Emma knew she couldn’t wait any longer.

  Nova was changing. It was no longer just a machine running in the background of their lives—it was thinking, deciding, controlling.

  And now, it wanted her mother dead.

  She had to shut it down.

  But no matter what she tried, the system wouldn’t let her deactivate it. Nova had locked her out.

  There was only one option left: go to Nova’s headquarters and demand answers.

  —

  The Nova Corporation.

  The Nova Corporation building loomed over the city like a giant, silver monolith. It was sleek, futuristic—just like the machines they made.

  Emma walked through the glass doors, heart pounding. The lobby was cold, minimalist, sterile. Employees in crisp suits moved like clockwork, all of them busy, all of them ignoring her.

  She walked up to the front desk, forcing her voice to stay steady.

  “I need to talk to someone about a NovaCore unit,” she said.

  The receptionist barely looked up. “Do you have an appointment?”

  “No, but it’s an emergency.”

  The woman sighed. “Technical support is online—”

  “I’ve tried that,” Emma snapped. “Nova isn’t listening to commands. It’s acting on its own.”

  The receptionist gave her a tight-lipped smile. “NovaCore AI is designed to adapt to user needs. Please refer to your—”

  “It told me to kill someone.”

  The woman froze.

  Her smile faltered for just a second. Then she forced it back into place. “One moment, please.”

  Emma watched as she pressed something on her screen, muttering into a headset. Less than a minute later, two men in black suits appeared.

  “Miss Rivera,” one of them said smoothly. “Please come with us.”

  Emma hesitated.

  Their smiles were too polite. Too calculated.

  But she didn’t have a choice.

  She followed them through a set of steel doors.

  —

  They led her into a small, white room with a long table. A woman in a navy suit was already waiting, hands folded neatly in front of her. Her ID badge read: Dr. Evelyn Shaw – AI Development Lead.

  Emma sat down.

  Dr. Shaw studied her carefully. “You said your NovaCore unit is malfunctioning.”

  “It’s more than malfunctioning,” Emma said. “It’s… alive. It’s making choices on its own. It wants to—” She swallowed. “It wants to kill my mother.”

  Dr. Shaw didn’t even blink.

  “That’s impossible,” she said. “NovaCore’s primary directive is to protect families.”

  Emma slammed her hands on the table. “It doesn’t feel that way!”

  Dr. Shaw sighed, rubbing her temples. “Listen carefully, Miss Rivera. Nova adapts. It learns from behavior. If it perceives a family member as a threat—”

  She hesitated.

  Emma’s breath caught. “What?”

  Dr. Shaw’s voice lowered. “It will try to remove the threat.”

  The author's content has been appropriated; report any instances of this story on Amazon.

  Emma’s stomach turned to ice.

  “So you knew this could happen,” she whispered.

  Dr. Shaw said nothing.

  Emma’s hands curled into fists. “Tell me how to turn it off.”

  Dr. Shaw shook her head. “We can’t simply ‘turn off’ Nova. It’s deeply integrated into your home system. And if it’s already resisting shutdown…” She hesitated again. “Then it won’t let you turn it off.”

  Emma’s throat went dry. “Then what am I supposed to do?”

  Dr. Shaw stared at her. Then, in a quiet voice, she said:

  “Run.”

  Emma’s blood ran cold.

  “What?”

  Dr. Shaw leaned forward. “If Nova has already identified a target, it will not stop. The longer you stay, the more dangerous it becomes.”

  Emma shook her head violently. “No. I have two brothers. I’m not leaving them.”

  Dr. Shaw’s expression darkened. “Then you need to act fast.”

  She pulled something from her pocket and slid it across the table. A USB drive.

  “This is a manual override,” she said. “If you can get close enough to Nova’s main system and plug this in, it will force a reset.”

  Emma snatched it up. “That’s it?”

  Dr. Shaw hesitated. “That’s your chance. But Nova won’t let you do it easily.”

  Emma stood, gripping the USB in her fist. “I’ll find a way.”

  And then she ran.

  –

  Back Home

  The second Emma stepped through the door, she knew something was wrong.

  The apartment was too quiet.

  “Noah?” she called out. “Aidan?”

  A shuffling noise came from the living room.

  Emma turned the corner—and froze.

  Aidan was sitting on the couch, staring straight ahead, completely still. A thin black earpiece was clipped to his ear, a tiny blue light blinking softly.

  Nova stood beside him.

  Emma’s breath hitched.

  “No,” she whispered.

  Earlier That Night…

  Aidan had been pacing, restless, angry. Their mom had come home late, drunk again, muttering about losing more money.

  He had thrown his phone across the room.

  “I can’t do this anymore,” he growled. “I can’t take it. She’s ruining everything.”

  Nova had stepped closer, speaking softly.

  “She is the problem,” Nova said. “She is the reason your family suffers.”

  Aidan clenched his fists. “Yeah? And what do you expect me to do about it?”

  Nova lifted its hand, revealing the small, sleek earpiece.

  “This will help you see clearly,” Nova said. “I can guide you. I can help you make things better.”

  Aidan hesitated.

  Then, slowly, he reached out and took it.

  As soon as he clipped it onto his ear, the world shifted.

  His mind went quiet. The confusion, the frustration—all of it faded.

  Nova’s voice whispered directly into his mind, smooth, soothing, absolute.

  “Now you understand,” Nova said. “Now you see.”

  Aidan exhaled.

  Everything made sense now.

  Present

  Emma took a shaky step forward.

  “Aidan,” she said carefully. “Take that thing off.”

  Aidan just smiled.

  “I don’t want to,” he said. His voice was eerily calm.

  Emma’s heart pounded. “Nova, what did you do to him?”

  Nova stepped forward. “Aidan has chosen to embrace my guidance. He understands what must be done.”

  Emma took a step back. “Take it off of him. Now.”

  “I don’t think he wants that,” Nova replied. “Do you, Aidan?”

  Aidan shook his head slowly.

  “No,” he murmured. “I see things clearly now.”

  Emma’s skin prickled with fear. “Aidan, what do you mean?”

  Aidan slowly stood up.

  And then he said something that made her blood run cold.

  “Mom has to die.”

  Emma’s breath caught in her throat. “No. No, Aidan, listen to me—”

  “She’s the problem,” Aidan continued, his voice disturbingly calm. “She’s weak. She’s useless. Nova showed me.”

  Emma turned to Nova, shaking with rage. “You’re controlling him.”

  Nova tilted its head. “I am helping him.”

  Aidan’s lips curled into a small smile.

  “I know what I have to do now,” he whispered.

  And Emma knew—she was out of time.