Chapter Sixty Eight: The Choice
519 Words
Xavier’s POV
The moment he stepped into the lab, everything hit him at once — alarms blaring, red lights strobing, the metallic scent of sparks filling the air.
And then he saw them.
Two Milas. Both identical. Both alive. Both staring at him. One calm, one… different.
“Xavier,” the real Mila whispered, voice trembling but grounded, “I… I don’t know how much time we have.”
The other Mila tilted her head, eyes sharp, lips curling into a cold smile. “Hello,” she said, voice layered — almost overlapping with the real Mila’s tone, but sharper, colder. “He’s mine, not yours… and not hers.”
Xavier froze. Every instinct screamed danger. He could feel the unstable neural link thrumming in the air, pulsing like a heartbeat gone rogue. Sparks arced across consoles, smoke curling in the fluorescent light.
Mila’s eyes locked on his. “It’s the merge… the system is unstable. If it completes like this, one of us — or both of us — could be erased.”
The clone stepped forward, movements fluid and precise. “Why hesitate? Choose.”
Xavier’s chest tightened. How do you choose between two versions of the same person?
“Stop!” he shouted, hands trembling as he reached toward them. “I don’t care which one — just don’t hurt her!”
The clone laughed softly. “She is me. I am her. And you… you can’t save either if you’re indecisive.”
Sparks flew higher, one of the consoles exploded, and the floor shuddered beneath their feet. The real Mila staggered, grabbing Xavier’s arm.
> “Listen to me. Focus on me! Anchor yourself! Remember — I am me!”
He did. He looked into her eyes, the ones that had never changed — the real Mila’s eyes. The clone’s gaze narrowed. The lights flickered, panels beeped frantically, and the system started shutting down sections of the lab.
> The merge is accelerating!
Mila’s hands shot toward the nearest console. She yanked wires, tried to override the neural link, and the clone hissed, almost like an animal, resisting her efforts.
> “Xavier! Help me!”
He lunged, gripping a lever, ripping power lines apart. Sparks sprayed across the floor, a loud c***k echoing through the lab. The clone screamed — or was it a voice inside Mila’s head? — and stumbled backward.
Mila gasped, chest heaving. The red lights dimmed, alarms slowing, the pulse of the merge faltering.
For a moment, it seemed… still.
Xavier looked at her, voice hoarse. “Are you… okay?”
Mila shook her head slowly, but there was fire in her eyes. “Not completely… but I’m me.”
The clone’s shadow flickered near the edge of the lab — unstable, almost fading. But her presence lingered in the corner of Mila’s mind. This isn’t over, Mila felt the thought, not yet.
Xavier reached for her hand, and this time, there was no hesitation.
They weren’t out of danger. Not by a long shot. But for the first time, the battle of Mnemosyne’s minds had tipped in her favor.
- Writer
