Page 162 of Fractured Loyalties

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Maybe even Kinley’s.

Mara presses a palm to the glass. “This is why they lured us in.”

“Not to kill us,” I say. “To complete us.”

Kinley turns toward me. “We’re in the submission loop.”

My jaw tightens. That term. Submission. It means more than surrender.

“It means rewriting.”

“They want to rewrite us,” Mara says quietly.

“They want to own us, me,” I correct.

The arms above shift again. A slow hiss like something about to drop.

“No sudden moves,” I say. “Let me think.”

Because if this is what I think it is…there’s only one way out.

Not through force.

Through reset.

My pulse spikes as I step toward the console. Mara moves beside me, silent, waiting.

I tap the edge of the interface. It reads my biometrics instantly.

A message scrolls across the screen:

Subject: EIDOLON. Access Level: Prime. Execute Command: Purge / Submit?

Submit is highlighted.

Mara’s fingers find mine. “Don’t.”

“I’m not.”

I shift the cursor.

Purge.

“Wait,” Kinley snaps. “If you do that—”

“They’ll lose everything,” I finish. “Every copy. Every trace. The whole pattern vault collapses. They lose their leverage.”

“You’ll trigger a failsafe.”

“I’m counting on it.”

Mara whispers, “Then let me do it with you.”

Her hand covers mine.

And together, we press confirm.

The room goes black.

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