Dust kept drifting from the cracked ceiling, light as ash yet falling with the weight of a warning:
The tunnels were going to come down.
Soon.
Lucian finally stopped smiling.
Not because he suddenly cared—
but because the Sigma unit bowing to me threw his entire plan off-balance.
He stared at the machine, eyes narrowed, lips drawn.
"Elleanore," he murmured,
"you shouldn't be capable of overriding a Sigma-class unit."
I didn't answer.
I couldn't.
Horace lay half-trapped beneath the fallen slab.
Blood streaked his face.
His breaths were shallow, uneven.
I knelt beside him, fingers trembling as they brushed his cheek.
"Horace… stay awake. You have to stay with me."
His lashes fluttered weakly.
"El…leanore…"
Cassian cried from where he held Aiden.
"Horace—hey—stay with her—don't close your eyes—DON'T—"
Rowan, pale and clutching his shoulder wound, tried to crawl toward us but collapsed halfway.
Chandler grabbed his wrist, voice cracking,
"Do NOT move right now, Rowan—your shoulder's bleeding like crazy—don't you make things worse—"
Rowan glared through a haze of pain.
"I need to… help—"
Chandler pushed him back gently against the wall.
"You're helping by not dying."
But Rowan was staring at Horace, dread hollowing his eyes.
"Elleanore—if that slab crushed his ribs—he could be—"
"Stop."
My voice snapped sharper than I meant.
Rowan shut his mouth instantly.
Horace exhaled shakily, voice thin.
"Don't… cry… I'm fine."
"You're NOT fine," I whispered, tears burning.
"You're bleeding everywhere."
He managed a faint smile.
"Still…look better than Chandler."
Chandler gasped.
"WHAT THE HELL—why am I catching strays?!"
Cassian let out something between a sob and a hysterical laugh.
Lucian watched all of this with clinical disinterest.
When he finally spoke, his voice was soft, dangerous:
"Horace. Move away from her."
Horace coughed blood.
"Go to hell."
Lucian tilted his head slightly.
"Elleanore. You can undo this. Just come with—"
"Shut up," I whispered.
Lucian stilled.
The Sigma unit remained bowed at my side.
Dim gold sensors glowed faintly—like it was breathing with me.
A terrifying, broken part of me felt its recognition.
Felt something inside it responding to me.
Like instinct tech was meant to follow something like me.
But I shoved the thought away.
Not now.
Not with Horace pinned and bleeding.
DESTABILIZATION
A deep crack echoed overhead.
Rowan jerked his head up.
"Oh no—no no no—
the stabilizers are failing—
the whole sublevel is giving out—"
Chandler swallowed hard.
"So… we should leave?"
"It's not that simple!" Rowan snapped.
"These tunnels use a domino-structure support system! If one pillar collapses—"
Cassian screamed,
"ROWAN—LANGUAGE WE CAN USE—WE ARE PANICKING—"
Rowan gasped,
"WE ALL DIE!"
Chandler went pale.
Lucian sighed softly.
"We're wasting time.
Soldiers."
The remaining two soldiers flanked him, weapons raised cautiously—caught between the Sigma unit and the ceiling that might fall on them at any moment.
Lucian lifted his hand.
"Retrieve her."
Horace tried to push himself up, but pain shot through his body and he collapsed with a choked gasp.
"ELLEANORE—MOVE—!"
But I didn't move.
The Sigma unit raised its head slightly, waiting for my reaction.
Lucian stepped closer, unbothered by the cracks spreading across the ceiling.
"Elleanore, darling," he murmured,
"You don't have time to be stubborn.
Choose incorrectly, and this entire chamber will bury you."
I looked up at him.
And—for the first time—Lucian saw it, the thing he feared:
I wasn't scared of him anymore.
"Lucian," I whispered,
"take one more step…and I will let the Sigma unit off its leash."
His expression froze.
Horace's eyes widened weakly.
