"In the end, even a god's power cannot outrun its own past."
In the vast, silent expanse of sublight space, Richard looked back. The berserk Mainu, a dark red comet of rage, was still chasing him, its massive form a blur against the distant stars. This was good. It meant the bait was working. But the bad thing was, it was gaining speed. Mainu's berserk state, fueled by pain and the nanite-induced internal chaos, was making it faster, more unpredictable, but also more reckless.
Richard cursed under his breath inside the Prometheus X-19's cockpit. "Shit. What took that virus so long? He should've already slowed down instead of speeding up." He glanced at his navigation panel. 0.15 AU left before they reached Mercury's orbital line, the point of no return for conventional ships around the Sun. The heat from the solar winds was already a tangible force, even through the Prometheus's shields.
