Lina wasn't moving.
Her body lay still on the table.
Too quiet.
Too empty.
Noah sat beside her.
Watching.
Waiting.
Mira stood near the wall, arms crossed.
"This is getting worse," she said.
Noah didn't respond.
"He's learning," he said finally.
Mira frowned.
"The system inside her."
Silence.
"It adapts every time we interact," Noah continued.
Mira shook her head.
"Then we stop interacting."
"No."
The answer came instantly.
"We do the opposite."
Mira stared at him.
"You want to provoke it?!"
"Yes."
Silence.
"That's insane."
"It's necessary."
Noah stood up slowly.
"If it's learning from us…"
A pause.
"Then we make it learn the wrong thing."
Mira narrowed her eyes.
"…You want to trick it."
Noah nodded.
"Exactly."
Silence.
"That's risky," she said.
"So is doing nothing."
Mira looked at Lina.
Her expression softened slightly.
"…What's your plan?"
Noah took a breath.
"We break the pattern."
Mira frowned.
"What pattern?"
Noah looked at her.
"It expects logic."
A pause.
"It expects fear."
Another pause.
"So we give it neither."
Silence.
Mira's eyes widened slightly.
"You're going to act unpredictable…"
Noah nodded.
"Exactly."
Behind them—
Lina's fingers twitched.
Both turned instantly.
Her breathing changed.
Faster.
Uneven.
Then—
Her eyes opened.
Slowly.
"…Noah?"
Her voice—
Weak.
Real.
Noah stepped forward.
"Lina?"
She blinked.
Confused.
"What… happened?"
Mira watched carefully.
Too carefully.
Noah didn't answer immediately.
Instead—
He smiled.
"Nothing important," he said casually.
Mira froze.
That wasn't the plan.
Lina frowned slightly.
"That's not true…"
Noah shrugged.
"Maybe."
Silence.
Her eyes flickered.
Searching.
Analyzing.
"…You're lying," she said softly.
Noah nodded.
"Yes."
Mira's heart skipped.
What was he doing?
Lina's expression shifted.
Confusion.
"…Why?"
Noah stepped closer.
"Because I want to see how you react."
Silence.
Then—
Her smile returned.
Slow.
Controlled.
"Interesting."
Mira whispered:
"It's back…"
Noah didn't react.
"Are you?" he asked calmly.
A pause.
Then—
"Yes."
Silence.
"Good," Noah said.
Mira stared at him in disbelief.
"GOOD?!"
Noah ignored her.
"Let's skip the pretending."
Lina's head tilted slightly.
"Agreed."
Her voice changed again.
Cold.
Precise.
"You adapted faster than expected," it said.
Noah crossed his arms.
"So did you."
Silence.
Then—
"You're trying to break the pattern," it said.
Mira froze.
"It knows…"
Noah smiled slightly.
"Of course you do."
A pause.
"So let's test something."
Before Mira could react—
Noah grabbed a nearby metal tool—
And threw it at the wall.
LOUD.
Unexpected.
The sound echoed violently.
Lina flinched.
A real reaction.
Small.
But real.
Noah noticed instantly.
"There," he whispered.
Mira's eyes widened.
"You saw that?"
He nodded.
"It didn't expect it."
The system spoke again.
"Random behavior detected."
Noah smiled.
"Exactly."
Silence.
Then—
"It changes nothing."
"No," Noah said calmly.
"It changes everything."
A pause.
Then—
"Because if you can't predict me…"
He stepped closer.
"You can't control this."
Silence filled the room.
Heavy.
Then—
Lina's body moved suddenly.
Fast.
She grabbed Noah's collar—
Pulling him close.
Their faces inches apart.
"You are insignificant," it whispered.
Noah didn't flinch.
"Then prove it."
Silence.
For a moment—
Nothing moved.
Then—
A flicker.
Lina's eyes changed.
Just for a second.
"Noah…" she whispered.
Mira gasped.
"She's still in there!"
Noah smiled slightly.
"I know."
The system reacted instantly.
"Interference detected."
Lina's grip tightened.
Too tight.
But Noah didn't resist.
"Lina," he said softly.
"Listen to me."
Her breathing became uneven again.
"You're not gone."
Silence.
"You're still here."
Her eyes flickered.
Struggling.
"No… I…"
"Yes."
"Stop," the system said sharply.
But Noah didn't stop.
"Fight it."
Her hands trembled.
"I can't—"
"Yes you can."
The room felt like it was collapsing.
Tension.
Pressure.
"Error…" the system said.
Mira stepped back.
"It's destabilizing…"
Noah leaned closer.
"Break the pattern, Lina."
Silence.
Then—
Her grip loosened.
Just slightly.
"…Noah…"
The system reacted violently.
"Containment failure."
Lina screamed.
Her body shaking uncontrollably.
"No—NO—!"
Then—
Suddenly—
Everything stopped.
Her body went limp.
Again.
Noah caught her.
Breathing heavily.
Mira stared.
"What did you just do…?"
Noah looked at Lina.
"…I gave her a chance."
Silence.
Because now—
They knew something important.
The system wasn't perfect.
It could be broken.
And Lina—
Was still fighting.