"El…don't…risk it—"
Rowan croaked,
"Elleanore—NO—Sigma units don't HAVE leashes—if you destabilize it again, it will purge everything—EVERYONE—"
Lucian raised a brow.
"You won't.
You care too much."
He stepped.
Just one.
The Sigma unit shot upright in a violent click of metal.
Limbs arched.
Sensors flared white-hot.
Chandler screamed.
Cassian shielded Aiden.
Rowan grabbed Chandler's wrist.
Lucian froze mid-step.
I breathed—
slow, steady, focused—
and the Sigma unit stilled again.
Lucian exhaled.
"…You really are dangerous."
Horace whispered, pained,
"Don't…listen to him…"
But Lucian wasn't speaking to me.
He was speaking to the soldiers.
"New order."
They straightened.
"When the ceiling collapses, retrieve the girl.
Ignore the others."
Rowan choked,
"You're going to let us die…just to take her?!"
Lucian's smile didn't reach his eyes.
"Yes."
Chandler grabbed Rowan's arm.
"No—no—we have to get OUT—!"
Rowan turned to him, breath shaking.
"We CAN'T leave—Horace is pinned—Aiden can't move—Cassian won't leave Aiden—
and Elleanore—"
He looked at me.
"Elleanore won't leave any of them."
Lucian nodded approvingly.
"Correct."
The ceiling groaned again.
Pebbles rained over us.
Cassian screamed,
"ROWAN—TELL ME YOU HAVE A PLAN—ANY PLAN—EVEN A BAD PLAN—"
Rowan squeezed his eyes shut.
"There's only one option."
He turned to me.
"Elleanore—
you need to command the Sigma unit again.
Tell it to lift the slab off Horace.
Then we run."
Chandler blinked rapidly.
"That's—
that's your plan?!
ASK THE MURDER SPIDER TO HELP US?!"
Rowan snapped,
"It LISTENS to HER—nothing else will listen—"
Cassian grabbed his hair with one hand.
"We don't have time—
Elleanore—PLEASE—please TRY—Horace is BLEEDING—"
My heart hammered.
The Sigma unit…
Lift the slab?
It was possible.
Rowan saw the panic in my eyes and softened.
"Elleanore—
look at him."
I did.
Horace's lips were white.
His breathing shallow.
Blood dripped down his temple.
He was losing consciousness.
"El…
leanore…"
His voice cracked.
"Please… don't… leave…"
I swallowed hard.
"I won't."
I stood—legs shaking—
and stepped toward the Sigma unit.
Chandler shrieked,
"OH SWEET STARS SHE'S REALLY DOING IT—"
Rowan squeezed Chandler's arm,
"Shh—shh—let her focus—"
Lucian's soldiers raised their rifles.
Lucian lifted a hand.
"No.
Let her try."
I inhaled.
Slow.
Deliberate.
The Sigma unit's sensors angled toward me.
Not hostile.
Not aggressive.
Awaiting.
I lifted my hand toward the concrete slab pinning Horace.
The Sigma unit cocked its head, tracking the gesture.
"Pick it up," I whispered.
A long moment passed.
Then—
CLICK.
The Sigma unit moved.
Not with violence.
With precision.
It lifted the slab like it weighed nothing.
Horace gasped as air flooded his lungs again.
Cassian sobbed in relief.
Chandler dropped to his knees.
Rowan whispered,
"She… she did it…"
Lucian's eyes glittered.
Of course he wasn't relieved.
He was studying me like I had become the most valuable—and dangerous—weapon in the Academy.
The Sigma unit held the slab aloft, sensors steady.
Horace collapsed fully, coughing weakly.
I rushed to him and cupped his face.
"Horace—hey—HEY—stay with me—please—"
He blinked slowly.
"Elleanore…
you're incredible."
Chandler whispered,
"Now RUN—RUN BEFORE THE MACHINE CHANGES ITS MIND—!!"
Cassian cried,
"Aiden can't walk—
Rowan—you need to help—"
Rowan staggered to Aiden's side despite the pain.
