Smoke still drifted through the broken street like ghosts that didn't know where to go.
Sirens wailed somewhere far away, growing closer by the second. Luna stood on top of a crushed bus, scanning for survivors while pulling a trembling woman from behind a vending machine.
"You're safe now," Luna said softly. "Run. Don't look back."
The woman ran.
Ava sat on the curb, knees pulled to her chest, staring at her hands. They were still glowing faintly blue, shaking like they didn't belong to her anymore.
Mira crouched beside her. "You okay?"
"I punched something that wasn't alive," Ava whispered. "And it punched back."
Mira swallowed. "Same."
Nyra stood a few meters away from the fallen metal shards, studying them like bones at a crime scene.
"It wasn't designed to fight humans," Nyra said. "It was designed to locate us."
Riven hadn't moved since the battle ended.
She stood in the middle of the crater, staring at the sky like she expected it to open again.
Luna approached her slowly. "Riven."
No answer.
"You saved people today," Luna said. "You saved us."
Riven's jaw tightened. "I almost got Ava killed."
Ava looked up sharply. "I chose to jump in."
"You jumped because I ordered you to," Riven said. "That makes it my fault."
Nyra turned toward them. "If you're assigning blame, assign it correctly. The enemy attacked first."
"That's not what this is about," Mira said quietly.
She stood and walked toward Riven.
"We're not mad because you trained us too hard," Mira said. "We're mad because you didn't trust us enough to be scared."
Riven finally looked at her.
"You think I don't feel fear?" Riven asked. "Every time I activate this thing, I feel like I'm standing on the edge of a cliff."
She clenched her fists.
"I lost people because I froze. I won't freeze again."
Ava stood up.
"And I lost myself today," she said. "For a second, I didn't care if that thing died… or if I did."
Her voice cracked.
"I don't want to become like you if being strong means not feeling."
Silence pressed in.
Then Luna spoke.
"Maybe being strong means feeling and fighting anyway."
Nyra finally stepped closer.
"Conflict weakens synchronization," she said. "But emotional bonds stabilize it."
Everyone stared at her.
"…What?" Mira asked.
Nyra exhaled. "I'm saying the device reacts better when we trust each other."
Riven looked at Ava.
Slowly, she walked toward her.
"I'm sorry," Riven said.
The word looked heavy in her mouth.
"I don't know how to lead without hurting people," she continued. "But I don't want to do this alone."
Ava hesitated.
Then stepped forward and hugged her.
Riven stiffened… then collapsed into it like she'd been holding her breath for years.
Mira blinked hard.
Luna smiled faintly.
Nyra looked away.
The sirens were close now.
Red and blue lights flickered at the end of the street.
"We can't be here when they arrive," Luna said.
Mira looked around at the destroyed district. "They saw us."
"They saw monsters," Ava said.
Riven shook her head. "No. They saw protectors."
She looked at the broken shards again.
"And next time… they'll see soldiers."
The bracelets pulsed faintly.
Seven heartbeats.
Seven minds.
Not perfect.
But aligned.
Above them, the clouds slowly began to clear.
Far away far beyond Earth's sky, something calculated.
The scout had failed.
But the signal had been received.
And Earth had answered.