We don't fight it."
Horace's voice was low, fierce, desperate.
"We survive it."
The Sigma unit turned—
every sensor focusing on Aiden.
Horace moved.
Fast.
Too fast for a human.
Instinct flaring like wildfire.
He slammed into Aiden and Cassian, knocking them aside just as the Sigma unit lunged.
A metal limb crashed into the ground where they had been a second earlier—
shattering the stone beneath.
Rowan screamed,
"HORACE—NO—DON'T LET IT TOUCH YOU—!!"
Lucian chuckled from behind the unit.
"Oh, don't worry.
Sigma-class units do not waste energy unless necessary."
Horace growled,
"SHUT UP!"
Another limb sliced downward—
Horace grabbed both boys and rolled, barely dodging.
Cassian sobbed,
"Horace—Aiden can't OUTRUN IT—he can barely breathe—!!"
The Sigma unit shifted its weight—
And lunged again.
Straight at Aiden.
"No—
NO—" Aiden whispered, too dizzy to react.
Cassian flung himself over him.
"TAKE ME—TAKE ME INSTEAD—PLEASE—!!"
Horace dove again, pushing both out of reach.
The machine pivoted, sensors flickering.
Rowan's voice cracked into panic.
"Horace—every time you touch Aiden—
the machine registers your proximity—
it's tracking Omega-reactive Alpha signatures—
it thinks Aiden is going feral—
it will NOT STOP—!"
Lucian clasped his hands casually.
"It tracks intensity.
The stronger the protective Alpha…"
his eyes slid to Horace,
"the faster the reaction."
Horace snarled.
"Elleanore.
Don't move."
I stayed rooted to the spot—
because if I moved,
my scent would spike,
the Sigma unit would recalculate,
and everything would collapse.
Again.
Chandler whispered shakily,
"So what do we DO—?!"
Rowan pushed himself upright despite his injury.
His voice trembled.
"We need to break its targeting logic."
"How?" Chandler asked, near crying.
Rowan looked at me.
I stepped back automatically.
"No," Horace snapped.
"Absolutely not."
Rowan's voice cracked,
"She's the only one whose scent it can't classify—"
Lucian smiled.
"Exactly."
Horace roared,
"YOU WILL NOT TOUCH HER—"
But the Sigma unit had already recalculated.
Its sensors all shifted—
away from Aiden—
toward me.
Chandler squeaked,
"Oh come ON—why is EVERY MONSTER attracted to her—?!"
Cassian shouted,
"Elleanore—RUN—MOVE—NOW—!!"
Rowan cried,
"Don't run—don't run—running triggers pursuit—!!"
Horace let out a sound I had never heard—
half fury
half terror
pure instinct.
"Elleanore—
DON'T LOOK AT IT—
DON'T BREATHE—
DON'T—"
But it was too late.
The Sigma unit lunged.
A blur of metal,
red sensors,
heat,
force—
directly at me.
I staggered back, breath caught in my throat.
Horace shoved off the ground with everything he had—
He slammed into me.
We hit the floor together.
The Sigma unit's limb crashed down inches from my head.
Chandler howled,
"IT'S GONNA KILL US ALL—!!"
Rowan's voice trembled,
"Elleanore—your scent—your scent level is rising—STOP—PLEASE STOP—!"
I couldn't.
My body was shaking.
My instincts were spiraling.
My fear was sharp enough to taste.
The Sigma unit twitched—
reacting to the spike.
Lucian's voice cut through the chaos, too calm:
"If she spikes again, I'll lose control of the unit."
Horace snarled up at him.
"GOOD."
Lucian sighed,
"You misunderstand.
If I lose control…
the unit defaults to purge protocol."
Rowan went still.
Chandler stopped breathing.
Cassian whispered,
"…purge…?"
Lucian nodded pleasantly.
"Meaning it will kill every living body in this chamber."
Silence.
Cold.
Hollow.
Paralyzing.
Rowan whispered,
"H-Horace…
we need another plan—
RIGHT NOW—"
Horace pulled me closer against him, shielding my entire body beneath his.
"Elleanore—
focus on me.
