Location; Silverbridge Estate – Nora's Research Lab, Late Night
Nora leaned over a glowing digital table, multiple layers of DNA sequencing spinning in holographic loops above it. Lines of genetic data compared Caelum's blood against older archives from Phase Wing's underground files.
She muttered under her breath, eyes narrowing. "No… this can't be a coincidence."
Damien stepped in, holding a warm mug of cocoa and placing it beside her. "Still at it?"
She looked up briefly, grateful. "There's something strange about Caelum's DNA. It's not just enhanced—it's... mirrored."
"Mirrored?" Damien raised an eyebrow.
"Someone else has nearly identical markers," she explained, tapping on two profiles that rotated side by side. "One of them… is my father."
Damien's face darkened. "Are you saying your father was involved in Phase Wing?"
She hesitated, lips pressed tightly together. "Not just involved. He may have helped create Caelum."
---
Location: Silverbridge Estate – Guest Quarters
Caelum lay on the bed, eyes open, unblinking. The room was dark, but he wasn't sleeping. Visions haunted the edge of his mind—flashes of blood, of steel tables, and cold hands pressing against his chest.
He sat up abruptly, his breathing shallow. Something was changing inside him. Each day he felt stronger… but also stranger.
His gaze landed on a photograph Nora had given him earlier—a family picture from years ago. Her father stood proudly beside a teenage Nora. Behind the man's smile… Caelum saw something else. A glint. Recognition.
"Why do I know your face?" he whispered to the photo.
Then came the voice.
Low. Whispering. From within.
"Because you were never meant to be just one…"
Caelum shot up from the bed, backing against the wall. "Who said that?!"
Silence.
Then… a knock.
He stiffened, cautiously opening the door to find Damien on the other side.
"You okay?" Damien asked, eyeing the sweat glistening on his brow.
"I think someone's inside me," Caelum whispered. "Not just metaphorically. I heard them."
Damien exchanged a glance with the hallway camera. "You need to come with me. Now."
---
Location: Estate Archives – Hidden Vault
The massive door hissed open, revealing a chamber Nora rarely visited. Old files, classified memory drives, and physical records lined the walls. Damien guided Caelum inside, scanning the documents quickly before pulling out a dusty case.
"Your father stored this here?" Caelum asked, watching Damien input codes.
"No," Damien said grimly. "My mother did. She knew something about this project but died before she could explain."
The case clicked open, revealing files labeled:
PROJECT GEMINI: PRIMARY SUBJECTS – 01A, 01B
Status: One active. One lost.
Nora entered moments later, lab coat still fluttering behind her.
"I found it," she said breathlessly, holding up a data drive. "They weren't building a super soldier."
She inserted it into the central terminal.
"They were trying to split something—one identity into two bodies. They called it the Gemini Divergence."
She turned to Caelum. "You're not alone in your body. There's a twin consciousness hidden in your neural core."
Caelum backed away. "That voice…"
"It wasn't an echo," Nora confirmed. "It was… your brother. Or what's left of him."
---
Location: Tavara – Underground Bunker, Unknown Coordinates
Dark liquid oozed through a chamber lined with bio-pods. One among them began to pulse. A technician approached the console and smiled.
"Phase Three. Subject 01B is stabilizing."
The High Seer appeared on the projection screen. "How soon until integration?"
"Within seventy-two hours, the secondary consciousness will fully awaken. The merge will begin… and we'll have a perfect weapon."
"Excellent," she said coldly. "Prepare Tavara's capital for a demonstration. Let them see what true obedience looks like."
The technician bowed. "Yes, High Seer."
Behind him, the bio-pod hissed. Inside, a figure floated—identical in appearance to Caelum.
But its eyes were hollow.
---
Location: Silverbridge Estate – Garden Balcony
Nora stood alone under the stars, her hands gripped the cold rail. Damien joined her moments later, wrapping his arms around her.
"He has a brother, Damien," she said softly. "And if what these files say is true… his brother is being reactivated."
Damien nodded slowly. "Which means whoever did this is planning to use him as a weapon. Against us."
She leaned her head against him. "We need to prepare."
"For what?" he asked.
"For war."