Chapter 18: Fractured Bonds
The Alpha-9 drifted through the dead zone, its crew fractured by Kir's loss. Lyra sat alone in the command module, the medallion's scan glowing on her data pad. The signal was a constant hum now, no longer invasive but familiar, like a part of her. She hated it, but it was the only guide to the network's core.
Theo entered, his usual energy subdued. "Engines are holding, but we're running low on fuel. We've got maybe a week before we're dead in the water."
Lyra nodded, not meeting his eyes. "The signal's coordinates are close. We'll make it."
"Will we?" Theo's voice was sharp. "Kir's gone, Lyra. We walked into that trap because you thought you could control this thing. What's next? Me? Ren?"
She flinched, the weight of his words crushing. "I didn't know," she said quietly. "I thought the medallion would protect us."
"Protect us?" Theo laughed, bitter. "It's a leash, Lyra. That network's playing you, and we're paying the price."
Ren's voice cut through the tension, crackling from the intercom. "Lyra, get to the engine room. We've got a problem."
She hurried to the engine room, Theo trailing her. Ren stood by the core, his prosthetic arm sparking as he wrestled with a panel. "The signal's interfering with the fuel lines," he said, his voice tight. "It's not random-it's targeting us."
Lyra checked the diagnostics, her heart sinking. The signal's patterns were rewriting the ship's systems, slowing their progress. The network wasn't just waiting-it was fighting back.
"Can you block it?" she asked.
"Maybe," Ren said, yanking a cable. "But it's adapting faster than I can counter. We need to shut down non-essential systems to buy time."
Theo crossed his arms. "Great. So we limp to our doom instead of sprinting."
"Enough," Lyra snapped, her patience fraying. "We're not giving up. Kir died for this mission. We owe him."
Theo's eyes flashed. "Don't use Kir to justify your obsession. You're chasing answers you might not like."
The signal surged, and a vision hit Lyra: her mother, standing in a glowing web, saying, "You'll pay the price, Lyra. But it's worth it." She gasped, clutching the console.
"Lyra?" Ren grabbed her shoulder, his face worried. "What's it showing you?"
"My mother," she whispered. "She knew this would happen. She knew I'd lose people."
Theo's expression softened, but his voice stayed hard. "Then maybe she was wrong to choose you."
The words stung, but Lyra straightened, the signal's hum steadying her. "She didn't choose me. I chose this. And I'll finish it."
Ren nodded, returning to the panel. "Let's focus. I'll reroute power. Theo, help or shut up."
Theo hesitated, then grabbed a tool, muttering under his breath. Lyra watched them, the medallion's words echoing: Bind or Break. The network was testing her, fracturing her crew, her resolve. But she wouldn't break-not yet.
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