Please.
Don't let him take you.
Look at me—not the machine—ME."
My breathing shook.
"Horace—I can't—I can't control—"
"Yes, you can," he whispered fiercely.
"You controlled the machines.
You controlled the scent bay.
You controlled ME."
My throat trembled.
"Horace—"
"Elleanore.
I'm right here."
His forehead pressed to mine.
In the middle of falling concrete
and metal limbs slicing the air
and Cassian sobbing
and Aiden gasping
and Chandler screaming
and Rowan bleeding—
Horace kissed me.
Not soft.
Not sweet.
Raw.
Desperate.
Terrified.
Everything in him poured into it.
Every fear.
Every instinct.
Every promise.
My breath stuttered—
and my scent snapped tight.
From wild
to controlled.
From panic
to steady heat.
From crisis
to coherence.
The Sigma unit jerked backward—
confused
disoriented
losing its target lock.
Rowan gasped,
"She's stabilizing the sensors—
Horace—KEEP HER FOCUSED—!!"
Horace didn't stop kissing me until my breathing returned.
When he finally pulled away—
I was shaking,
but alive.
Horace whispered against my lips,
"Stay with me.
Please."
I nodded, tears sliding down my face.
The Sigma unit trembled—
sensors recalibrating—
but it didn't attack.
Not yet.
Lucian watched, expression unreadable.
"…Interesting."
Cassian clung to Aiden.
Chandler whimpered softly.
Rowan struggled to sit upright.
Horace stood in front of me, panting.
Lucian clasped his hands.
"Well.
This became more entertaining than expected."
He lowered his voice.
"But you haven't survived anything yet."
He raised two fingers—
A signal.
The Sigma unit's sensors turned blood red.
Cassian screamed.
Chandler grabbed Rowan.
Aiden cried out.
Horace's scent flared violently.
"Elleanore—
RUN—!!"
And the Sigma unit lunged.
The Instinct Break
The Sigma unit lunged.
A blur of metal and red sensors—
a monstrous thing that looked more like a living nightmare than a machine.
Horace threw his entire weight into pushing me aside.
"ELLEANORE—DOWN!"
I hit the ground hard but rolled with it, air knocked from my lungs.
The Sigma unit's limb crashed where I had stood a breath before—
splintering concrete, shattering old pipes, making the whole tunnel shake.
Cassian screamed,
"HORACE—LOOK OUT—!!"
Horace didn't look.
He already knew.
He ducked beneath the machine's second strike—
its limb slicing through the air so fast it hummed.
Rowan yelled,
"HORACE—DON'T ENGAGE—SIGMA UNITS CAN'T BE FOUGHT—!!"
But Horace didn't listen.
He didn't have time to listen.
Another strike.
Horace dodged, rolled, slammed his palm against the underside of the machine's limb to redirect momentum—
a move no normal Alpha should've been able to execute.
The force still threw him backward, skidding across the floor.
Chandler sprinted to him.
"HORACE—HEY—HEY—STAY WITH US—!!"
Horace coughed hard, blood staining his lip—
but he was already pushing himself back up.
Lucian watched with mild curiosity.
"Impressive," he said softly.
"You've grown."
Horace snarled, wiping blood from his mouth.
"You won't touch any of them."
Lucian's smile widened.
"I'm not the one you need to worry about."
The Sigma unit adjusted its stance—
every limb poised for another lunge.
Rowan dragged himself upright despite his bleeding shoulder.
"We need a plan—right now—or we die down here—!!"
"Working on it!" Chandler squeaked, lifting a broken metal bar like it was a mighty weapon.
Cassian, cradling Aiden, screamed,
"DON'T LET IT NEAR HIM—PLEASE—HORACE—!!"
Aiden shifted weakly at the sound of the machine's movements.
"…stop…
don't hurt…
Cass…"
His voice was small.
Fragile.
But the Sigma unit's sensors all twitched toward him again.
Straight toward Aiden.
Rowan's eyes widened.
"No—
no no NO—
it's re-locking on the unstable scent signature—"
Chandler's voice cracked.
