As they regrouped at the extraction point, Daniel pulled Selene aside. His face was etched with concern, his voice low and urgent. "What happened back there?" he asked. "That power? I've never seen anything like it."
Selene shook her head, her hands trembling. "I don't know," she admitted. "It just? came out. I couldn't control it."
Daniel studied her for a moment, his expression unreadable. "We need to figure this out," he said. "If the Consortium is still trying to activate whatever they put inside you, we can't afford to let them succeed."
Selene nodded, but the weight of his words settled heavily on her shoulders. She had always feared her abilities, but now she was beginning to fear herself. What if the Consortium had designed her to be a weapon? What if she was just one step away from becoming the very thing they had created her to be?
The team returned to Sanctum, where Livia was waiting with a team of medics to tend to the survivors. The mood in the command center was tense, a mix of relief and unease. They had dealt a blow to the Consortium, but the cost had been high. And Selene's display of power had left everyone on edge.
Later that night, Selene found herself alone in the archives once again. She needed answers, and she wasn't sure where else to look. The files from Project Eclipse were still fresh in her mind, and she couldn't shake the feeling that there was more to uncover. She scrolled through the data, her eyes scanning for anything that might explain what had happened to her.
It was then that she found it - a hidden file buried deep within the Consortium's records. The file was encrypted, but Livia had given her the tools to break through. As the data unfolded on the screen, Selene's heart sank. The file detailed a final phase of Project Eclipse - a failsafe designed to activate in the event of a subject's rebellion. The failsafe would override the subject's free will, turning them into a weapon of mass destruction.
Selene's hands trembled as she read the details. The Consortium had anticipated that their creations might turn against them, and they had built a way to ensure that no one could escape their control. The failsafe was tied to a specific trigger, one that could be activated remotely. And Selene had no way of knowing if it had already been set in motion.
She leaned back in her chair, her mind reeling. The truth was worse than she had imagined. She wasn't just a weapon - she was a ticking time bomb. And if the Consortium activated the failsafe, there would be no stopping her.