I still remember the smell of burning plastic and blood—the night Los Angeles died. I lost my parents, my brother, my legs, my arm. The military rebuilt me with steel and code, told me AI did it. For ten years, I believed them.

Now, I’m back in New Asia, crawling through the ruins of my old life. My wife, Maya, was supposed to be dead. But General Andrews showed me a video—her face, alive in a simulant body. And our daughter… she was never born. Not in flesh. But she exists. They call her Alpha-O. A weapon. But when I saw her—small, wide-eyed, whispering my name—I knew. She’s not a weapon. She’s ours.

I’m holding her hand as we run through the underground tunnels beneath Neo-Seoul. Above us, U.S. drones scan for heat signatures. Behind us, the body of Drew—my best friend—lies in the rubble. His last words: 'Maya is Nirmata. They lied to you, Josh. They’ve been lying since the beginning.'

Alphie looks up at me, her synthetic eyes glowing faintly. 'Daddy,' she says, 'they’re going to kill her if we don’t stop them.'

I tighten my grip. NOMAD is still in orbit. And it’s about to fire again.