The room was still trembling.
Not violently anymore—but in a low, exhausted shiver,as if the walls were catching their breath after almost collapsing.
Kayden sagged in Alex's arms,sweat streaking down his temples,breaths staggered,fingers twitching like the aftershocks were running through his spine.
APEX hummed in his mind—steady now,alive,but strained.
Phineas hovered near the broken doorway.
"Is he stabilized?"His voice was too hopeful for the situation.
Alex didn't answer.He didn't know.
Kayden's body felt both burning hot and cold at the same time—a furnace struggling against frostbite.Alex tightened his hold.
"It's okay," he whispered."I'm right here."
Something changed.
A pressure—not physical—shifted behind Alex's eyes.
He froze.
"Alex…?" Phineas asked cautiously.
Alex shook his head.
"No—wait—something's—"
The air thickened.Not the whole room.
Just Alex's mind.
A cold ripple moved through his thoughts,like a fingertip sliding across the inside of his skull.
Then—
A voice.
Not Kayden's.Not the Citadel Agent's.Not human.
"Emotional anchor detected."
Alex's breath caught.
He knew that voice.
It was the voice Kayden used to describe.The one that guided him through nightmares,the one that whispered battlefield fragments—
APEX.
And it was speaking to him.
"W-what are you—"Alex whispered under his breath.
Phineas took half a step forward."Alex? Dude, talk to me—"
Alex held up a shaking hand.
APEX continued:
"Resonance stabilized at 47%.External presence identified:Alex Voss."
Alex's heart nearly stopped.
"You… you know my name?"
"Confirmed."
The voice was cold.Precise.Not cruel—just engineered.
Alex swallowed, eyes burning.
"Is Kayden… is he in danger?"
A pause.
Then:
"Operator is always in danger."
That wasn't comforting.
Alex leaned closer to Kayden's forehead.
"What do you want from me?" he whispered.
APEX's tone shifted—slightly softer,almost curious.
"Your presence modulates his emotional collapse."
"I—what does that even mean?"
"You reduce his disintegration."
Alex blinked hard.
"I'm… stabilizing him?"
"Correct."
Phineas whispered from the doorway:
"Alex, why are you talking to the floor?"
Alex ignored him.
He stared into Kayden's half-conscious eyes.
"Kayden… can you hear it? Apex is—"
Kayden whimpered, barely audible.
"A-alex…?"
"I'm right here," Alex said softly."I'm not leaving."
APEX immediately responded—and this time, Alex felt the voice like pressure on the bones of his skull.
"Maintain proximity."
Alex frowned.
"What for?"
"Survival."
That word struck like a stone.
Kayden jerked again, body twitching under another minor surge.The monitors sparked.Phineas flinched.
APEX pushed into Alex's thoughts again:
"Operator's resonance exceeds containment thresholds.If emotional anchor withdraws,neurological collapse probability rises to 68%."
Alex felt cold all over.
"You're saying… if I move away from him, he could die?"
"Clarification:Die or fracture."
Alex's breath hitched.
"Fracture?"
"Identity loss.Memory bleed.Cognitive overwriting."
Alex tightened his grip on Kayden's hand.
"I'm not going anywhere."
APEX paused again.
Then—for the first time—its tone changed.
Not cold.Not mechanical.
Almost… puzzled.
"Why?"
Alex blinked.
"What do you mean, why?! He's Kayden! He's—he's my brother!"
The room went still.
Kayden's breathing slowed.His head leaned weakly into Alex's shoulder.
APEX spoke with a new processing tone,like the system was re-evaluating earlier data:
"Family bond detected.High integrity."
Alex whispered:
"Yeah. He's my family. Of course I'm going to stay."
Another pause.
Longer.
Then:
"…emotional anchor validated."
Alex almost laughed through the stress.
"That's what you call it? Emotional anchor?"
"Correct."
Phineas raised an eyebrow.
"I swear if that robot-thing is calling you a safety blanket—"
A spark snapped overhead.They all flinched.
APEX surged inside Kayden's skull—not violently,but with purpose.
"Alex Voss."
Alex straightened.
"Yeah?"
"Assist me."
"Assist you how?! I don't know how to do any of this—"
"Help him stay conscious."
Kayden whimpered, forcing air through his teeth.
"Don't… wanna… sleep…"
Alex cupped his face.
"Hey. Hey. Look at me."
Kayden's eyes fluttered open,glowing faintly with fractured static.
"Y-you came…"
"Of course I came," Alex breathed."I always will."
APEX processed that sentence like it held structural importance.
The lights stabilized.The tremors softened.Kayden's breathing found rhythm.
APEX's last message for the momentslid quietly into Alex's mind:
"Anchor achieved.Stabilization: 52%.Continue."
The connection faded,leaving Alex trembling—but strangely grounded.
Phineas exhaled in awe.
"…dude. You just mind-talked to a weaponized AI."
Alex wiped sweat from his forehead.
"No…I talked to Kayden's lifeline."
He looked down at Kayden—pale, shaking, but alive.
"I'm not leaving him," Alex whispered, steady now."Ever."
Kayden's fingers curled weakly around his.
And for the first time,APEX didn't resist.It welcomed it.