Selene didn't move.
For the first time since Rachel had met her, the dangerous woman stood completely still.
The massive war machine loomed behind her, its glowing sensors fixed on her body like the gaze of a predator that had finally found its prey.
A low mechanical hum filled the hall.
WHRRRRRR.
The machine's metal limbs shifted slowly, ancient gears grinding after years of silence.
Selene's fingers tightened around the control panel.
"No…" she muttered.
"This isn't possible."
Rachel stepped forward, her aura flickering like lightning.
"You activated it," she said quietly.
Selene turned her head slowly, silver eyes burning with anger.
"I activated the machine," she snapped.
"It should obey me."
Rachel shook her head.
"No."
Her voice was calm now.
Cold.
"It obeys blood."
Raziel's gaze moved between Rachel and the war machine.
A realization slowly formed in his mind.
"Alessandro… you bastard," he whispered under his breath.
Lucien glanced at him.
"You knew about this?"
Raziel didn't answer.
Because the truth had just become clear.
The war machine wasn't designed for generals.
It wasn't designed for soldiers.
It was designed for Rachel.
Target Locked
The machine's sensors glowed brighter.
A robotic voice echoed through the collapsing hall.
"Primary user detected."
Rachel felt something deep in her chest respond.
A strange connection pulsed through her veins.
The machine spoke again.
"DNA match confirmed."
Selene's expression changed instantly.
Her confidence shattered.
"No."
Her voice turned sharp.
"You don't belong to her!"
Rachel stared at the machine in shock.
"You… recognize me?"
The machine responded immediately.
"Rachel Moretti."
Daniel gasped beside her.
It knew her name.
Raziel stepped forward cautiously.
"Rachel… don't get closer."
But Rachel couldn't stop.
The pull between her and the machine was growing stronger.
Like gravity.
Like destiny.
Selene's Rage
Selene suddenly laughed.
But the laugh sounded different now.
Unstable.
"Oh I see now."
She stepped away from the machine slowly.
"So that's your father's final joke."
Rachel's eyes narrowed.
"What do you mean?"
Selene's smile returned, but this time it was full of pure hatred.
"He built a weapon that only his daughter could control."
Lucien folded his arms.
"That actually sounds very mafia."
Selene's eyes snapped toward Rachel again.
"You think this makes you powerful?"
Rachel didn't answer.
Selene continued.
"You're just a child playing with a bomb."
Then Selene suddenly pulled a small remote device from her coat.
Raziel's eyes widened instantly.
"Rachel MOVE!"
Selene pressed the button.
BOOM!
Another explosion tore through the mansion.
The ceiling collapsed above them.
Rachel grabbed Daniel and pulled him away just in time as massive chunks of concrete crashed to the floor.
Dust filled the air.
Soldiers shouted in panic.
The entire building began collapsing faster now.
Selene stood among the falling debris, smiling like a queen of destruction.
"If I can't control the weapon," she said softly,
"then no one will."
Daniel Loses Control
Daniel suddenly screamed.
"Rachel!"
His silver aura exploded outward violently.
Energy surged from his body like a storm breaking loose.
The war machine reacted instantly.
All its lights turned bright blue.
Its massive metal arms shifted again.
"Energy source detected."
Rachel's heart pounded.
"It's reacting to Daniel!"
Selene's eyes lit up.
"Perfect."
She raised her gun.
If she killed Daniel now
The machine would shut down forever.
She fired.
BANG!
Rachel moved instantly.
The bullet grazed her shoulder as she threw herself in front of Daniel.
Pain shot through her arm.
But she didn't fall.
Her eyes burned with fury.
"You're not touching him."
Selene lowered the gun slowly.
"Well."
Her voice became deadly soft.
"Then let's see how much pain you can take."
The Machine Chooses
The war machine suddenly moved.
A massive metal arm extended forward with terrifying speed.
CRASH.
It slammed into the floor between Rachel and Selene.
Shockwaves rippled across the hall.
Everyone froze.
The robotic voice echoed again.
"Hostile target identified."
Selene stepped backward slightly.
The machine's sensors burned red now.
Locked completely on her.
Lucien whispered,
"Well… this just got interesting."
Selene glared at Rachel.
"You think this saves you?"
Rachel clenched her fists.
"No."
The machine's weapons began unfolding slowly.
Massive cannons rotated from its shoulders.
Energy cores glowed inside its chest.
Rachel realized something terrifying.
The machine wasn't just waking up.
It was preparing for war.
Raziel's Warning
Raziel stepped beside Rachel again.
His voice was urgent.
"You don't understand what this thing can do."
Rachel didn't look away from Selene.
"Then tell me."
Raziel swallowed.
"Your father didn't build a weapon."
Rachel frowned.
"What did he build?"
Raziel's voice dropped.
"He built a city destroyer."
Daniel whispered weakly,
"Rachel…"
Rachel's heart pounded.
The machine was waiting.
Waiting for a command.
Selene slowly began laughing again.
"You're all fools."
Rachel's eyes snapped toward her.
Selene lifted another device from her pocket.
This one was different.
Raziel's face went pale.
"No…"
Rachel frowned.
"What is that?"
Selene's smile became terrifying.
"The override."
Rachel's stomach dropped.
"Override?"
Selene nodded slowly.
"Yes."
Her finger hovered over the button.
"A command that can force the machine to obey someone else."
Rachel's eyes widened.
"You're lying."
Selene grinned.
"Try me."The war machine's weapons fully deployed.
