The shrill alarm shattered the silence, dragging Ian Blake from unconsciousness.
His eyes snapped open, but the familiar ceiling was gone. Instead, cracked concrete stretched above him, stained with rust.
A faint green light filtered through translucent walls enclosing him in a transparent pod.
Viscous liquid drained slowly beneath, leaving a slick trail on the cold floor.
Ian's skin prickled, droplets clinging as he struggled to focus. His muscles felt numb. Panic crept in.
Where was he?
The pod hissed as a panel slid open, releasing the last of the liquid. Ian staggered out, feet cold against the floor.
Rows of identical pods stood like tombstones, some shattered, others still holding lifeless versions of himself.
A mechanical voice echoed.
["You have entered Attempt 2. Begin recalibration."]
Ian's heart thundered. "Attempt 2?" The memory of his first death was hazy. Now, this—another chance? Or a cruel twist?
His phone vibrated, lighting up with a cryptic message.
["Only the dead understand this world. Welcome back, Ian Blake."]
[Memory Fragment Collected: 2/99]
Ian's throat tightened. This was no dream. Too real.
The steel door hissed open, revealing a control room. Through glass, Ian saw Marcus—his closest friend—in a white coat, surrounded by masked technicians.
Marcus gestured at a glowing holographic brain. Beneath it, a label blinked: SUBJECT 12 – BLAKE, I.
Ian's pulse quickened. He was a subject. An experiment.
["You are not a guest. You are the experiment."]
[Hint Unlocked: Ask Marcus about Lena.]
Ian's voice trembled, "Marcus… what's happening?"
Marcus sighed. "You're on your sixteenth reset. Your mind can only hold fragments."
Ian frowned. "The system said this was my second."
"It shows only what you're ready to see. It hides the rest."
Ian asked, "What happened to Lena?"
Marcus's face darkened. "She discovered too much. Tried to break the cycle. She paid the price."
Ian's heart pounded. "Is she trapped too?"
"Her sacrifice started this nightmare."
Alarms blared. Red lights flashed.
[INTRUSION DETECTED. MEMORY STABILITY COMPROMISED.]
Marcus grabbed a tablet. "Run. The system will erase you if it finds you."
He opened a hidden panel revealing a tunnel.
"Find the spiral. Always the spiral."
Guards approached. "Go!"
Ian sprinted into the tunnel, lungs burning.
The corridor twisted, lit by flickering violet lights. He reached a circular chamber bathed in purple light.
A swirling portal hummed, a glowing spiral pulsed beside it.
His phone buzzed.
["You are still at the beginning."]
[Fragments Acquired: 2 of 99.]
[Keep moving.]
[Truth is not kind. But it is yours.]
Ian inhaled and stepped into the portal.
* * *
Colors and sounds blurred until Ian landed on a cracked street beneath a gray sky.
The city smelled of rain and rusted metal. Neon signs flickered erratically on cracked pavement.
The city was dystopian, twisted, unfamiliar.
Ian's phone buzzed.
["Attempt 2. Memory Fragment Acquired: 3/99."]
[Explore. Learn. Survive.]
A voice whispered behind him.
"Ian."
He spun. A woman stepped from shadows—dark hair, sharp features, piercing silver eyes.
"Who are you?" Ian asked warily.
"My name is Lena," she said softly.
Ian froze. "Lena? But… you're dead."
"Not here. Not yet. Every world holds a fragment of who we were."
"Why are you here?" he asked desperately.
"To help you. To remember." She touched his arm lightly. "The truth is dangerous."
Gunfire echoed. "Run!" Lena urged.
Ian darted through alleys as pursuers closed in. His phone buzzed.
["Warning: Memory Fragment Instability."]
["Collect fragments carefully. Too many losses will erase you."]
Ian turned a corner and collided with Marcus.
"Marcus!" he gasped.
Marcus grabbed his arm. "You need to get to the Archive. It holds pieces of the system's code."
"Where?"
"North, beneath the old subway station. But be careful—the system watches."
Ian nodded. Marcus vanished into the crowd.
* * *
Hours passed. The weight of unseen eyes pressed on Ian as he reached the subway entrance, gates rusted.
A faint glow pulsed from below.
His phone buzzed.
["Memory Fragment Acquired: 4/99."]
["Warning: Increased system activity detected."]
Ian descended into darkness.
* * *
The tunnels echoed, graffiti marked walls—spirals intertwined with runes.
A blue light pulsed ahead.
Ian approached. A hologram flickered, showing shifting code.
["Access denied."]
["Security protocols active."]
Ian pulled a data scrambler from his pocket and activated it. Lights flickered, code scrambled.
Among the data, a name flashed repeatedly:
"LENA BLAKE."
Ian's breath caught.
["Data fragment located."]
["Decrypt to proceed."]
Ian unlocked the data. Images of Lena's past appeared—her laughter, determination, secret meetings.
["Memory Fragment Acquired: 5/99."]
["Warning: System instability rising."]
The tunnel shook violently. Alarms blared.
["System lockdown imminent."]
Ian ran, dodging guards. He burst into night air, gasping.
His phone vibrated.
["You survived. Keep going."]
["99 attempts. 99 fragments. One truth."]
Ian looked up at the stormy sky. The journey had only begun.