I never thought I'd be noticed-let alone his. One moment, I stood among the crowd, my fate a dark pit. Next, the cavernous hall froze, Zypherians and humans alike holding their breath as he emerged from the shadows: the Admiral, golden eyes burning, moving with fatal purpose. He didn't stop at protocol. He didn't stop at the fear in my chest. The Matrix itself shuddered, surrendering to a new law. In that instant, I was no one. I was someone. And I was his, forced to accept a destiny I can neither refuse nor understand. I should have run. Instead, I stood-caught between terror and the quiet, impossible pull of the one monster who had unmade the rules, just to choose me.