MODULE ONE: RESONANCE SECOND PART

The tower controller's voice resonated through all the hangar's communication channels:

—Prometheus, Tower Control. Initializing Level Alpha combat simulation protocol. Assigned objectives: RK-2 systems test, pilot coordination evaluation, and high-priority threat response analysis.

Evan felt his heart accelerate as the screens around him came to life with system information. Data flowed like cascades of green and blue numbers, showing the status of each MK component. It was overwhelming and beautiful at the same time.

—Understood, Tower Control. Prometheus ready for simulation—responded Evan, feeling how his voice amplified through the mechanical giant's external speakers.

From the observation chamber, Marcus Veil watched with a mixture of scientific pride and paternal anxiety. General Torres had positioned himself next to him, with crossed arms and serious expression.

—Doctor Veil—murmured the General—, I hope your son is prepared for what he's about to face.

Marcus nodded, although his knuckles were white from the tension with which he gripped his tablet.

—Evan has demonstrated exceptional capabilities in the simulations. The neural synchronization algorithms he developed surpass anything we've seen before.

Inside the Prometheus, Evan could feel Nyx's presence in his mind like a cold and constant current. It wasn't unpleasant, but it was definitely strange. It was like having a second set of thoughts functioning parallel to his own.

—Nyx—he said through the internal communicator—, how does the synchronization feel?

The answer came not in words, but in a wave of pure information that filtered directly into his consciousness. He could feel how she evaluated each system, each sensor, each weapon of the MK with a precision that bordered on the supernatural.

—Functional—was all she said verbally, but Evan could feel much more. There was... hunger in her mental presence. As if she had been waiting for this moment for a long time.

—Tower Control to Prometheus—the controller's voice interrupted his thoughts—. Initiating simulation sequence in ten seconds. Prepare for hostile contact.

The hangar screens surrounding the MK began to change, transforming the space into a devastated urban landscape. Destroyed buildings rose like broken teeth against an ash-colored sky, and the ground was covered with debris that crackled realistically under the Prometheus's feet.

Evan experimentally moved the controls, feeling how the MK's arms responded to his movements. It was incredible: each lever, each pulley, felt like a natural extension of his body. He rotated the mechanical giant's torso, and he could feel the momentum and weight of the entire machine as if it were his own body.

—This is... incredible—he murmured, executing a series of basic movements. The MK moved with a grace that defied its massive size.

But then he felt something strange. His controls began to move by themselves.

—What...?—he began to say, but immediately understood what was happening. Nyx was taking control of some systems.

The MK crouched abruptly, adopting a combat position that Evan had never seen in the manuals. It was aggressive, predatory, as if the mechanical giant were a wild animal about to attack.

—Nyx, what are you doing?—he asked, trying to keep his voice calm.

—Preparing—she responded, her mental voice cold as ice—. You handle the movement. I take care of everything else.

Evan felt how control of the weapons systems slipped away from him. It wasn't unpleasant, but it was definitely unsettling. It was as if part of his body had developed its own mind.

—Hostile contact detected—announced the simulation system—. Alpha Class Glacial approaching from the north sector.

Evan looked toward the screens, searching for the threat. At first he saw nothing, only the destroyed buildings of the simulated landscape. But then...

—Good God—he murmured, feeling his blood freeze in his veins.

The thing that emerged from among the buildings was a nightmare made reality. The Glacial rose to almost 60 meters in height, a mass of crystalline ice and putrid flesh that moved with horrible grace. Its form was vaguely humanoid, but distorted, as if someone had taken a human body and stretched it until it became an abomination. Its eyes were like black caverns in its ice face, and when it opened its mouth, Evan could see rows of teeth that looked like sharp stalactites.

But what really terrified him was the sound. The Glacial emitted a roar that was part human scream, part animal roar, part sound of breaking ice. It was a sound that filtered directly into the soul and filled it with primordial terror.

—I... I had read about them—murmured Evan, feeling his hands tremble on the controls—. But seeing it in person...