"So Aiden's gonna be TARGETED FOREVER?!"
Rowan's breath stuttered.
"Yes—until Elleanore stabilizes the unit again—"
Everyone turned.
To me.
And my chest seized.
"I—I can't—
I don't know how I did it—
I don't—"
"Elleanore."
Horace's voice cut through the panic.
I looked at him.
Bleeding.
Bruised.
Breathing hard.
Standing between me and a monster twice his size.
"Elleanore," he repeated quietly,
"I know you're scared.
But you stabilized it once."
"I don't know how!"
"You looked at me."
My breath hitched.
Horace stepped forward, one hand extended.
"Look at me again.
Just me."
But Lucian's voice slid in like poison.
"She can't.
She's beyond safe parameters.
Her threshold is burning itself out."
I felt it.
The shaking in my hands.
The heat in my lungs.
The dizziness in my legs.
Rowan noticed it too.
"Elleanore—don't push it—if you stabilize the unit while you're this exhausted, it'll fry your nervous system—!!"
Horace turned sharply.
"Rowan. Not helping."
"I'M BEING HONEST—SHE COULD DIE—"
"NOT NOW—ROWAN—!!"
Rowan flinched.
Chandler stepped closer, whispering to me.
"Elleanore…
we're with you.
We'll do whatever you need.
Just tell us."
I swallowed.
My scent pulsed uncontrollably.
The Sigma unit re-aimed its sensors toward the sound of my shaking breath.
Rowan stiffened.
"Oh no—
oh NO—
Horace—it's locking onto HER now—!!"
Horace lunged in front of me, arms wide.
"ELLEANORE—STAY BACK—!!"
He pushed me behind a broken support beam as the machine swung a limb at him with brutal force.
Horace blocked it with his forearm—
the impact sending a sickening crack through the air.
"HORACE!" Chandler screamed.
Horace dropped to one knee—
but stayed between me and the machine.
Lucian sighed.
"This is getting messy."
Cassian cried,
"STOP IT—STOP—STOP—STOP—!!"
Aiden opened his eyes again.
Glowing gold.
Shaking.
Instinct barely holding.
"Cass…
don't cry…"
Cassian coughed through tears.
"I'm scared—Aiden—I'm so scared—"
Aiden tried to push himself up—
But couldn't.
His arms shook violently.
His body convulsed.
Pain rippling up his spine.
Rowan gasped.
"Cassian—Aiden's system is collapsing—!"
Cassian cupped Aiden's face, voice breaking.
"Aiden—please—not now—PLEASE—look at me—!"
The Sigma unit pivoted toward them again.
Cassian screamed.
"HORACE—HELP—!!"
Horace struggled to his feet, arm shaking, bone likely fractured.
"ROWAN—DON'T LET IT NEAR THEM—!!"
Rowan—bleeding and barely standing—grabbed a fallen metal plate and threw it like a shield.
The machine swiped it aside like paper.
Rowan stumbled back, hitting the wall.
"Damn it—Damn it—!!"
Chandler grabbed Rowan before he fell.
"You're NOT dying here.
I'm not letting you.
Stay with me—HEY—stay with me—"
Rowan clenched his jaw, trying not to pass out.
Lucian stepped forward, unmoved by the chaos.
"Elleanore.
This can end.
All you must do is come with—"
"No."
My answer sliced the air clean.
Lucian blinked.
But before he could react—
Horace roared.
"STAY AWAY FROM HER!"
He slammed into the Sigma unit's limb—
bare-handed, broken-armed—
and forced its strike away from us.
The machine skidded back.
Lucian raised a brow.
"Horace, you're bleeding.
And you're weakening."
Horace didn't look away from the machine.
"I'm still standing."
Lucian's eyes cooled.
"For now."
THE CRITICAL BREAK
Rowan staggered forward suddenly, eyes widening at his cracked tablet.
"Oh no—
no no NO—
everyone MOVE—NOW—THE UNIT IS ABOUT TO—"
He didn't finish.
The Sigma unit triggered an impact pulse.
A shockwave exploded outward.
The floor ripped open.
Walls cracked.
The ceiling groaned.
