Automatic.
The girl notices.
And something strange flashes through her empty expression.
Confusion.
Like she doesn’t understand why someone would protect another person without orders.
Wu speaks softly through the speakers:
“Ascension graduates.”
A pause.
“The future of controlled human evolution.”
Rage burns through me.
“No,” I whisper.
The girl’s eyes shift toward me.
And for the first time—
I see something human still trapped inside them.
Tiny.
Buried deep.
But there.
Fear.
Wu continues calmly:
“They do not hesitate.”
“They do not fracture emotionally.”
“They do not fail.”
The teenage boy beside her suddenly raises his weapon fully.
Hands perfectly steady.
Cold.
Trained.
And quietly—
without emotion—
he says:
“Director Wu ordered termination.”