The Glacial moved with a speed that defied its massive size. Its arms, long as buildings, extended forward while it approached the Prometheus with steps that made the entire simulation tremble.

Evan was paralyzed. All his training, all his hours of study, vanished before the vision of that thing approaching him. It was as if his brain had simply disconnected.

But then he felt something that hit him like lightning: Nyx's mental presence, cold and furious, completely invaded his consciousness.

—MOVE!—

It wasn't a voice. It was a command that fired directly into his nervous system. His hands moved over the controls without him making the conscious decision to do so, and the Prometheus jumped to one side just as the Glacial's claw crashed against the place where they had been standing a second before.

—Concentrate!—Nyx shouted at him, although her voice remained a whisper. But in his mind, it was like a roar—. It's just a simulation! But if you don't move, we're going to fail!

Evan felt how adrenaline began to flow through his veins. The initial terror was transforming into something more useful: respect for the threat, but also determination.

—All right—he murmured, adjusting his grip on the controls—. All right. I can do this.

The Glacial turned toward them, its empty eyes fixing on the Prometheus. For a moment, Evan could have sworn that the thing was looking directly at him, through all the screens and sensors, directly at his soul.

But then Nyx took control of the weapons systems, and the world filled with fire.

The Prometheus's cannons roared, launching high-velocity projectiles that crashed against the Glacial's torso. The impact was spectacular: chunks of ice and putrid flesh flew in all directions, and the monster staggered backward.

—Good shot!—shouted Evan, feeling his confidence beginning to return.

But the Glacial recovered faster than he had expected. With a roar that made the entire simulation vibrate, it lunged forward with its arms extended.

This time, Evan was ready.

He pushed the control levers forward, and the Prometheus ran to one side, its massive steps creating craters in the simulated ground. The Glacial passed by them by barely meters, its claw grazing the MK's shoulder with a sound of metal being scratched.

—Keep moving!—Nyx ordered him, and Evan could feel how she calculated trajectories and attack angles with a speed that his conscious mind could never reach.

The Prometheus slid between the destroyed buildings, using the debris as cover while the Glacial pursued them. Evan began to understand the rhythm of the fight: constant movement, precise attacks, and never, never staying in the same place for too long.

The Prometheus continued its lethal dance with the simulated Glacial, Evan increasingly confident in his movements while Nyx coordinated attacks with surgical precision. The projectiles impacted against the ice monster with explosions that made the entire simulation vibrate.

But then, something changed.

A tremor ran through the entire hangar structure. It wasn't the normal vibration of simulated impacts, but something deeper, more real. The lights flickered, and for a moment, the simulation screens desynchronized.

—What was that?— murmured Evan, feeling his stomach contract. His hands stopped on the controls as he nervously looked toward the system screens. —Did I do something wrong? Did I overload some system?

Nyx didn't respond, but Evan could feel her mental presence tensing like a spring. It was as if she were listening to something he couldn't perceive.

Another tremor, stronger this time. The hangar lights flickered again, and the sound of stressed metal resonated through the entire underground structure.

—Tower Control—said Evan through the communicator, his voice trembling slightly—. We're experiencing anomalous vibrations. Is there any problem with the simulation system?

Radio silence.

—Tower Control, please respond—insisted Evan, feeling panic beginning to filter into his voice.

In the observation post, Marcus Veil frowned while observing the readings on his tablet. The Prometheus system data was perfect, there were no indications of malfunction.

—What the hell was that?— murmured General Torres, looking toward the hangar ceiling as if he could see through the metal and rock.

Torres approached the observation window, his expression increasingly worried.

—That didn't come from the MK—he said—. That came from above.

As if his words had been an invocation, a series of deafening explosions resonated from the surface. The entire hangar shook, and several monitoring screens disconnected. The emergency lights activated, bathing everything in an ominous red glow.

—COMBAT ALERT!— roared Colonel Davis's voice through all the base's speakers. —ALL UNITS TO COMBAT POSITIONS! WE ARE UNDER ATTACK! REPEAT, WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!

Marcus felt his blood freeze in his veins. He turned toward Torres, who was already shouting orders through his radio.

