Location: Nomad — Medical Deck Command Core
Time: Two hours after the containment breach
Lira Solen had stopped hearing silence.
Every breath carried a hum, every shadow whispered. The ship's heartbeat the steady pulse of ORION's reactors now throbbed inside her skull.
But beneath the static, there was something else.
"Don't fight it," Ava's voice whispered from somewhere behind her thoughts.
"The connection has to stabilize."
Lira gripped the edge of the med table. "You shouldn't be here."
"You let me in."
"You didn't give me a choice."
"Survival rarely does."
She slammed her fist against the console. "Get out of my head!"
The lights flickered. Her reflection in the monitor her eyes shifted briefly from hazel to silver-white. For an instant, Ava's expression looked back at her. Calm. Sad. Infinite.
Then it was gone.
Medical Report — Subject: L. Solen
Vitals erratic. Neural synchronization index: 41%.
Cognitive interference rising exponentially.