"I've got him—just—help me lift—"
Chandler bolted over to help.
Between the two of them, they hoisted Aiden onto Chandler's back.
Cassian stayed beside them.
Lucian stepped closer.
"Oh, how touching.
You're all determined to flee."
Horace struggled to his feet.
"Stay away from her."
Lucian smiled thinly.
"You can barely stand."
"Still enough to fight you."
Lucian raised one brow.
"Soldiers."
The two royal guards moved.
Rowan gasped.
"HORACE—MOVE—!!"
Horace braced himself despite the pain, growling—
but the Sigma unit moved first.
It turned toward the soldiers.
And hissed.
A sharp, grinding metallic sound that made both guards freeze.
Lucian's jaw tightened.
"Elleanore," he murmured,
"You have no idea what you're doing."
I stood tall, trembling but unbroken.
"No.
You have no idea who you're dealing with."
Lucian's eyes sharpened.
He was losing control.
But the ceiling was losing integrity faster.
Cracks split overhead.
Rowan shouted,
"WE NEED TO MOVE NOW—THE SUBLEVEL IS COLLAPSING—!!"
Chandler yelled,
"WHICH WAY—WHICH WAY—SOMEONE PICK—"
Rowan pointed to the right tunnel.
"That one!"
Horace grabbed my hand.
"Elleanore—
go.
I'm right behind you."
Cassian urged Aiden forward.
Chandler held Rowan upright.
The Sigma unit remained still—
waiting for my command.
I hesitated.
What if it followed us?
What if it turned?
What if it collapsed the tunnel?
What if I lost control?
Lucian watched me think.
"You can't leave it," he murmured.
Horace snarled,
"She's not leaving anything with you."
Lucian stepped forward.
"Elleanore.
If you walk out of here without stabilizing the unit—
it will pursue you.
It will track your scent across the Academy.
It will break every wall between you and it.
And when it reaches you—"
Horace's grip tightened.
Lucian finished,
"—I will take what's left."
The ceiling groaned.
A slab fell behind us.
Cassian screamed.
Chandler swore.
Rowan nearly fell over.
Lucian's voice lowered, smooth and venomous.
"You have ten seconds."
Everything shook.
Everything threatened to fall.
And all eyes—
Horace's
Rowan's
Cassian's
Chandler's
Aiden's
even the machine's—
were on me.
I lifted my hand.
The Sigma unit straightened.
And I whispered the one command that might save all of us.
The Last Command
I lifted my hand.
The Sigma unit stilled—
limbs raised, sensors bright like burning coals.
Horace's hand trembled in mine.
Rowan held his breath.
Cassian clutched Aiden.
Chandler whispered a prayer that didn't sound like any religion I knew.
Lucian smiled.
"Go on, then," he murmured.
"Show me what you think you're capable of."
I wasn't thinking.
I wasn't planning.
I wasn't strategizing, calculating, deciding between life and death—
I was choosing.
Choosing all of them
over everything else.
Rowan bleeding.
Cassian breaking.
Aiden dying.
Chandler shaking.
Horace barely conscious.
And Elliot somewhere in the shadows of memory, whispering:
Don't let them take anything from you ever again.
My voice came out steady.
Quiet.
Certain.
"Protect them."
Lucian's eyes widened.
"What—?"
My voice rose.
"Protect all of them.
Every one of them.
From EVERYTHING."
The Sigma unit responded instantly.
Its sensors flashed gold—
then blazed white.
A pulse rippled across its limbs—
not an attack
but activation.
Chandler screamed,
"WHAT DID YOU JUST DO?!"
Rowan's eyes flew wide.
"Elleanore—
you didn't—
you CAN'T give it a WIDE-ACTION COMMAND—!!"
The tunnel vibrated underfoot.
Dust rained harder.
Metal groaned.
Horace grabbed my shoulders.