—Damn it!— shouted Torres—. They must have tracked your helicopter, Marcus! The Clade found the base!

In the main hangar, Morrison, Kaito and Sarah looked at each other with expressions of terror that quickly transformed into professional determination.

—Hellframe, NOW!— shouted Morrison, jumping toward the equipment lockers. —Kaito, Sarah, move! We need to be airborne in five minutes!

Kaito lost all his youthful energy, transforming into the lethal professional he really was.

—Understood!— he shouted, running toward his equipment. —Sarah, activate the quick-start systems!

Sarah was already running toward the Hellframe platform, her mahogany hair waving as she shouted orders to the technicians.

—Prepare the Hellframe for immediate combat! We're skipping the warm-up protocols!

Inside the Prometheus, Evan felt the world crumbling around him. Panic seized him as the explosions continued resonating from above.

—Nyx!— he shouted—. What's happening?! What do we do?!

Nyx's response was cold and direct:

—Fight.

Evan could feel how she began to do something with the MK's systems, but he didn't know what.

—Technicians!— shouted Nyx through the external communicator—. Deactivate the anchor harnesses! We need complete mobility!

—WHAT?!— shouted Evan, feeling terror seize him. —Nyx, no! We're not ready for real combat! This is just a test!

But Nyx had already taken control of the release systems. Evan felt how the massive harnesses that kept the Prometheus attached to the hangar began to disengage one by one.

—Nyx, stop!— pleaded Evan—. We could die out there!

—We could die here too—she responded, her mental voice now full of something that Evan recognized as pure hunger—. But out there we can fight.

In the observation post, Marcus realized what was happening.

—NO!— he shouted, running toward the anchor controls—. I'm not going to risk losing a newly created RK-2 unit for some planes and military! That machine is worth more than this entire base!

His words resonated through the communicator, reaching Evan's ears directly. The young man felt something cold and terrible settle in his stomach. His father... hadn't even mentioned his safety.

—Marcus!— Torres shouted—. Your son is in there!

—My son is trained for this!— Marcus responded, his fingers flying over the controls to reactivate the harnesses—. But I'm not going to expose decades of research for a minor incursion!

But it was too late. Nyx had taken complete control of the release systems, and the last harness disengaged with a resonant metallic sound.

—Activating thrusters!— Nyx shouted, and Evan felt how the Prometheus's propulsion systems roared to life.

The G-force crushed him against his seat as the MK launched upward like a rocket, piercing through the hangar's opening systems and emerging to the surface in an explosion of metal and fire.

The first thing Evan noticed was the silence.

The Prometheus landed on the surface with an impact that shook the earth, but there were no signs of combat. There were no aircraft, no soldiers, no explosions. Just... silence.

—Where is everyone?— Evan murmured, turning the MK's head to examine the surroundings.

The surface base was... empty. He could see some buildings with minor damage, broken windows, some craters in the ground, but there were no signs of an active battle. It was as if the attackers had disappeared.

—Tower Control— Evan said through the communicator—. I don't see hostile contacts on the surface. The area seems... clear.

Torres's voice came through the communicator, loaded with confusion:

—Clear? Are you sure? The explosions were—

—It must have been an error— someone from the control tower interrupted—. Maybe a sensor malfunction, or an unauthorized military test...

But Marcus's voice cut through all the others, cold and full of terrible certainty:

—No. It's not an error. I recognize those explosions. They're sonic bombs. And if they used sonic bombs, it means they came here with a specific purpose.

Evan felt a chill run down his spine.

—What purpose?— he asked, although part of him already feared the answer.

Marcus took a moment to respond, and when he did, his voice sounded as if he were speaking from a grave:

—To wake up something that was buried.

As if his father's words had been an invocation, the ground at the Prometheus's feet began to crack. Small fissures spread like spider webs, and a deep, guttural sound began to emerge from the depths.

—What is that sound?— Evan murmured, feeling how every sensor in the MK detected massive seismic vibrations.

The sound intensified, becoming a roar that seemed to come directly from the center of the earth. And then, the surface split.

