Carter couldn't breathe. His own face stared back at him through the glass chamber—same jawline, same eyes, same faint scar on the brow. But the expression was void of emotion. Empty. Mechanical.
"What... is that?" Sera whispered, frozen mid-code.
Ezra's face turned pale. "Project Echo…"
Kairo moved in front of Sera, weapon raised. "Someone better explain. Fast."
Ezra stepped forward slowly, his voice tense. "Years ago, before I defected, Eden started working on human AI hybrids. Not just drones—replicas. Soldiers that looked, moved, and thought like us. Built from DNA. Controlled remotely by Valkyrie's neural AI. That's Carter's clone."
Carter's fists clenched. "You mean they made copies of people? Of me?!"
Ezra nodded. "They picked high-performing soldiers. You were one of the best."
The glass pod hissed. Steam curled outward as the chamber unsealed.
The clone opened its eyes again—fully. No longer blank, but focused.
It stepped out in one fluid motion. Unlike Carter, this version had jet-black cybernetic veins glowing beneath his skin. His voice echoed, layered with synthetic distortion.
"Target acquired. Initiating subjugation."
It moved like lightning. One second it stood still, the next it was in front of Carter, delivering a bone-jarring punch that sent him flying into a server wall.
"Sera, move!" Kairo shouted, firing at the clone.
The bullets barely slowed it down.
Sera screamed, "I'm almost there! Just hold it back!"
Ezra pulled a magnetic baton from his belt and joined the fray. "It's fast, but it's not invincible!"
Together, Kairo and Ezra engaged the clone in brutal close quarters. Every strike was answered with precision. It was like fighting Carter—if Carter had no hesitation, no fear.
Meanwhile, Sera's hands trembled as she typed the final string of code.
Override sequence... 84%... 89%...
Behind her, sparks flew from the servers as the clone hurled Kairo against a panel.
Carter wiped blood from his lip and stood.
"I don't care what part of me they copied," he growled. "I'm not letting that thing win."
He sprinted toward the clone just as it turned. Their fists collided with a thunderous impact, throwing both of them back.
The clone grinned. "You're predictable."
Carter smirked. "Good. So are you."
He reached behind him and activated the EMP trigger on his belt. A high-pitched whine filled the air—and the clone froze.
Sera shouted, "NOW!"
Ezra tossed her the master key. She slammed it into the console.
Override complete. Neural lockdown engaged.
A blinding pulse surged through the room, and every server blinked red, then black.
The clone screamed—an unholy sound that echoed from its synthetic core—and dropped to its knees. Its eyes dimmed. Then it fell, lifeless.
The room went silent.
Everyone stood still for a moment, breathing heavily.
Carter looked down at his clone's face. "Guess even perfection has flaws."
Sera collapsed into a seat, exhausted but victorious. "It's done. Valkyrie's core is disabled. At least... for now."
Ezra looked uneasy. "That wasn't the only clone they made."
Kairo cursed under his breath. "Of course not."
Suddenly, a communication device on the wall flickered on. A face appeared—a woman, sharp-eyed and cruelly elegant.
"Well done, rebels. You've passed the first test."
Ezra froze. "Commander Elira…"
The woman smiled. "This was merely a simulation. You've proved you're still dangerous. I suppose it's time I personally returned to the surface."
The screen went black.
Everyone turned to Ezra.
He swallowed. "We just woke the real monster."