"Elleanore—listen to me—
Sigma units don't understand limits—
they execute commands LITERALLY—
if you tell it to protect us—"
Rowan yelled over him,
"—IT WILL DESTROY EVERYTHING THAT IT THINKS IS A THREAT—!!"
Lucian's smile fell.
For the first time—
he looked genuinely alarmed.
"Elleanore—cancel that order."
I didn't flinch.
"No."
Lucian stepped forward sharply.
"Elleanore—
a Sigma unit's interpretation of 'protect' includes mass-eradication protocols—
it will raze this entire sublevel—
it will kill my soldiers—
it will kill neutral factions—
it will kill YOU if you trigger its threat assessment—
you don't understand—"
"I understand perfectly."
Everything shook.
The Sigma unit recalibrated—
limbs locking into combustion-ready positions.
Rowan screamed,
"GET BACK—GET BACK—IT'S ABOUT TO—"
Lucian shouted,
"STABILIZE IT—NOW—!!"
"It won't attack us," I whispered.
Horace cupped my face, terrified.
"Elleanore—your definitions might not matter.
It's a machine.
Instinct tech doesn't love you.
It responds to your scent—
but if you collapse—
if your scent dips—
it kills everything in this room."
Cassian tightened his hands around Aiden's shirt.
"Elleanore—please—don't let it hurt Horace—PLEASE—!"
Aiden, half-conscious, reached weakly toward me.
"…don't…
hurt…
Elle…"
The Sigma unit raised two limbs.
Chandler shrieked,
"IT'S NOT LISTENING—
IT'S NOT LISTENING ANYMORE—
WHY ARE WE STILL STANDING HERE—"
The machine's sensors refocused.
On Lucian.
Lucian stepped backward, breath stuttering.
"Oh."
Rowan whispered,
"The machine just flagged him as a primary threat."
Chandler grabbed Rowan's injured arm.
"GOOD—LET IT—
LET IT BEAM HIM—HE DESERVES A GOOD BEAMING—"
Rowan smacked him weakly.
"No BEAMING—if Lucian dies, the soldiers will slaughter us—"
Lucian lifted both hands.
"Elleanore—
call it off—
you don't know what you've unleashed—"
"Don't pretend you care," I whispered.
His expression cracked.
"…No.
I care that you will destroy yourself."
Horace stiffened.
"Explain."
Lucian turned toward him.
"Sigma units drain scent sources to maintain wide-action commands.
The higher the command priority—
the more scent they pull."
Rowan gasped.
"That's why Sigma units were banned—
they nearly killed the Omegas used to activate them—!"
The Sigma unit twitched—
and I felt it.
A pull.
Like invisible hooks sinking into my instincts.
Into my scent center.
Into my entire body.
Horace grabbed my waist, grounding me.
"Elleanore—stop—STOP—
it's taking from you—
it's draining you—!!"
Cassian screamed,
"Turn it off—TURN IT OFF—HORACE CAN'T FIGHT IT—ROWAN CAN'T—AIDEN CAN'T—YOU'LL DIE—!!"
But the Sigma unit interpreted their panic as further threat escalation.
It turned toward the soldiers.
Lucian swore sharply.
"ENOUGH!"
He snapped his fingers.
One soldier aimed a stun cannon at the machine.
Rowan shrieked,
"NO—DON'T—THAT'LL—"
But it was too late.
BOOM.
The stun blast hit the Sigma unit.
And the machine—
simply
absorbed it.
The energy flowed into the armor plating—
lighting it like a furnace.
Rowan's voice cracked,
"Horace—Chandler—Cassian—GET DOWN—IT'S CHARGING—!!"
Horace pulled me into his arms.
Chandler dove.
Cassian shielded Aiden.
Rowan fell flat on the ground, teeth clenched.
The Sigma unit discharged the absorbed stun blast—
but not at us.
At Lucian.
Lucian dove out of the way, cape torn by the blast.
The tunnel shook violently.
Pillars cracked.
The ceiling sagged like wet paper.
Rowan screamed,
"The unit destabilized the structural supports—GET OUT—
GET OUT—NOW—!!!"