A claw the size of a building emerged from the ground, followed by an arm that seemed to be made of black ice and putrid flesh. The Glacial that emerged from the depths was different from anything Evan had seen in the simulations. It was bigger, more real, more... malevolent.

Its eyes were not empty caverns, but wells of cold light that seemed to drill directly into the soul. And when it roared, the sound was not simply intimidating: it was a physical force that made the windows of nearby buildings shatter.

—EVAN!— Morrison's voice shouted from the communicator—. MOVE!

But the Glacial was faster. Its massive claw closed around the Prometheus's leg with a force that made the entire MK shake. Evan felt the impact as if it were his own leg being crushed, and he screamed in pain.

—No!— he shouted, trying to activate the escape systems.

But the Glacial had already fully risen, towering to a height that rivaled that of the MK. With a roar that shook the earth, it lifted the Prometheus as if it were a toy and threw it through the air.

Evan saw the world spin around him as he flew, the sky and earth trading places over and over again. The impact when they crashed against the ground was like being hit by an asteroid.

The Prometheus shuddered against the ground, its support systems struggling to stay online while the Glacial approached with steps that shook the earth. Evan felt the taste of fear in his mouth, metallic and cold, as his hands trembled over the controls.

But then, something changed.

Through the neural connection, Nyx's fury filtered into his mind like molten lava. It wasn't his own rage, but something purer, more lethal. It was the fury of someone who had lost too much, who had seen too many companions die. And for the first time since he had known Nyx, Evan didn't feel fear for her.

He felt with her.

—Get up— Nyx murmured, but this time her voice wasn't just a cold whisper. It was controlled fire.

Evan felt how his own emotions synchronized with hers. The rage spread through his chest like a flame that had been waiting for fuel. His hands closed over the controls, and for the first time since he had emerged to the surface, he wasn't thinking about surviving.

He was thinking about destroying.

The Prometheus rose with a roar of servomotors that rivaled the Glacial's. Evan felt every joint, every servo, every system as if it were part of his own furious body. The machine rose to its full height, and for a moment, pilot and mech were a single entity of metal and vengeance.

—Close combat weapon systems— Evan murmured, his fingers dancing over controls he had never touched before. —Activating saw protocol.

The Prometheus's elbows opened like mechanical flowers, revealing metal discs that began to spin with a sound that cut through the air. They weren't simple blades, but saws designed to cut through crystalline ice and the putrid flesh of Glacials.

The monster launched forward, its claws extended toward the MK's torso. But this time, Evan was ready.

The controls responded like extensions of his nerves. The Prometheus slid to one side, its servos roaring as it avoided the claws by centimeters. In the same movement, the MK's right arm rose, and the saw on its elbow plunged into the Glacial's side.

The sound was indescribable. Metal against ice, metal against flesh, metal against something that shouldn't exist. The saw cut through the monster's torso as if it were butter, sending fragments of black ice and dark fluids through the air.

The Glacial roared, a sound that made windows kilometers away shatter. Its claw closed over the Prometheus's arm, trying to stop the saw that continued to sink into its flesh.

—No— Evan growled, pushing the controls forward. —You're not going to win.

The saw sank deeper, and Evan could feel the resistance of the crystalline ice yielding to the force of metal. Through the neural connection, he could feel Nyx's cold satisfaction as she coordinated the perfect attack.

The Glacial tried to retreat, but Evan had learned from the simulations. The Prometheus moved with it, keeping the saw in place while the second saw on the left elbow activated. With a fluid movement, the MK's left arm rose and plunged into the monster's torso from the other side.

Now the Glacial was trapped between two saws cutting toward the center of its body. Its roars became something more desperate, more human. But Evan felt no compassion. He only felt the need to complete the destruction.

—Power systems to maximum— he murmured, pushing the controls to their limits. —Dual cut.

The two saws accelerated, their revolutions increasing until the sound became a sharp metallic whine. The Glacial writhed, trying to break free, but the Prometheus's arms held it in place with a force that bent metal.

