Ward Tower had once been a monument — fifty stories of glass and steel, rising like a blade into the city's skyline.Now, half of it was sealed off by government order, "under renovation," though everyone knew it was something else.Something no one wanted to name.
Adrian pulled his hood tighter as he approached the maintenance entrance, the rain falling harder, blurring the neon lights of the surrounding blocks.Behind him, Elena adjusted her earpiece."You're sure this is the right place?"
He nodded. "The coordinates Marcus sent point here. Sublevel Twelve — something called the Mirror Node."
She frowned. "You realize Ward Tower's security isn't just human. My father built hybrid sentries after the first data leak."
Adrian smirked. "Then it's a good thing your father's encryption key was hidden in your neural code."
He pressed the stolen access chip to the scanner. The door hissed open with a low mechanical growl.Cold, recycled air poured out — sharp with the smell of metal and ozone.
[Inside Ward Tower – Sublevel Access Tunnel]
The corridor stretched endlessly, lined with blinking security nodes.Adrian moved silently, his boots splashing through shallow puddles.Elena followed behind, her expression focused — though beneath it, guilt and memories still lingered.
She spoke quietly. "I keep thinking about what we saw in the neural dive. The pods. The children. What if Marcus was right?"
Adrian's voice was steady. "He's alive. That's all that matters right now."
"Alive," she echoed bitterly. "Or rebuilt."
Before he could reply, a low hum filled the air — the tunnel's lights flickered.Something moved in the darkness ahead.
"Stop," Adrian whispered, pulling her back.
Out of the shadows stepped a figure — tall, armored, its face hidden beneath a glass visor.A sentry unit, one of the Ward Corporation's prototypes.The logo on its chest was old — the same design used in the Nadir project.
It raised its weapon.
Adrian reacted instantly — he slammed his palm into the access panel beside them, flooding the corridor with a burst of electrical discharge.The sentry convulsed, sparks flying, before collapsing to the ground.
Elena stared at the smoking husk. "That was… a little loud."
He smirked. "They'll know we're here now anyway."
[Sublevel Twelve – The Mirror Node]
The elevator descended with a mechanical hum that felt like it went on forever.The deeper they went, the colder the air became, until condensation formed on the walls.
When the doors opened, a vast chamber lay before them — circular, filled with rows of dormant servers, glowing faintly blue.
And in the center, a column of light stretched from floor to ceiling — liquid glass, swirling with reflections that shifted and changed.Faces.Hundreds of faces.
Elena whispered, "My God…"
Adrian stepped forward, mesmerized. "This is it. The Mirror Node."
The light shimmered, and suddenly a voice echoed through the chamber — calm, almost familiar.
"You found it."
Adrian spun around.
Marcus Hale stood in the doorway — or what used to be Marcus Hale.His eyes glowed faintly, his skin too pale, veins traced with faint blue circuitry beneath the surface.He smiled, but it didn't reach his eyes.
"Marcus…" Adrian said, disbelief thick in his voice. "You're alive."
Marcus tilted his head. "Alive. Reconstructed. Does it matter which?"
Elena stepped forward cautiously. "How are you here?"
He looked at her — and for a moment, there was something almost human in his expression."When the lab exploded, my consciousness was uploaded into the Core. It rebuilt me piece by piece — my memories, my body, my purpose."
"And what is that purpose?" Adrian asked.
Marcus's gaze flicked to the Mirror Node. "To complete what your father started."
Adrian's heart pounded. "Nadir."
Marcus nodded. "He was trying to merge human memory with synthetic immortality. But he failed because he feared what it would cost. I don't."
He stepped closer, his voice lowering. "You and I were supposed to lead the next phase, Adrian. You were the key. But you died before it could begin."
Adrian's fists clenched. "You think I'll help you finish it?"
Marcus smiled faintly. "You already are. The Core reactivated when your neural signature went live. You woke it."
Elena moved in front of Adrian, defiant. "Then shut it down."
Marcus looked at her — almost pitying."You can't shut down something that remembers its own death."
He raised his hand, and the light from the Mirror Node rippled. The reflections shifted — now showing Adrian's face, multiplied infinitely, each one slightly different.
Adrian stared in horror. "What is this?"
Marcus's voice echoed:
"Every version of you that ever existed — every iteration the Core simulated after you died."
Elena's eyes widened. "He's been cloning you digitally…"
Marcus nodded. "Not cloning. Preserving."
The lights pulsed faster. The reflections began to move — stepping forward from the liquid light, one by one.
Elena whispered, "Adrian—"
He took a step back, gun in hand. "Marcus, stop this!"
Marcus smiled faintly. "It's too late. Echo Protocol is no longer waiting for permission."
The reflections turned their heads in unison — all looking directly at him.
And then they spoke, in perfect unison:
"Welcome back, Adrian Vance."
[Above Ground – Ward Tower Perimeter]
Lydia watched from her car, the storm pounding the windshield.She adjusted her comms receiver, static filling her headset. "Adrian? Do you copy?"
Nothing.
Just a burst of interference… and then, faintly:
"They're not copies…"
Her eyes widened. "Adrian? Say again?"
"They're replacements."
Then silence.
The storm swallowed the signal whole.