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"Think about what you're doing, Venn," I said, trying to keep my voice calm despite the fear coursing through me. "You'll kill everyone in the building, including yourself."

"A small price to pay for progress," Venn spat. "The Promethean Collective will continue our work. This is just a minor setback."

Norn tensed, ready to make a move. But I put a hand on his arm, holding him back. We couldn't risk Venn activating that device.

"You're wrong, Venn," I said, taking a cautious step forward. "Your work, your data is gone. The EMP didn't just fry your download device. It wiped the servers clean."

Venn's eyes widened in shock and disbelief. "You're lying," he hissed.

I shook my head. "It was a failsafe we put in place after your first attack. In case of emergency, the system would purge itself rather than risk the data falling into the wrong hands. Everything you were trying to steal, everything you've worked for... it's all gone."

For a moment, Venn just stared at me, his face a mask of disbelief and growing horror. Then, with a howl of rage, he lunged at me, the detonator forgotten in his hand.

Norn moved to intercept him, but I was closer. I sidestepped Venn's wild rush, using his own momentum to send him stumbling past me. As he tried to regain his balance, I struck, my hand darting out to a specific point on his neck.

Venn's eyes rolled back in his head, and he collapsed to the roof, unconscious.

Norn looked at me in surprise. "What did you do?"

"Pressure point technique," I explained, my voice shaking slightly as the adrenaline wore off. "Learned it during my emergency medicine rotation. Safer than trying to physically restrain him."

I knelt beside Venn's prone form, carefully prying the detonator from his limp fingers. As I examined it, I felt a wave of relief wash over me. "It's a fake," I said, holding it up for Norn to see. "Just a repurposed remote control. There was never any neurotoxin."

Norn let out a long breath. "Quick thinking," he said, giving me an admiring look. "Both with the EMP and just now. You saved a lot of lives today."

I nodded, the full weight of what we'd just been through starting to settle on me. "We both did," I said softly.

The sound of approaching footsteps made us both turn. The security team burst onto the roof, weapons drawn. Behind them, I saw familiar faces: members of the medical board, government officials, even a few reporters who had somehow got past the lockdown.

As the security team moved to secure Venn, one of the board members approached us. "Dr. Imogen, Norn," she said, her voice tight with a mix of relief and concern. "We need a full report on what happened here. And... there are people who will want to speak with you both. Important people."

I exchanged a look with Norn. We both knew this was just the beginning. There would be questions to answer, investigations to take part in, maybe even charges to face for some lines we'd crossed in our pursuit of the truth.

But as I stood there on the roof, the cool night air washing over me, I felt a sense of peace settle over me. We'd done it. We'd stopped Venn, protected our research, and exposed a conspiracy that reached to the highest levels of multiple worlds.

As the first rays of dawn peeked over the horizon, I took Norn's hand in mine, squeezing it gently. He looked down at me, a small smile playing at the corners of his mouth.

"Ready for the next challenge, Doctor?" he asked softly.

I nodded, feeling a surge of determination. "Always," I replied.

The questions began almost immediately. "Dr. Imogen, can you explain what happened here tonight?" "Norn, what is your involvement in this incident?" "Is it true that Dr. Venn was working with a group called the Promethean Collective?"

I took a deep breath, preparing to answer, but Norn squeezed my hand, silently asking permission to speak first. I nodded, curious to hear what he would say.

"What happened here tonight," Norn began, his voice steady and clear, "was the culmination of months of investigation and sacrifice. Dr. Imogen and I uncovered a conspiracy that threatened not just this facility, but the very nature of free will for cyborgs across the galaxy."

A murmur ran through the crowd. I saw several reporters furiously taking notes.

"We took actions that some might question," Norn continued. "We broke rules, violated protocols. But we did so to protect something far more important than any regulation or law. We fought to protect the fundamental right of all beings - organic, cyborg, or somewhere in between - to choose their own path."

I felt a swell of pride as I listened to Norn speak. He had come so far from the angry, distrustful cyborg who had first arrived at our facility. Now, he stood tall and proud, a true leader.

"Dr. Imogen," one of the board members said, turning to me. "Is what Norn says true? Did you really uncover a conspiracy of this magnitude?"

I nodded, stepping forward. "We did," I confirmed. "Dr. Venn and his associates were planning to use our research to create technology that could control cyborgs against their will. They saw it as the next step in human evolution, but in reality, it was nothing short of enslavement."

The questions came rapid-fire after that. We spent the next hour explaining everything we had uncovered, from Venn's initial betrayal to the involvement of the mysterious Promethean Collective. We were careful to stick to the facts we could prove, aware that our every word would be scrutinized in the coming days and weeks.