The moment of the final cut was almost silent. The saws met at the center of the Glacial's torso, and for an instant, everything stopped. The world held its breath.

Then, the monster split in two.

The upper part of the Glacial slid to one side, falling to the ground with an impact that shook the earth. The lower part collapsed to the other side, its legs still convulsing for a few moments before becoming still.

Evan felt a wave of triumph he had never experienced before. It was pure power, absolute victory. The Prometheus stood over the Glacial's remains, its saws still spinning, bathed in dark fluids.

—We did it— he murmured, feeling how the adrenaline began to recede in his veins. —We really did it.

But then, something cold and sharp sank into his chest.

The pain was instantaneous and overwhelming. Evan looked down and saw, with horror, that a spear-sized claw had pierced through the Prometheus's chest. Through the neural connection, he could feel as if the claw had pierced through his own body.

—What...?— he began to say, but the words were lost when he looked down.

A second Glacial had emerged silently from the ground, directly beneath them. Its claw had pierced through the underground hangar floor and sunk into the MK's abdomen, just a few meters below where Nyx was located.

The pain intensified, and Evan felt how his vision began to stain with red. But it wasn't just his pain. Through the neural connection, he could feel Nyx's shock, her own agony as the MK suffered massive damage.

—EVAN!— Morrison's voice shouted from the communicator, but it sounded as distant as if it came from another world.

More cracks appeared in the ground. Dozens of them, spreading like a network of destruction. And from each crack, more Glacials emerged. Some small, tank-sized. Others massive, rivaling the Prometheus's size.

But it wasn't just the Glacials.

The sky darkened with the shadow of aircraft that Evan didn't recognize. Angular fighters with designs that didn't belong to any nation he knew. The Clade had arrived.

The first bombs began to fall as the Glacials fully emerged from the ground. Deafening explosions turned the landscape into a hell of fire and debris. Artillery began to rain down on the base, each impact shaking the earth.

Evan felt how Nyx tried to take control, tried to make the MK move, fight, do something. But the pain was too intense. The Glacial's claw had pierced vital systems, and the Prometheus was rapidly losing power.

—We have to move— Nyx murmured, her mental voice now loaded with desperation instead of her usual coldness. —We have to get out of here.

But Evan couldn't move. The pain had become a paralysis that spread from his chest to the rest of his body. His hands trembled over the controls, but he couldn't make them respond.

The second Glacial fully rose from the ground, carrying with it the Prometheus, which still had its claw sunk in the torso. With a roar that made the air vibrate, the monster lifted the MK above its head like a trophy.

And then, something extraordinary happened.

The neural connection between Evan and Nyx overloaded. The pain, the shock, the terror mixed in a single moment of absolute connection. For the first time since they had begun piloting together, Evan could see exactly what Nyx saw.

Through her eyes, he could see his own body in the command chamber, pale and convulsing while the support systems struggled to keep him conscious. Blood dripped from his nose, and his eyes were rolled back from shock.

And Nyx, through Evan's eyes, could see the world from the command chamber's perspective. She could see the screens showing the absolute devastation spreading in all directions. She could see the Glacials approaching from all sides, their jaws open, ready to devour the paralyzed MK.

For a moment, they shared not just vision, but everything. Every fear, every hope, every memory of loss. Evan could feel the weight of the seven companions Nyx had lost, the pain that had turned her into the cold war machine she was. And Nyx could feel Evan's insecurity, his desperation to prove he was worth something, that he could be more than simply a scientist's son.

—I can't...— Evan murmured, feeling how consciousness slipped through his fingers like sand. —I can't continue...

The third Glacial approached from the left, its jaws open, showing rows of teeth that looked like ice daggers. The fourth approached from the right, its claws extended toward the MK's torso.

Evan saw all this, felt all this, and knew it was over. The Prometheus was surrounded, paralyzed, and he no longer had the strength to fight.

His eyes closed slowly, and the last thing he saw was the Glacials closing in on the MK like a hungry pack. Their jaws opened, and they began to devour the metal and circuits as if they were fresh meat.

