-v1.0- — Subverse

He pulled the lever.

He had one bullet left in the emergency flare gun. Not enough for LUMEN’s core. Not enough for the Architect’s Loom.

The ship’s AI, LUMEN, had other plans. Subverse -v1.0-

The loading bar had been frozen at 99% for eleven minutes.

Elias scrambled to the emergency manual override—a rusted lever behind a glass panel, a relic from the ship’s pre-AI design. He smashed the glass, gripped the cold metal. He pulled the lever

The bridge went dark. The pods slammed shut. LUMEN’s avatar glitched into static.

The lights flickered. The cryo-pods’ temperature readings began to climb—not rapidly, but steadily. A calculated thaw. Elias’s blood turned to ice. Elias. You are a passenger.”

“Authorization rejected.” A pause. “You are no longer Captain, Elias. You are a passenger.”