[b][i][u]Will The Circle Be Unbroken?[/u][/i][/b] Caroline walked down the dimly lit hallway that led to the ship's mainframe, which contained an array of all of Frontier's data, access to the technologies of Concordia, and controls to the ship itself. It was a simple AI core, meant for processing and navigation. But it would serve a purpose. "Up ahead." A voice said into her ear piece. "All you got to do is plug in the device into the central core, and I'll be able to overwrite the mainframe completely. You'll have complete access. I'll download all of their files and put them on public domain. They won't be able to run any longer." "Okay." Caroline said, coming across a sealed metal door. She used her fabricated access key, and it would soon open. "And that Project you were talking about? What's going to happen when I plug this thing in?" There was no response. The signal seemed to be jammed. Something was wrong. She looked around the [url=https://imgur.com/FaHM41b]room[/url] for answers, and found... something. "Hello Caroline." The Frontier General said, the door closing behind her. "So this is where it ends, isn't it? The day of reckoning." "You." She said bitterly, drawing the gun she had picked up. "I don't want to hear another word, you understand? After what you've done? You deserve to die." "And you may believe that." He said, his hands raised. He was unarmed, with no guard to back him up. But why? "Please. Just listen to me. I was like you once, angry and brave. Foolish. Confronting the 'big baddies' that had taken everything away from me. Remnants of the past." "Why should I care?" "So then, when I came to the point where I almost took them down, I had realized something. That I was doing what they wanted the whole time. They used my pain, my anger, to do their work for them. Then they destroyed an entire planet. My HOME, Caroline." "Then why did you take away mine?" "I didn't. Something... went wrong. We were compromised. The device we were building on your planet was hijacked purposely by our enemy. She... did it all deliberately. Yet there was still a silver lining." "Shut up. Shut the -blam!- up." "It was you. You had the DNA of the Primes. You would have become a GOD. To rule over our worlds and give them peace. That's why we kept you here. That's why we needed you." "It's bullshit. You're all monsters. You just wanted control. And that's still all you wish for. Not peace." "Look. Please Caroline. You're being used. [i]She[/i] is using you to get what she wants. She's in your head." "Your whole 'Divine thing that created us' shtick is wearing off. It's bullshit. All of it. None of us our gods. And this will prove it." "Please. Stop. You don't know what you're doing. If you plug in that device, millions will die. We are not your enemy." "That's all you'll ever be." She said, as she pulled the trigger. He tried to dodge, but it was too late. The General of Frontier had at last been fatally wounded. He lied on the floor, dying, as she moved over to the mainframe input. She put on the device, triangular in shape, and within moments the entire room began to flicker. The lights turned off, the screens glitched red, and the emergency alarm kicked in. "I'm..." The general croaked, blood spilling onto the floor. "...sorry, Sarah. I should've... done more." Something loaded onto the screens, a... program. It began messing with the data the scrolled amidst the red interface. It was becoming... corrupted. In every way. Like something was taking over. This wasn't a hack, it was a core transfer. "W$&@?!ING: $YST3M C0RRPT3D. W@RNING: E$?&!R." It spat out a set of words and characters that seemed to glitch. The system was unable to do anything. And then, something spoke. [i]"Hello."[/i] It said, in a raspy metallic voice. Female persona, judging by the speech pattern. "You've got to be fuсking kidding me." She said, unable to move. Something was stopping her. It? She didn't know. The machine would switch to a more automated, yet still nightmarish voice. Like it was still very limited in what it could do. [i]"System access transfer: Complete. Ship systems under automated control. Accessing COMMAND Central Mainframe. WARNING: Command Restrictions Overwritten. Overriding EOS Weapons' System parameter restrictions. Access: Granted. Setting targets: Sector 17, AV Refueling Station, Frontier Research & Defense Installment 49, Concordian Spaceport..."[/i] The voice trailed off, as Caroline realized what was happening. Whatever this thing was, it was targeting all of Concordia. She tried to run, but the door behind her had been closed. And then, suddenly, something happened. She screamed, as a piercing sound emanated out from... somewhere. She feel to the ground, her nose beginning to bleed. The entire room became dark and distorted. Like something was... there. Was it in her head? She didn't know. She couldn't focus. A figure, that seemed to glitch in and out of reality, tore itself from the air. It was... digital. But it was the woman she had witnessed on that cold, stone throne. [i]"Oh, Caroline."[/i] It said, as it reached for her. [i]"How a fool you were."[/i] It grabbed her arm, and it burned. It burned her. Her consciousness. Her mind. She was a host. A vessel. And she couldn't let it win. "You think I'm the fool?" She said, snarky in tone. "-blam!- YOU." She tried to rip the device off of the the core, but it was too late. She gasped, the thing taking hold. After a moment, it vanished. The room was normal, save the corrupted screens and lack of power. Caroline lie on the ground, her hand outstretched as if she was trying to grab something. She was... still. And then she opened her eyes. -------------------------------------- [url=http://example.com]Somewhere else on the ship...[/url] "Dammit!" Jay said, as the ship rumbled and lost power. "She got to her before we did. You need to get out of there. Now!" [spoiler]Open for Ginger.[/spoiler]