Chapter 188

Chapter 188 ELENA The medical bay had never felt so crowded, and yet every person here was essential. River lay on the diagnostic platform, their consciousness partially submerged in the scanner array I'd designed for deep pattern mapping. Hikari sat beside them, one hand resting on their shoulder—physical contact to anchor the emotional resonance that kept River stable. Yuki worked at the primary console, her fingers dancing across holographic displays as data streamed in faster than any unenhanced human could process. And I stood at the center of it all, watching numbers that told a story I wished I couldn't read. "Pattern degradation is worse than I expected," I said, keeping my voice clinical. Emotions wouldn't help River now. Only precision would. "The core consciousness structure is stable, but the peripheral integration layers are fracturing. It's like... like a tree with healthy roots but dying branches." "Can you be less metaphorical?" Hikari asked, tension sharp in her voice.