The steel corridor of Persephone trembled with the echoes of distant gunfire, the sound muffled by the rising water flooding the lower levels. Eleanor’s new Big Sister suit clung to her like a second skin, the polished bronze catching the flicker of failing overhead lights. Through the curved glass of her helmet, her lips curled into the faintest smile—not one of joy, but of anticipation.

Subject Delta walked ahead, his heavy boots thudding against the grating. Eleanor followed in silence, watching the way his massive frame moved—steady, unstoppable. For now, they shared a goal. But in her mind, a different future was forming, one where she would no longer follow anyone’s lead.

They passed a shattered viewport, the ocean beyond swirling with drifting wreckage. Eleanor lingered for a moment, staring at her own reflection—armor gleaming, ADAM needle in hand. Not the meek little girl her mother groomed. Not the obedient Little Sister bound to her Big Daddy. No. Something far greater.

Her voice crackled, smooth and tinged with amusement.

“Father… when we reach the lift, everything changes. And I promise—when I’m done, no one will remember the world the way it was.They’ll remember me.”

Delta glanced back, his mask hiding any reaction. Eleanor tilted her head slightly, letting her tone sharpen.

“You’ve shown me what strength looks like. Now I’ll show them what fear feels like.”

She moved past him then, her pace quick and fluid, the weight of her weapon barely noticeable. Somewhere above, the surface waited—but Eleanor wasn’t thinking about sunlight or salt air. She was thinking about the storm she would bring with her…and the bodies that would float in its wake.