The lab's central core was still functional.
Amara, Aria, and Xander stood before it—metal coils glowing faintly, screens flickering with system reboots. There was a way to destroy it, but it wouldn't be clean.
"The core's linked to the satellite uplink," Amara explained. "Blow the servers, and it sends a trace back to every location that's ever accessed it."
"Including the labs we don't know about yet," Xander said.
Aria frowned. "But we don't have the clearance to activate it."
Amara hesitated. "We might."
She reached into her coat and pulled out an ID card.
It was her father's.
"I took this the night he died."
Aria's jaw clenched. "Why didn't you tell me?"
"Because I knew you'd want to use it," Amara said. "And I wasn't ready to die."
Aria stepped forward. "You're saying using this will kill you?"
"Not just me. Anyone within 30 meters of the signal. It has a failsafe."
Xander looked between them. "There has to be another way."
"There isn't," Amara said softly.
Then her eyes found Aria's.
"You're stronger than your mother. Stronger than me. You were never just the weapon, Aria. You were the answer."
And with that, she inserted the card.
The countdown began.
"No!" Aria tried to pull her back.
But Amara shoved her out of the room and sealed the door.
The last thing Aria saw was her sister's face—smiling through the glass.
Then the explosion ripped through the compound.