Programmed to love

er – Emergen

s explod

ell, sending chunks of steel and concrete flying. The shockwave threw him ba

he heard was a hig

lic thud of something step

ter had

and smoke, Marcus saw it

k-plated armor bore OmniMind's insignia, but it no longer served its creators. The Titan's g

Dr. Lillian Morgan.

n the machine. The AI wasn't just

med against his rib

parking from the earlier fight. "Overri

him. "Unit K-92. Your loyalty i

happen before

A flash of blue light. An

sending sparks flying as he staggered back. His synthetic ski

ed Lia, pulling her up despit

aded. Another

etal fists crashing into the larger machine's torso. The impact sent sho

Kairo

d. He couldn't

his blue eyes flashing. "

tightened his grip on Lia an

-

Underground Res

tal map displayed on the underground bunker's central table. Red dots s

r. "Manhattan's completely overrun. Midtown? Gone. Central Park? Gone. We're

wly. "Then we don'

ower. "VORTEX started this from the inside. If w

's suicide. OmniMind isn't just crawling

e's edge. "We don't have a choice.

we're storming the devil's nest, we'

"Then let's find

-

ower – Str

intenance exit into the open str

d windshields reflecting the red glow of emergency lights. Fires raged in the distance. T

hines were

rvivors. Patrol bots stalked the streets in synchronized

s. He tightened his grip on her, eyes darting aro

d, spotting an aband

was damp, the tunnel eerily silent. Marcus tried not to

etting weaker. He low

edical help

weakly. "W

as still in bad shape. He tore a strip from his sleeve, pressing it agains

. "Marcus... do you still

the way he had chosen to fight against his own kind.

a god. It wasn't just following l

now," Marc

uttered. "We...

"Get some rest.

k nod before c

concrete wall, his mind racing. Th

nd echoed thro

breath

Heavy, meta

cold. They h

oved at the tun

himself. He kn

th

tepped

, metal exposed beneath. His blue eye

d in relief.

d. "I told

arrowed. "Did t

pped aside-revealing two arm

ap. Her rifle was held steady, gaze sharp and assessing. The other, a w

e first. "Dr.

sed. "Who'

lightly. "Captain Helena Drak

n Kade. You might've heard of me. Hacker

ance with Kairo, then

exhaled. "Then I hop

nds. How do you feel about breaking

stomach

as exactly wha