The scream didn't come from Twelve.
That was how Mara knew something had gone wrong.
She felt it ripple through the Path—sharp, precise, disciplined. Not rage. Not pain.
Control.
Mara's head snapped up. "That wasn't him."
Daniel was already on his feet. "You're sure?"
"Yes." Her chest tightened. "That was... trained."
Zero materialized fully this time, her form clearer than it had been since the river.
"That signal is familiar," Zero said.
Evelyn's face drained of color. "No..."
Zero turned to her.
"You know it."
Evelyn shook her head violently. "Nine was terminated. I watched them shut him down."
Zero's voice was flat.
"You watched a body fail. Not a protocol."
The forest went still.
Then—
Gunfire.
Not wild.
Measured.
Three shots.
A pause.
Two more.
Daniel cursed. "That's Omega Division cadence."
A scream followed. Human. Short.
Then silence.
Mara felt it then—a pressure like someone touching the edge of her thoughts without permission.
She staggered back. "He's looking for me."
Zero nodded.
"Prototype Nine was built to hunt aberrations."
Daniel's stomach dropped. "Meaning her."
Zero didn't correct him.
The trees ahead shifted.
A man stepped into the clearing.
Tall. Clean-cut. Calm.
He wore Omega black, but modified—lighter armor, no insignia. His rifle hung easily in his hands, not raised, not threatening.
His eyes locked onto Mara.
And he smiled.
"Mara," he said warmly. "You look better than the last time I saw you."
Her blood ran cold. "I've never seen you."
His smile widened. "That's because you weren't awake yet."
Evelyn staggered back. "Nine...?"
He glanced at her, amused. "Doctor."
"You were decommissioned," she whispered.
"Nine chuckled. "I was upgraded."
Daniel stepped between him and Mara, gun raised. "Take another step and—"
Nine didn't even look at him.
Daniel's weapon jammed.
Daniel stared at it in disbelief.
Nine tilted his head. "Primitive."
Mara felt the Path stir instinctively, rising to meet the threat.
Nine's eyes flicked to her.
"Oh good," he said softly. "You've learned to open the door."
Zero hissed beside her.
"Do not engage him directly."
Nine's gaze snapped to Zero.
For the first time, his smile faltered.
"...You."
Zero's voice turned sharp.
"You were never meant to retain awareness."
Nine recovered quickly. "And you were never meant to fracture."
He looked back at Mara.
"You're not the final iteration," he said casually. "You're the variable."
Mara swallowed. "What do you want?"
Nine spread his hands. "To finish the experiment."
Daniel fired anyway.
The bullet stopped inches from Nine's chest.
Hung there.
Then dropped harmlessly to the ground.
Nine sighed. "Every time."
Mara stepped forward despite Zero's warning.
"You're not here to kill me," she said. "If you were, you'd have done it already."
Nine's eyes gleamed.
"Correct."
He leaned closer, voice lowering.
"I'm here to measure you."
The forest blurred.
Mara felt the Path snap open violently as Nine pushed back—not fighting her, but testing her limits.
Static screamed through her skull.
Ten cried out behind her.
Zero shouted, "Mara—pull back!"
But Nine was already inside.
Not her mind—
her signal.
Images slammed into her:
Labs burning.
Children screaming.
Twelve kneeling, restrained.
Nine standing over him—calm, surgical.
"You see?" Nine whispered inside the noise. "He was unstable. You are inefficient."
Mara screamed and shoved—
The Path erupted.
The ground cracked outward in a ring of force, throwing Nine back several feet.
He landed in a crouch, skidding through dirt.
For the first time—
He looked impressed.
Mara collapsed to her knees, gasping.
Zero steadied her.
Nine stood slowly, brushing dirt from his armor.
"Well," he said lightly. "That answers that."
Daniel shouted, "Stay away from her!"
Nine glanced at him at last.
"Oh, I'm not done with her," he said. "But I won't take her today."
Evelyn screamed, "Why?!"
Nine smiled again.
"Because Voss wants to see which of them breaks first."
Mara's blood iced over. "Which of who?"
Nine stepped backward into the trees.
"You," he said.
"And Twelve."
Then he vanished—no sound, no signal trail.
Gone.
The forest breathed again.
Mara shook uncontrollably.
Daniel dropped beside her. "You okay?"
She nodded, though she wasn't sure it was true.
Zero stared into the darkness where Nine had disappeared.
"Voss has released the hound," she said quietly.
Mara swallowed.
"And I just rang the dinner bell."
Far away—
Two signals burned brighter.
One wild.
One controlled.
And both were moving toward her.