Dust billowed.
Horace shielded me with his body as a column collapsed behind us.
Cassian curled around Aiden.
Chandler threw himself over Rowan.
The tunnel shook violently—
and then something snapped.
A slab of concrete fell—
right above us.
Horace shoved me out of its path.
Pain exploded across his back as the slab crashed onto him.
He collapsed forward, half-trapped beneath it.
"HORACE—!!"
My scream tore out of me without restraint.
Chandler cried,
"No no NO—he's pinned—he's PINNED—!!"
Rowan tried to crawl forward.
"Horace—stay awake—HEY—listen—LOOK AT ME—!!"
Horace didn't move.
Cassian cried harder.
Aiden weakly reached out toward us.
"…no… please…"
Lucian watched without expression.
The Sigma unit recalibrated again, shifting its sensors.
Directly on me.
Rowan shouted,
"ELLEANORE—RUN—PLEASE—RUN—!!!"
"No!" Cassian screamed.
"She can't run—she'll trigger pursuit!"
Chandler sobbed,
"Then what—WHAT DO WE DO—?!"
Rowan's eyes widened with horror.
"Elleanore—
you have to control it again—
NOW—
or it will kill Horace FIRST."
My heart stopped.
Horace—
unmoving
bleeding
half-crushed
barely conscious—
would be the first to die.
My breath stuttered.
My scent spiked.
The machine twitched, limbs preparing to strike.
Cassian sobbed,
"Elleanore—PLEASE—HE CAN'T DIE—
NOT HIM—
NOT LIKE THIS—"
Aiden rasped,
"Elleanore…
run… I'll distract—"
"No!" Cassian shrieked.
"You'll die—he'll DIE—EVERYONE will die—!!"
Lucian knelt next to the machine, observing calmly.
"Elleanore.
Your scent is unstable.
You cannot override a Sigma unit while in this state."
He tilted his head gently.
"Come with me."
Horace stirred faintly.
"El—
leanore—
no…"
He barely whispered it.
Barely breathed it.
"Don't… go…"
Everything in me broke.
Everything.
My fear
my pain
my panic
my hesitation—
snapped like thin wire.
I stood.
Slowly.
Shaking.
Barely steady.
But I stood.
Aiden whispered,
"No—Elleanore—don't—"
Cassian reached for me—
"Elle—please—DON'T—!!"
Rowan, voice hoarse and desperate—
"Elleanore—DON'T LET HIM WIN—!!"
Chandler sobbed,
"Elle—PLEASE—DON'T—!!"
Horace, barely awake—
"Elleanore…
please…"
Lucian reached toward me.
"Good girl."
I stared at his hand.
And stepped forward.
But—
not toward Lucian.
Toward the Sigma unit.
Lucian's eyes widened.
"…What are you doing?"
I inhaled.
Every part of me trembled.
My sight blurred.
But my heart—
my instinct—
my everything—
went still.
I lifted my hand.
And let my scent go.
Not violently.
Not in panic.
Soft.
Warm.
Focused.
Every memory of my brother.
Every moment with Horace.
Every fragile bond I'd forged with Cassian, Aiden, Rowan, Chandler.
Every instinct that told me I had something worth fighting for—
I poured into that breath.
The Sigma unit froze.
Sensors flickered.
Lucian's eyes widened.
"…Impossible…"
The machine's red sensors dimmed.
Turned orange.
Then gold.
Then—
it bowed.
To me.
Lucian stumbled back a step.
"No—
NO—
THIS IS THE ONE THING YOU SHOULDN'T BE CAPABLE OF—!!"
I didn't listen.
I moved to Horace's side.
Kneeling.
Touching his cheek.
"Horace…
I'm here."
His eyes fluttered open.
Pain.
Shock.
Relief.
"Elleanore…"
Rowan released a shaky breath.
Chandler sobbed into his sleeve.
Cassian broke into tears.
Aiden collapsed fully.
And Lucian—
Lucian stared.
For the first time—
he looked truly afraid.
"Elleanore…
what ARE you?"
I didn't answer.
I was too busy holding Horace's hand.