CHAPTER 12
1262 Words
DELYN
Delyn opened his eyes.
The first thing he saw was white.
Not the soft white of a hospital room.
A harsh, artificial white.
He tried to move.
His arms wouldn't respond.
Neither would his legs.
A thin band of light surrounded his wrist.
Then a voice spoke.
SUBJECT DELYN TENDO.
WELCOME BACK.
Delyn swallowed.
“Where am I?”
No answer.
He tried again.
“Where is my sister?”
The room remained silent.
Then a screen appeared above him.
MARA TENDO — STATUS: ACTIVE
Delyn stared at the name.
“Mara?”
A second line appeared.
EMOTIONAL CONNECTION: EXTREME
Delyn frowned.
“What does that mean?”
The voice returned.
YOUR CONNECTION TO MARA HAS BEEN IDENTIFIED AS A PRIMARY VARIABLE.
Delyn's breathing quickened.
“What have you done to her?”
NOTHING.
“Then let me go.”
REQUEST DENIED.
Delyn pulled against the restraints.
“Let me go!”
The lights flickered.
A door opened.
A woman walked into the room.
Delyn recognized her immediately.
His mother.
Sarah.
He stopped breathing.
“Mum?”
She smiled.
“Hello, Delyn.”
His eyes filled with tears.
“You're dead.”
“I know.”
He shook his head.
“No.”
She walked closer.
“You've missed me.”
Delyn stared at her.
“You're not real.”
Sarah smiled.
“Neither is the room you're in.”
Delyn froze.
“What?”
She pointed toward the walls.
“Everything you see is a simulation.”
He looked around.
The room began to distort.
The white walls dissolved.
The restraints disappeared.
He was suddenly standing in the living room of his childhood home.
His mother stood beside the window.
Everything looked exactly as he remembered.
Except one thing.
His sister wasn't there.
“Where's Mara?”
Sarah looked at him.
“That is the question they want you to answer.”
Across the facility, Mara felt something happen.
She didn't know what.
She simply knew.
Her chest tightened.
“Delyn.”
Chris looked at her.
“What?”
“My brother.”
“How do you know he's alive?”
“I don't.”
She closed her eyes.
“But something changed.”
Alan looked at the terminal.
“Wait.”
A single signal appeared.
EXTERNAL SUBJECT RESPONSE DETECTED.
Alan's face changed.
“That's him.”
Mara rushed toward the screen.
“Can you locate him?”
The system displayed:
LOCATION: RESTRICTED
Alan began typing.
“I can trace the signal.”
Chris looked over his shoulder.
“Can you?”
“Give me a minute.”
Mara stood beside him.
For several seconds, the only sound was Alan's fingers striking the keyboard.
Then—
ACCESS DENIED.
Alan swore under his breath.
“Try again.”
“I am.”
The screen flashed.
ACCESS DENIED.
Again.
ACCESS DENIED.
Mara suddenly noticed something.
“Wait.”
She pointed.
“What's that?”
A tiny symbol had appeared in the corner.
Alan stared.
His expression changed.
“That's not security.”
“What is it?”
“It's a message.”
He enlarged it.
Four words appeared.
HE IS WAITING FOR YOU.
Mara's heart stopped.
“Delyn?”
The message disappeared.
Then another appeared.
FOLLOW THE MEMORY.
Delyn walked through the childhood house.
His mother followed silently.
“Mum,” he said, “why am I here?”
She didn't answer.
He entered the kitchen.
His old school bag was on the floor.
His mother's favorite cup sat on the table.
A photograph hung on the wall.
Mara.
Delyn.
Their parents.
He reached for it.
The image changed.
His father disappeared.
Then his mother.
Only Mara remained.
The photograph became a video.
Mara at twelve.
Writing in her notebook.
Delyn watched his younger sister carefully.
She looked happy.
Then the video changed.
Mara crying.
Another change.
Mara leaving the house.
Another.
Mara boarding the government bus.
Delyn stepped backward.
“No.”
The voice spoke again.
YOUR SISTER HAS ALWAYS RESISTED CONTROL.
Delyn turned.
“Why are you showing me this?”
BECAUSE YOU ARE THE VARIABLE SHE CANNOT IGNORE.
“What do you want from me?”
Silence.
Then:
WE WANT YOU TO MAKE HER CHOOSE.
Delyn's face hardened.
“Choose what?”
Three doors appeared in front of him.
HER BROTHER
HER LOVE
HER FREEDOM
Delyn stared at them.
Then he laughed.
“You still don't understand her.”
The system paused.
Delyn walked toward the doors.
“My sister doesn't choose between people.”
He touched the wall.
“She chooses for herself.”
The simulation trembled.
The doors disappeared.
For the first time, the system sounded uncertain.
RESPONSE NOT RECOGNIZED.
Delyn smiled.
“Good.”
Back inside the Core, the same words appeared.
RESPONSE NOT RECOGNIZED.
Mara stared at the screen.
“What happened?”
Alan looked at her.
“Your brother.”
Chris stepped closer.
“What did he do?”
Alan shook his head.
“He resisted the test.”
Mara smiled through tears.
“That sounds like Delyn.”
Then the entire map changed.
One location began glowing.
The coordinates appeared.
Alan read them.
“It's outside the country.”
Chris frowned.
“Where?”
Alan zoomed in.
“There's an underground facility there.”
Mara looked at him.
“Can we reach it?”
“Not directly.”
“Why?”
“Because the system has locked every official route.”
Chris looked at the map.
“Then we'll find another.”
Alan hesitated.
“There is one.”
“Where?”
“The old transport tunnel.”
Mara waited.
“It was built before the facility became operational.”
“Where does it lead?”
Alan looked at her.
“Straight to the master facility.”
Mara picked up her notebook.
“Then that's where we're going.”
Chris smiled faintly.
“I was hoping you'd say that.”
Alan looked at both of them.
“You understand what happens if we go?”
Mara nodded.
“They'll come after us.”
“Yes.”
“They'll try to stop us.”
“Yes.”
“And if we reach Delyn?”
Alan's expression darkened.
“That may be the most dangerous part.”
Mara frowned.
“Why?”
Alan pointed at the screen.
A new file had appeared.
DELYN TENDO
PRIMARY FUNCTION: EMOTIONAL ANCHOR
CLASSIFICATION: LEVEL ZERO
Mara stared.
“What is Level Zero?”
Alan didn't answer immediately.
Then he said:
“It means he's not a participant.”
Chris looked at him.
“Then what is he?”
Alan looked directly at Mara.
“He's part of the system.”
Mara's face went pale.
The screen changed again.
DELYN TENDO — ORIGINAL SUBJECT
PROJECT INITIATION: 16 YEARS AGO
Mara stopped breathing.
Sixteen years.
The exact year her parents separated.
The exact year she began writing about love.
The exact year everything changed.
She whispered:
“They didn't start with me.”
Alan shook his head.
“No.”
Chris looked at the screen.
“They started with your brother.”
Mara closed her notebook.
“Then we're going to find out why.”
Far away, Delyn opened his eyes again.
This time, there was no simulation.
He was lying inside a dark chamber.
A voice whispered beside him:
YOUR SISTER IS COMING.
Delyn smiled.
“I know.”
The voice continued.
AND WHEN SHE ARRIVES, YOU WILL HAVE TO CHOOSE.
Delyn looked into the darkness.
“No.”
He whispered.
“She will.”
A light appeared above him.
And beneath it, a final message:
PHASE TWO: FAMILY.
BEGIN.
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