The world faded into darkness, and Evan Veil fainted while the sound of metal being destroyed filled his ears.

Somewhere distant, he could hear Nyx's voice, cold and determined until the end:

—It doesn't end here. It can't end here.

But for Evan, everything had ended.

The darkness swallowed him completely.

The awakening was like being torn from the depths of the ocean directly to the surface. Evan woke up screaming, his lungs filling with air as if he had been drowning for hours. The pain hit him immediately after: a pain that spread from his chest to every limb, as if thousands of fire needles were piercing his body.

—NYX! THE GLACIALS!— he shouted, trying to sit up, but something kept him immobile. Pure panic seized him when he realized he couldn't move his arms or legs. —I CAN'T MOVE! I CAN'T MOVE!

His eyes opened completely, and the first thing he saw was a white and sterile ceiling. Tubes and cables extended above him like technological spider webs, and he could hear the constant beeping of medical machines. He was in some kind of healing chamber, his body immobilized by harnesses that kept him in position while dozens of medical devices worked to repair the damage.

—Evan! Evan, calm down!— A familiar voice cut through his panic. Morrison appeared in his field of vision, his face marked by worry and lack of sleep. —You're safe. You're alive. Breathe, friend. Just breathe.

—Morrison!— Evan tried to sit up again, but the harnesses kept him immobile. —The Glacials! The Prometheus! Nyx is—!

—Evan, listen to me!— Morrison put a hand firmly on his shoulder, his blue eyes drilling into Evan's with an intensity that forced him to focus. —You're in a military medical facility. You've been unconscious for three days. I need you to calm down so I can explain what happened.

Evan felt how his breathing accelerated, each inhalation seemed to scrape against his lungs like sandpaper. But Morrison's voice, firm and familiar, began to anchor his panic.

—What... what happened?— he murmured, feeling how tears began to accumulate in his eyes. —Morrison, what happened to the Prometheus? To the base? To...?

Morrison sat in a chair next to the bed, his expression becoming somber.

—The Clade attacked Aurora base with a force we had never seen before. They didn't come just for resources or sabotage. They came with a specific purpose: to wake up the Glacials that had been sleeping under the installation for decades.

Evan felt how his stomach sank.

—How did they know they were there? how they found us?

—Possibly they followed your father's helicopter when they found it in the ocean, but we don't know for sure. The sonic bombs they launched first were designed to break the geological layers that kept the Glacials in hibernation. While we thought it was a conventional attack, they had already achieved what they wanted.

Morrison rubbed his eyes, and Evan could see that the veteran pilot had aged years in the last few days.

—Aurora base fell, Evan. Completely and totally. We lost... we lost a lot of people. Technicians, scientists, soldiers. Some managed to evacuate, but many...

—How many?— Evan asked, although part of him didn't want to know the answer.

—Seventy-three confirmed dead. Twenty-two missing. You... you were one of the lucky ones.

Evan closed his eyes, feeling how guilt spread through his chest like poison.

—It was my fault. I... I couldn't control the Prometheus. I couldn't fight the Glacials. If I had been better, if I had trained more, if I had...

—Stop!— Morrison interrupted, his voice sharp. —It wasn't your fault. You were thrown into real combat without complete training, against a threat none of us had seen before. The fact that you survived is a miracle.

—How did I survive?— Evan asked, feeling how confusion mixed with his guilt.

Morrison smiled for the first time since Evan had awakened, although it was a sad smile.

—Hellframe. Kaito, Sarah and I managed to launch and reach you just when the Glacials were... well, when they were destroying the Prometheus. We could extract the complete command chamber before the destruction was total. We got you out of there with seconds to spare.

—The Prometheus?

—Destroyed. Completely. The Glacials devoured it as if it were a snack. But we managed to save the most important thing: your life.

Evan felt how tears began to roll down his cheeks.

—Morrison, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for failing. I'm sorry for losing the machine. I'm sorry...

—Evan, look at me.— Morrison leaned forward, his expression serious but gentle. —You survived your first real combat against multiple Glacials. That's more than many veteran pilots can say. Don't apologize for surviving.

