Page 55 of Rupture

They ran together down the stark corridor to the lab, footsteps thundering off the metal walls in a chaotic rhythm that set Finn’s teeth on edge. The curved walls of the Io base felt closer than usual, the recycled air thicker. Halfway there, the alarm cut out, leaving only the ragged rasp of their breathing and the drumbeat of boots on metal grating.

Finn’s stomach clenched. Silence was worse.

He took the ladder first, muscles tight as he descended. He needed eyes on the lab before Rose came down. The cold metal bit into his palms as he slid the last few feet with a jarring thud.

Liev and Ethan were at the main console, their faces illuminated in a blue glow that deepened the shadows under their eyes. Both men were speaking rapidly to Remy, their voices clipped with urgency.

“Still no response,” Liev snapped, a furrow carving across his brow.

“I cannot access the Io’s systems,” Remy’s artificial voice reported. “Current protocols restrict me to lab operations only.”

Ethan turned, his gaze flicking to the ladder where Rose was descending. “Something’s triggered the Io’s alarm, but we can’t tell what.” A hint of stress tinged his voice. This place was getting to them all. “Rose. We need you to override Remy’s restrictions and grant her full access to the habitat. Can you do it?”

Rose dropped lightly to the floor and met Ethan’s gaze. “I can try,” she said, already moving to the primary workstation.

“How the hell did they restrict her to this lab?” Finn asked.

“Triton’s fail-safes contain my operational scope,” Remy replied, static on the periphery of her words. “My processesare physically and digitally isolated within this lab. External systems—including base-wide security—are protected by air-gapped partitions and encryption algorithms that require explicit human authorization to breach. This architecture minimizes the risk of autonomous expansion, ensuring I remain confined to assigned parameters.”

Finn crossed his arms, his teeth aching under pressure. “In plain English?”

“She’s trapped,” Rose said. “By design. They didn’t want her running loose.”

“And you’re about to give her the keys to the whole place?” Finn unfolded his arms. He didn’t want to judge. He knew how Eva and Liev felt about Remy. But giving an AI unrestricted access right now felt like cutting the last safety line and praying the tether wasn’t required after all.

Rose didn’t look up. “If I don’t, we might not be alive to worry about it.”

31

“I thinkI’ve dismantled all the fail-safes.” Rose shoved her chair back, dragging her fingers through her hair.

“Remy?”

“I am accessing all systems. Please wait.”

Rose sucked in a breath as Finn pressed one hand to her shoulder. His touch soothed her racing pulse.

In the silence, Luca’s tapping foot was loud.

“Ethan Carter. There is movement approaching in the primary corridor.”

A dark glance ricocheted between Finn and Liev.Whatever was down here with them knew about their arrival.

Ethan’s mouth compressed. “Remy, can you confirm the nature of the intruder?”

“I can confirm it is not human.”

“Aw, fuck.” Luca lifted his gun and stalked toward the access ladder. “This happens when you let beakers play mad scientist in the dark?—”

“Luca, can it.” Ethan’s posture was arrow-straight. “Remy, secure all exits till we have a better handle on things. We’restill trying to work out what the fuck is going on down here.”

“Confirmed. I now have access to all levels of security diagnostics. Securing all exits now.”

Muted thuds disturbed the air, sheet metal sliding into place between them and whatever was moving through the habitat.

Rose hugged her arms across her body, suddenly cold. Security measures shouldn’t make her feel less secure.

Luca cycled his pulse rifle’s plasma chamber, the weapon’s power core humming to life with an electric whine. “And I was just getting ready for some fun?—”

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