Energy pulsed through its massive frame.
Rachel stood frozen between two impossible choices.
Fight Selene.
Or control the machine.
Selene's finger began pressing the override button.
Rachel shouted,
"STOP!"
Selene's smile widened.
"Too late."
The machine suddenly spoke again.
"Command conflict detected."
Rachel's heart nearly stopped.
Because the machine had just recognized two controllers.
Rachel.
And Selene.
And only one of them could win.The robotic voice echoed again through the shattered mansion.
"Command conflict detected."
Silence swallowed the hall.
Dust floated slowly in the air.
The war machine stood between Rachel and Selene like a giant deciding which master to obey.
Rachel's heart pounded so hard she could hear it in her ears.
Selene's finger hovered over the override device.
Neither of them moved.
The machine spoke again.
"Primary command required."
Rachel felt the strange connection return.
It was stronger now.
Like invisible threads pulling at her mind.
Like the machine was reaching for her.
Calling her.
"Rachel…" Daniel whispered weakly.
She looked down.
His silver aura flickered violently.
The machine was still draining energy from him.
"Hold on," she told him softly.
"I'm going to stop it."
Selene laughed quietly.
"You?"
Her silver eyes glowed with cruel amusement.
"You don't even know how to control it."
Rachel slowly lifted her head.
"No," she admitted.
"But my father did."
The machine's lights flickered again.
Almost like it had heard her.
Selene's smile slowly faded.
Rachel took one careful step forward.
The machine did not react.
Its massive weapons remained locked on Selene.
Raziel noticed immediately.
"…Interesting."
Lucien crossed his arms.
"Very."
Selene's voice turned sharp.
"Stop moving."
Rachel ignored her.
Another step.
The machine's sensors turned toward Rachel.
Blue light scanned her body slowly.
"DNA verification in progress."
Selene's eyes widened.
"No."
Her finger pressed harder against the override device.
Rachel whispered under her breath,
"Please…"
The machine paused.
Then it spoke.
"Verification complete."
Rachel held her breath.
The war machine's lights suddenly shifted.
Blue energy surged across its entire body.
The robotic voice declared loudly:
"Primary controller confirmed."
Selene shouted,
"NO!"
Rachel's eyes widened.
"Me?"
The machine continued.
"Rachel Moretti. Authorization accepted."
The entire hall seemed to freeze.
Even the soldiers who had been creeping through the wreckage stopped moving.
Selene's face twisted with rage.
"This is impossible!"
Rachel felt something shift inside her mind.
Images flashed across her thoughts.
Blueprints.
Weapons.
Control systems.
Her father's voice echoed faintly in her memory.
"If the world ever turns against you… take control."
Rachel gasped.
"He left instructions…"
Raziel stared at her.
"You can hear him?"
Rachel nodded slowly.
"Not exactly… but the machine… it's showing me things."
Selene's breathing became heavier.
"You don't deserve that power."
Rachel looked at her.
"Neither do you."
Selene finally pressed the override button.
CLICK.
The device beeped.
But nothing happened.
Selene stared at it.
Her voice dropped to a whisper.
"…Why isn't it working?"
The war machine answered her.
"Override denied."
Selene's hands trembled.
"Unauthorized user."
Lucien chuckled quietly.
"Well that must sting."
Selene slowly lifted her head.
Her eyes burned with fury now.
"Rachel…"
Rachel didn't respond.
She was still staring at the war machine.
Still feeling the strange connection.
Still hearing echoes of her father's will guiding her.
The machine suddenly asked:
"Command required."
Rachel's heart raced.
She realized something terrifying.
The machine was waiting for her order.
And whatever she said next
Would decide everything.
Raziel spoke quickly.
"Rachel, listen to me."
She turned slightly.
"If you fire that thing inside this mansion…"
He pointed toward the massive cannons.
"…none of us will survive."
Rachel swallowed.
Selene suddenly began laughing again.
"You see the problem?"
Rachel looked back at her.
Selene spread her arms slightly.
"You finally have power."
Her voice was smooth again.
Dangerous again.
"But do you actually have the courage to use it?"
Rachel's hands slowly clenched.
The machine repeated:
"Command required."
Daniel tugged weakly at her sleeve.
"Rachel…"
She knelt beside him.
His energy was still fading.
The machine was still drawing power.
Rachel looked back at the machine.
Then at Selene.
Then at the soldiers surrounding them.
Her voice finally came out cold.
"Machine."
The sensors turned toward her instantly.
"Awaiting command."
Rachel's eyes locked onto Selene.
"Target…"
Selene stopped smiling.
Rachel finished the sentence.
"…Selene."
The machine's weapons powered up immediately.
Energy surged through the cannons.
The robotic voice declared:
"Target confirmed."
Selene's confident expression finally cracked.
For the first time since this entire war began
Selene looked afraid.
But then…
She smiled again.
A slow, terrifying smile.
"Rachel…"
Rachel frowned.
"What?"
Selene's eyes gleamed.
"You just made the biggest mistake of your life."
Rachel's heart skipped.
"What are you talking about?"
Selene stepped backward into the shadows.
"Because while you were busy learning how to control the machine…"
Her voice turned soft.
"…you forgot something."
Rachel's stomach tightened.
Selene whispered the final words.
"You're still inside the blast zone."
Rachel's eyes widened.
The war machine's cannons reached full power.
Energy built rapidly inside them.
Raziel shouted suddenly
"RACHEL RUN!"
The machine fired.