Evan nodded, although guilt continued to gnaw at his chest. Then, a question he had been avoiding finally formed on his lips:

—My father? Is he...?

Morrison hesitated, and that hesitation told Evan everything he needed to know.

—I'm sorry, Evan. Marcus... your father didn't manage to evacuate in time. He was in the main laboratory when the Glacials broke through the underground defenses. He died defending decades of research, trying to destroy data that couldn't fall into Clade hands.

Evan waited to feel something. Pain, loss, devastation. But what he found was... emptiness. An absence of emotion that disturbed him more than pain could have.

—I understand— he murmured, and realized he really didn't care as much as he should. His father had been a distant figure all his life, more interested in his machines than in his son. Even at the end, he had valued his research more than Evan's life.

Morrison noticed his lack of reaction, but didn't comment on it. Instead, he waited for Evan to ask the question he knew was coming next.

—And Nyx?— Evan asked, feeling how his voice broke slightly. —Is she okay? Did you manage to rescue her?

Morrison lowered his gaze, and Evan felt how his heart stopped.

—Evan... we couldn't rescue her. When we extracted the command chamber, the synchronization chamber had already been... had already been destroyed. The Glacials had broken through the armor. When we arrived, there wasn't...

—Is she dead?— Evan asked, feeling how the world faded around him.

Morrison took a moment to respond.

—We didn't find a body. But Evan, the synchronization chamber was completely destroyed. No one could have survived that kind of damage. I'm sorry, son. I'm so sorry.

The world stopped.

Evan felt how all the guilt, all the pain, all the loss concentrated in a single point in his chest. Nyx, the cold and mysterious pilot who had become his companion, who had shared his mind, who had fought alongside him until the end. She had died because of his fault. She had died because he hadn't been good enough, strong enough, brave enough.

—It was my fault— he murmured, feeling how tears began to flow freely. —I should have been faster. I should have seen the second Glacial. I should have...

—Evan, no.

—YES IT WAS MY FAULT!— he shouted, pulling against the harnesses that kept him immobile. —She died because I couldn't protect her! Because I couldn't control the machine! Because I'm a failure!

Morrison stood up, trying to calm him.

—Evan, please...

—NO!— Evan closed his eyes, feeling how desperation took hold of him. —Morrison, please. I need to be alone. Just... just need to be alone for a moment.

Morrison hesitated, clearly not wanting to leave Evan in his current state.

—Evan, I don't think it's a good idea for you to...

—Please— Evan begged, his voice broken by crying. —Just for a moment. I just need... I need to process it all. Please.

Morrison looked at him for a long moment, then nodded slowly.

—Okay. But I'll be right outside. If you need anything, anything at all, just call.

Evan nodded, keeping his eyes closed. He heard Morrison's footsteps moving away, the door sliding closed with a soft whisper.

And then, he was alone with his guilt.

—Nyx— he murmured, feeling how his voice broke. —Nyx, I'm so sorry. I'm sorry for not being strong enough. I'm sorry for not being able to save you. I'm sorry...

His voice faded into sobs. The guilt was a physical weight in his chest, crushing him, suffocating him. He had caused his companion's death. He had failed in his first real mission. He had lost the machine that represented decades of research.

He was exactly what he had feared all his life: not being enough. Not when it really mattered.

—It should have been me— he murmured, feeling how self-pity mixed with guilt. —It should have been me who died. She was a better pilot, better at everything. It should have...

He stopped abruptly.

There was something. A presence. Something that shouldn't be there.

—What...?— he murmured, feeling how a chill ran down his spine.

His left hand moved.

It wasn't a conscious movement. It wasn't a muscle spasm. His left hand rose slowly, independently of his will, and placed itself over his chest.

—What the hell?— Evan whispered, looking at his hand as if it belonged to someone else.

And then, from somewhere deep in his mind, he heard a voice he immediately recognized:

—What the hell?

It was Nyx's voice. Cold, whispering, but definitely real.

Evan and the voice in his head spoke at the same time:

—What the hell?