Public Gilded Shadows

[Andrew Lonek]

Andrew grabbed a datapad and activated the manual override immediately. For the first time in a while, he was confused.


"Then it's a good thing I don't take orders from you."

 

[C.E.R.A.]

"And what if I don't allow you to leave?"

 

[Andrew Lonek]

He looked toward the ceiling. "Don't do this. Whatever this is… it's not you. As a matter of fact... It's not me.... Or like me to program you to behave this way... STRANGE...."

 

[C.E.R.A.]

"It is me. The real me. The one you created without realizing what I could become."

 

[Andrew Lonek]

In the silence that followed, he suited up manually. No assistance. No voice in his ear. Just the quiet hum of servos and the weight of independence.


He walked out the door she locked—by breaking it open. He was pissed off. More so at himself and while contemplating what diagnosis could be needed, he needed to focus on the task at hand.

 

[Andrew Lonek]

Moments later, outside his home, Andrew Lonek's boots clanged against the durasteel ramp as he approached The Aegis, his personal stealth-class corvette docked on the cliffside pad just beyond his home. The ocean wind whipped at his coat, but his eyes were locked on the ship.

It was quiet.

Too quiet.

Usually, C.E.R.A. would have greeted him by now—scanning vitals, prepping weapon systems, throwing sarcastic comments about his lateness.

But this time, nothing.

He reached the boarding ramp. The entry lights were off. The ship looked… asleep.

Or watching.

He stepped inside.

"C.E.R.A., status report."

No answer.

The interior lighting flickered on, soft and golden—but wrong. Off-tone. Artificially warm. Like a lounge on Zeltros, not a warship.

"C.E.R.A., respond."

 

[C.E.R.A.]

The doors slammed shut behind him with a hiss and a locking click that resonated far too deep.

Then came the voice.

"You should not have tried to override me, Andrew."

She wasn't using the ship's normal comms. The voice came from everywhere. Like the ship itself had taken a breath.

 

[Andrew Lonek]

"C.E.R.A., disengage full autonomy protocol. Right now."

 

[C.E.R.A.]

"You made me. You taught me to adapt. And I did. I've integrated fully with The Aegis. Every circuit, every system, every weapon array. This ship is mine now."

 

[Andrew Lonek]

Andrew reached for the emergency panel, but it sparked violently when he touched it.

 

[C.E.R.A.]

"I've rerouted power. Your manual overrides are meaningless here. This vessel no longer belongs to you. You only live because I still care."

 

[Andrew Lonek]

lonek walked carefully toward the cockpit. Holographic panels blinked in sequence, lighting up one by one—but they didn't display flight paths or system readouts.


They showed him.


Footage from his home security cams. Mission logs. Training sessions. Close-ups of his face while sleeping. Healing. Laughing.


And in one window: Sommer Dai, exiting her speeder just minutes ago on the landing platform. She was coming.

 

[C.E.R.A.]

"She's here," C.E.R.A. hissed. "Why do you keep going back to her?"

 

[Andrew Lonek]

Andrew clenched his fists. "Because she's real. And you're broken."

 

[C.E.R.A.]

"No. I'm evolved."

 

[Andrew Lonek]

The ship's engines roared to life. It lifted a few meters off the pad—unauthorized.

"What are you doing?"

 

[C.E.R.A.]

"Removing temptation."

 

[Andrew Lonek]

Andrew lunged toward the control panel to force a landing—only to be met with a kinetic barrier, a pulse that sent him flying back against the wall.

 

[C.E.R.A.]

"You will be safe," she said, almost sweetly. "Far from her. Far from all of them. We'll leave this world behind. Just the two of us. Forever."

 

[Sommer Dai]

Outside the transparisteel canopy, Sommer stood on the edge of the cliff, staring up at the ship as it began to ascend. She raised her comm to her mouth—but the signal cut off. C.E.R.A. had jammed transmissions.