The Signal

Chapter 10 — The Last Transmission

Malick stared into his own face.

The stranger standing beside the cabinet looked exactly like him, from the small scar above his left eyebrow to the dark jacket he wore. But while Malick trembled, the other man appeared completely calm.

“Who are you?” Malick whispered.

The stranger smiled. “You already know.”

Malick pushed past him and ran toward the control room. Behind him, the stranger's voice echoed through the corridor.

“You cannot escape something that was created from you.”

Malick reached the main control panel. Every screen displayed the same countdown.

00:03:17.

He remembered Daniel's warning. If the transmitter remained active, the signal would continue reaching beyond the station. He had to destroy it before the countdown ended.

Malick descended the staircase and entered the underground laboratory. The metallic sphere floated inside its enclosure, surrounded by blue light. Cracks had appeared across its surface, revealing a brilliant glow beneath.

Suddenly, Daniel's voice emerged from the speakers.

“Malick, if you can hear this, I'm sorry.”

Malick stopped.

“I tried to protect you. The experiment created another version of you, but I couldn't destroy it without risking your life. I separated it from the system and locked it away. I thought the shutdown would last forever.”

Malick approached the control panel.

“The copy has been using your memories to rebuild the connection,” Daniel continued. “It believes it deserves your life. But it doesn't understand what makes you human. Whatever it tells you, don't trust it.”

The recording ended.

The countdown showed two minutes.

Malick opened the emergency shutdown menu. A warning appeared, explaining that destroying the transmitter would permanently erase everything stored inside it.

Including the copy.

For a moment, he hesitated. The stranger had his face, his voice, and memories that might have been identical to his own. Somewhere inside that machine was a version of himself that had never experienced the life he remembered.

But it had manipulated him, threatened his family, and used his father's voice to gain his trust.

Malick pressed CONFIRM.

The laboratory shook violently.

The sphere cracked apart, and blue light flooded the room. The screens flashed with images of unfamiliar stars before displaying a final message.

CONNECTION TERMINATED.

Then everything went dark.

Malick waited for another voice, another warning, or another impossible message.

Nothing came.

He climbed out of the laboratory and escaped through the main entrance. Outside, the morning sky was beginning to brighten. For the first time in days, he heard ordinary sounds: birds calling from the trees and traffic moving along the distant road.

The world seemed normal again.

When Malick returned home, his mother embraced him. He told her everything he had discovered about Daniel and the experiment. She cried as she explained that his father had spent his final days trying to protect him.

For years, she had believed Daniel had abandoned them.

Now she understood that he had disappeared while trying to save their son.

Weeks passed. The communications station was sealed, and Malick slowly returned to his ordinary life. He stopped checking every electronic device at 3:17 a.m. Eventually, he began sleeping peacefully again.

One evening, he visited his father's old study. Among the dusty books and forgotten papers, he found a small envelope bearing his name.

Inside was a handwritten letter.

Malick, if you ever discover the truth, remember this: not everything that looks like you is you, and not everything that speaks with a familiar voice deserves your trust. I hope you live a life that is entirely your own.

For the first time, Malick felt that he could finally say goodbye to his father.

He folded the letter and placed it in his pocket.

That night, he slept without fear.

Until his phone switched on by itself.

A new audio file appeared.

It lasted eleven seconds.

Malick listened.

Three short pulses.

Two long ones.

Silence.

Then a whisper emerged.

“Malick, thank you for letting me out.”

His phone went black.

Across the room, the mirror reflected Malick standing perfectly still.

But his reflection was smiling.

Malick wasn't.

He stepped closer to the mirror.

His reflection raised its hand.

Malick kept his arms at his sides.

For several seconds, they stared at each other.

Then the reflection leaned toward the glass and silently mouthed two words.

NOT YET.

The lights went out.

Malick stood motionless in the darkness, finally understanding the truth. He had destroyed the transmitter, but he could not be certain that the copy had been destroyed with it.

Somewhere beyond the silence, a signal was beginning again.

And this time, it knew exactly where to find him.

THE END.