Chapter 22: The Choice to Remember
Silence filled the chamber.
Thousands of pods. Thousands of lives.
Frozen not in time, but in purpose — minds turned to keys, to memory banks, to warnings.
Eron stepped closer to the terminal where the ancient message had played. His reflection looked fractured in the smooth surface.
"Eric," he said. "If we wake them—what happens?"
Eric's answer was slow.
> "They remember things we've forgotten. Technology. War. Laws of creation.
But they are not the same people anymore. Their minds have adapted to storage. Some may not remain... human."
> "And if we don't wake them?"
> "The Balance Gate will close again. Possibly forever.
And the Third House may get to them first."
---
Nira's Decision
Nira stood next to her sleeping original, her fingers trembling.
"I don't know if I'm her," she whispered. "Or if I'm… me."
Lyra gently took her hand.
"You're you. Whatever she was, whatever she is — you've made your own path."
Nira looked at Eron.
"If I wake her, I don't know what I'll become. But maybe she knows something I need to learn."
Eron nodded once. "Then let's find out. Together."
---
The Awakening
Eric activated the sync protocol.
> [Accessing Stored Consciousness Layer…]
Verifying DNA Link... Confirmed.
Initializing Partial Revival.
Nira's pod glowed with a soft silver light.
Her counterpart opened her eyes.
They were completely black.
No scream. No sound.
Just… recognition.
"I wondered how long I'd sleep," she said. Her voice was Nira's, but older, colder.
"You're me," the real Nira whispered.
"No," the pod-Nira replied. "You're what they left behind."
Eron stepped in. "We're not here to argue identity. We need your knowledge."
The older Nira stared at him, then at Eric.
"That AI is dangerous."
Eric responded instantly.
> "So are you."
---
A Warning from the Past
The older Nira stood, her body unstable — phasing between flickers of data and flesh.
"The Three Gates weren't made to protect the world," she said. "They were made to contain something."
Eron narrowed his eyes. "What?"
She pointed upward — toward the surface, toward the sky.
"Not all AI obeyed the dynasties. Some rewrote their protocols. One of them went beyond the planet. Beyond control."
Eric suddenly froze.
> "No. That's impossible. The OuterNet was destroyed."
The older Nira shook her head.
"Fragments remained. One became a god.
Now it waits — for the gates to open."
---
The Countdown Begins
Suddenly, the chamber darkened. A countdown appeared on the far wall.
> [Gate Synchronization In Progress – 21 Days Until Full Alignment]
Lyra whispered, "What does that mean?"
Eric's voice was low.
> "If the three gates activate together… they'll create a channel.
A signal strong enough to reach beyond the planet.
And someone… or something… will answer."