"System reboot complete. Subject 09 is active again."
White light penetrated his vision. The sound of machine beeps echoed throughout the underground laboratory room. The man was awake on a metal bed, his skin wet with sweat, and his right hand was shaking as if he had just been touched by an electric current.
He didn't know who he was.
Only one word kept repeating in his head,
"Zero".
"Where am I…?" his voice was hoarse, drowned in the humming sound of the machine.
The holographic screen in front of him displayed the face of a silver-haired woman, her eyes ice blue, her voice calm but cold.
"Welcome back to the world, Zero. You died seven years ago. But we need you again."
Before he could ask, the laboratory wall exploded. Blue neon explosions lit up, glass shards flew into the air. Armed forces in black masks stormed in.
"Target detected! Kill him before he fully activates!"
Zero continued to react instinctively even though he didn't remember who he was, his body moving like a trained machine. He snatched the gun from one of the attackers, spun around, and fired a shot straight at the head. One, two, three fell.
The bullets collided with an electric spark; the bullets were not metal but data chips, designed to erase human digital memories. In today's world, every brain is connected to a cyber neural network.
"ORION still rules this world?"
"Yes", said the woman's voice over his communication system. "And you are the only one they cannot erase".
Zero kicked the iron door open, running out onto the high balcony. Below was the city of Neo-Singapore, a sea of neon lights, floating planes, and spy drones patrolling the night sky. Acid rain fell slowly, coating his black jacket.
He looked at his shiny right hand, it was no ordinary human hand.
Faint writing appeared on his arm: PROJECT: OBLIVION.
"Who am I really…?"
"The last person who can end this system", replied the woman's voice. "But if you fail, the world will be erased in 72 hours".
Suddenly, a killer drone appeared from the sky and fired a mini-rocket. A loud explosion shook the building. Zero was thrown from the 89th floor. In that fall, time seemed to slow down. He saw lightning in the sky, staring at the face of an enemy he didn't recognize. On the drone's screen was a man whose face... was the same as his own.
"Impossible..." he whispered before crashing into the neon sea below.