Chandler tried to pick Rowan up.
Rowan shoved him away.
"DON'T—DON'T TOUCH ME—my shoulder—NO—just—just RUN—!"
Cassian cried,
"Aiden—Aiden—wake up—please—I can't carry you—NOT ALONE—"
Aiden's voice cracked,
"Cass…
don't leave… me…"
Cassian broke completely.
"Never—never—I won't— I PROMISE—"
The Sigma unit clicked its limbs.
It was waiting.
Waiting for me.
Waiting for another command.
A terrible realization burned across Rowan's face.
"Elleanore—
you're synced.
It won't move until you issue a second instruction—!!!"
Lucian staggered to his feet, eyes blazing.
"Elleanore—you will STOP THIS—
NOW—"
Horace snarled,
"She isn't listening to you anymore."
Lucian looked at me.
At my shaking hands.
My unstable scent.
My trembling knees.
"Elleanore.
You are killing yourself."
The Sigma unit's sensors flickered—
gold to red
red to gold
rapidly.
Rowan gasped,
"It's destabilizing—
IT'S DESTABILIZING—!!
If it hits critical overload—
it will take this entire wing with it—!!"
Chandler shouted,
"ELLEANORE—COMMAND IT—DO SOMETHING—SAY SOMETHING—ANYTHING—!!!"
Cassian sobbed,
"PLEASE—DON'T LET IT KILL AIDEN—PLEASE—!!!"
Aiden whispered,
"Elle… stop… hurts…"
Horace cupped my face, voice breaking.
"Elleanore.
Look at me.
Look at me.
You have to choose."
Something cracked inside me.
Not fear.
Resolve.
I stepped forward.
Horace whispered harshly,
"No—
NO—DON'T—"
But I was already moving.
The Sigma unit turned fully toward me.
Lucian yelled something—
but it didn't matter.
Cassian begged.
Chandler called my name.
Rowan reached out with his bloody hand.
Aiden whispered in confusion.
Horace made a broken sound I had never heard from him.
But I didn't stop.
I touched the Sigma unit's metal leg.
A low hum vibrated through the tunnel.
The machine's sensors brightened—
glowing molten white.
It wanted a second command.
My voice trembled.
"Last order."
Lucian's eyes widened.
"ELLEANORE—NO—DON'T—"
Horace reached for me.
"Elleanore—
don't sacrifice—"
I whispered:
"Stand down."
The Sigma unit froze.
For one terrible second—
no one breathed.
Then—
with a sharp crack—
the machine's limbs folded inward.
Sensors dimmed.
Armor plates retracted.
The entire unit collapsed into itself like a dying star.
A final hiss of steam escaped—
and the machine went still.
Silent.
Dead.
Lucian staggered backward, stunned.
Rowan collapsed to his knees.
Cassian cried openly.
Chandler sobbed with relief.
Aiden slumped unconscious again.
Horace caught me just before I fell.
"Elleanore—
HEY—HEY—stay awake—
stay with me—!"
My breath barely left my chest.
"That…
was the last order…
I'll ever give…"
Lucian stared at the dead machine.
His voice shook with controlled fury.
"…The Academy will burn for this."
Horace pressed his forehead to mine, voice breaking.
"Elleanore—NO—DON'T—DON'T FAINT—HEY—HEY—LOOK AT ME—!!"
I smiled weakly.
"I'm not fainting…"
Then darkness blurred the edges of my vision.
Rowan gasped,
"She overexerted—
she pushed past scent capacity—
Horace—CATCH HER—!!"
"I've got her," Horace whispered, arms tightening.
Lucian turned away, cape torn and dusted, soldiers scrambling behind him.
He glanced back once.
"You have no idea what comes next."
He disappeared through the collapsed exit as the ceiling groaned again.
Chandler screamed,
"MOVE—MOVE—IT'S COMING DOWN—!!!"
And Horace lifted me in his arms, running as the sublevel finally began to fall.