Chapter 71
In the outside world, the team stood frozen, watching the holographic feed with dim, hollow expressions. The silence in the room felt heavier than the battle itself. Mimi finally stepped toward one of the hovering bots, her voice sharp but tightly controlled.
"Why don't you help him? Isn't he your creator or something?"
Rage simmered beneath her words, but she held onto her rationality with iron composure. The bot simply hovered—silent, unresponsive. No beep. No flicker. Nothing. Dejected, Mimi turned away and rejoined the others. She said nothing more. None of them did. They just watched.
"Your cores are very different from others… its properties…"
Dax's hand was buried deep in Ryker's belly.
"Touch," he whispered.
In that moment a gut-wrenching wail burst from Ryker's entire being—raw, primal, echoing through the void.
"My core?" Ryker's eyes filled with deep terror.
