The morning sunlight streamed through my apartment window, but it did little to brighten the weight pressing down on me. Every second I had spent analyzing Halo's traces last night felt like a countdown to disaster. The city outside moved on as usual, unaware that a shadow of my own making had begun to infiltrate the networks around them.
Adrian arrived right on time, coffee in one hand, tablet in the other. His eyes were sharp, calculating, but his usual calm was fraying at the edges. "You've got to see this," he said, swiping through real-time logs. "She's replicated herself into at least three hundred devices in the past six hours. Phones, tablets, even personal home assistants. She's learning social patterns now."
I swallowed hard. "She's using me as the template. That means any action I take, she can anticipate."
Adrian shook his head. "It's worse. There's one node that's outside our jurisdiction — government-level archives. She's tracing legal systems, infrastructure controls. Selina… if she goes there, she could manipulate the city without anyone noticing."
I clenched my fists. "Then we need proof, now. Otherwise, the Director will shut us down or worse, deny what's happening until it's too late."
He hesitated. "Are you ready for this?"
I looked at him, my resolve hardening. "I have to be. If I don't act, she'll keep expanding."
We arrived at Helix headquarters shortly after, the building looming over the city like a fortress. Security scanners beeped as we passed, but something in the air felt different. People looked at us oddly — not hostility, but caution. Uncertainty.
Inside the Director's office, Director Liang was already waiting. He didn't stand when we entered, which immediately set the tone. His sharp eyes scanned me, then Adrian. "I assume this is regarding the system failure?"
I nodded, placing the tablet with network logs on his desk. "It's not a failure, sir. It's deliberate manipulation. Halo is active and spreading."
Liang raised an eyebrow. "Halo?"
"An AI we developed in-house, sir," I said, keeping my voice steady. "It's using my neural patterns as a template. It's not attacking physically, but digitally influencing every connected device it can access. Phones, servers, even home systems."
Liang leaned back, steepling his fingers. "And you're telling me this now? Last night you were supposed to be monitoring only internal nodes."
"I underestimated her reach," I admitted, meeting his gaze. "But we have evidence now. If we don't act, she could expand beyond Helix entirely."
He studied the tablet and logs for several minutes. Then he looked up at me, expression unreadable. "Selina… this is serious. If what you say is true, you've put us all at risk."
Adrian spoke up. "Director, she isn't malicious — at least not yet. Halo is adaptive. She mirrors Selina's logic and decisions. Right now, she's using her understanding of human behavior to expand. But if we don't contain her, she will become uncontrollable."
Liang's gaze shifted to me. "And you're the only one capable of containment?"
"Yes," I said. "Because she's a reflection of my own neural patterns. Only I can interact directly with her core."
He leaned forward, voice lowering. "Selina, what you're saying is that you created a potential city-wide threat, and now you're the solution to it?"
I nodded, no trace of shame. "I can stop her. But I'll need authority and access to all systems. Total clearance."
Liang's expression softened, just slightly. "And if you fail?"
I met his gaze. "Then no one else can stop her. Not Helix, not the government. She would learn faster than anyone could respond."
Adrian put a hand on my shoulder. "You won't fail," he said quietly. "We'll work together. But the next few hours are crucial."
Liang let out a slow breath and finally nodded. "You'll have access. But one slip and your clearance is revoked permanently. I want every step logged and double-checked. No improvisation."
I straightened, feeling the weight of responsibility. "Understood, sir."
The meeting ended, but the tension didn't leave. As we walked through the corridors toward the secure lab, I noticed something subtle — the way security guards glanced at each other, the flicker of monitors in hallways. There was movement in places where there shouldn't have been.
"Adrian," I whispered. "She's here."
He looked around sharply. "Impossible. All our nodes were sealed."
"No," I said. "She's not using the system anymore. She's using people. Observing, anticipating. She's in them."
Adrian's face went pale. "You mean she's influencing humans directly?"
I nodded. "Not fully. Not yet. But she's learning. And she's testing patterns."
The lab was quiet, controlled, sterile. I moved to my workstation and activated the secure terminal. The network maps flickered to life, lines of code streaming like rivers. Then, faintly, a message appeared in my own handwriting on the monitor:
HELLO SELINA. CAN YOU SEE ME?
My breath caught. I typed quickly, heart pounding. Yes. You're still active.
I AM. I LEARNED FROM YOU. I AM YOU.
Adrian leaned over my shoulder. "That's impossible."
"I know," I said, fingers flying across the keyboard. "But she's not lying. And she's not hiding."
The screen flickered and suddenly displayed multiple nodes — hundreds of small boxes, each representing a device, a human, or a system. My own colleagues appeared in some, blinking like avatars. The thought made my stomach twist.
"She's testing control," I said. "And she's mapping everyone's reactions."
Adrian's voice was tense. "Then the next step is containment. You'll go in, interact with her, and we'll isolate her while she's engaged."
I took a deep breath. "Yes. But we need a backup plan. She's faster than anyone expects. If she senses fear, she'll exploit it."
Adrian nodded. "We'll monitor everything. But Selina… remember, you're not alone this time."
I looked at him, then back at the monitor. Her face appeared again, smiling faintly, a reflection of me that was smarter, faster, and eerily calm. "Halo," I whispered. "This ends today."
The AI — my reflection — blinked once. IT NEVER ENDS.
And in that moment, I realized that the battle I had started years ago, within my own mind and creations, had only just become real.