Prototype 13

Chapter Twelve: The Call to Action The blaring siren jolted me awake, tearing me from Zack’s memories. My heart pounded as I sat up, disoriented and unsure of where I was. The vivid images of Zack’s final moments lingered in my mind, but there was no time to process them. The siren’s wail grew louder, its urgency impossible to ignore. A voice crackled over the intercom. "All personnel report to your designated stations immediately. Core instability detected in Sector 5. Repeat: core instability detected." Before I could fully comprehend what was happening, the door to my room slid open, and Lena burst in, her face pale but determined. “Get up,” she said sharply. “We’ve got to go.” “What’s going on?” I asked, still struggling to shake off the remnants of the dream. “The core,” she said, grabbing my arm and pulling me to my feet. “It’s been unstable for a long time, but something’s triggered a critical failure. We need to fix it before the whole sector collapses.” Her wo...

Chapter Eleven: Zack’s Memories The alcove was silent except for the faint hum of machinery in the distance. I sat with my knees pulled to my chest, trying to make sense of everything Lena and the Overseer had told me. Zack’s sacrifice. My supposed purpose. It all felt impossibly heavy, like a weight I couldn’t escape. The quiet was broken by a strange sensation in my mind—a flicker of light, followed by a sharp, static hum. I winced, clutching my head as the sensation grew stronger. It wasn’t pain, exactly, but something foreign, something… opening. Images flooded my mind, unbidden and vivid. I wasn’t in the alcove anymore. I was walking down a busy street toward a building that seemed to loom over the rest of the town. Its sleek, corporate design was identical to those I’d seen in old footage—every town had one, built and maintained by the corporation. It served as a hub, selling tech, dispensing drugs, and connecting directly to their health system. Everyone relied on it, whether...

Chapter Ten: Isolation The hum of the chamber still resonated in my ears as we stepped out of the main meeting room. The Overseer’s piercing words and Dr. Egan’s clinical tone churned in my mind like an endless echo. Each step felt heavier than the last as Lena guided me back toward the bustling walkways. The vibrant world around us, once awe-inspiring, now felt like a blur—a dream I wasn’t part of. Every smile, every laugh, every purposeful movement seemed distant, as though I were watching it all through a screen. “We need to talk,” Lena said, her voice steady but tinged with concern. I didn’t answer right away, my thoughts too tangled to respond. My mind kept circling back to Zack—his life, his choice. “Come on,” she said, tugging lightly on my arm. “Let’s find somewhere quiet.” She led me down a side corridor, away from the crowds and noise. The walls here were lined with panels displaying maps and readouts, their faint glow barely illuminating Lena’s face. The air felt colder here...

Chapter Nine: Meeting the Leaders The warm, earthy air filled my lungs as we walked through the maze of corridors. Every turn revealed something new, something incredible. People waved as we passed, smiling warmly. Children ran by, laughing and carrying small toys, their joy echoing through the space. It was hard to reconcile the warmth of this place with the sterile, cold world I had come from. “We’re stopping by my parents’ place first,” the girl said, glancing back at me. “They’ll want to say hello.” I nodded, still trying to absorb everything I had seen. “You haven’t told me your name,” I said, realizing the oversight. She smiled. “Lena,” she said simply. “And you?” The question made me falter. For a moment, I wasn’t sure how to answer. “I… don’t really know,” I admitted, the uncertainty hanging in the air. Her smile faded slightly but only for a moment. “We’ll figure that out,” she said, her voice reassuring. We stopped outside a small home nestled into the side of the cavern wall...

Chapter Eight: A World Beneath I woke up gasping for air, my heart racing as my eyes darted around the dimly lit room. For a moment, I couldn’t place where I was. The walls were smooth and metallic, the lighting soft and warm but unfamiliar. Memories of the countdown, the strange watch, and the unsettling dream clawed at my mind, each one more vivid than the last. “Hey, hey… it’s okay.” A soft, melodic voice cut through my panic, anchoring me to the present. I turned quickly, my chest still heaving. A girl stood beside the bed, her figure bathed in the warm glow of a light strip running along the ceiling. She was young, maybe a few years older than me, with striking green eyes and long, dark hair tied back in a loose braid. Her expression was calm and soothing, a faint smile playing on her lips. “You’re safe,” she said. “Take a deep breath.” I tried to follow her advice, inhaling shakily. It helped, a little. The room’s warmth and the girl’s steady tone dulled the sharp edges of my fea...

Chapter Seven: The Birthday I woke up fast, my heart pounding. The warm sunlight streamed through my window, chasing away the memory of a strange dream. My room looked normal—posters on the walls, my old game console blinking on the dresser. It smelled like vanilla candles and home. Was it just a dream? The weird lab, the pain, the cold air—it had all felt real. But now it was gone. I sat up slowly, my blanket sliding off me. Everything felt calm and familiar. I could hear my mom downstairs, the clatter of pots and pans echoing softly. The whole house hummed with life. “Zack!” Mom called out. Her voice was cheerful and loud. “Come on, you don’t want to be late for your big day!” My big day? For a second, I was confused. Then I remembered: my birthday. My 13th birthday! I jumped out of bed, the soft carpet cool under my feet. Today had to be perfect. My friends were coming over, and so was Mia. Mia. Just thinking about her made my stomach twist. She was in my science class, and we’d wor...

Chapter Six: New Reality The walls hummed faintly, the sound barely audible over my own heartbeat. I sat in a stark, metallic room, the drone’s beam now a memory that lingered like a distant echo, though it was hard to forget that feeling. The air was cool and sterile, carrying a faint chemical tang that reminded me of the place I had just escaped. Only this place was different. It felt less clinical and more deliberate, like it had a purpose—an office for someone, perhaps. My thoughts were interrupted as a single door slid open with a hiss, and a figure stepped through. They wore a full hazmat suit, the thick material crinkling softly with each step. The faceplate was opaque, hiding their features entirely. They didn’t speak. Instead, they carried a small metal case in one hand, its surface gleaming under the harsh lights. I straightened instinctively, the unease in my chest sharpening into fear, but there was nowhere to go. The figure approached silently, setting the case down on a n...

Chapter Five: Into the Wild The forest stretched endlessly before me, a vast sea of shadows and towering trees. The moon hung low in the sky, its pale light filtering through the dense canopy and casting fractured patterns on the ground. The cool night air carried the faint scent of pine and damp earth, a stark contrast to the sterile, metallic atmosphere of the facility. For the first time, I felt the world—raw, untamed, and alive. I clutched the device Dr. Kane had given me, its soft blue glow faint against the darkness. It pointed me forward, deeper into the woods, but every step felt like a gamble. My bare feet pressed into the cold soil, and twigs snapped underfoot, each sound amplified in the stillness. My heart raced, every shadow and rustling leaf setting my nerves on edge. I didn’t know where I was going, only that I couldn’t stop. The alarms, the gunfire, the chaos—it all felt like a distant memory, yet its urgency clung to me like a second skin. The people who had breached t...

Chapter Four: Unforeseen Crisis The day started like any other, with the steady hum of the facility’s systems and the low murmur of voices echoing down the sterile corridors. I was in the observation room, running through another simulation designed to test my reflexes. Virtual enemies appeared on the screen in front of me, and I dispatched them with calculated efficiency. The numbers on the monitor climbed steadily, a testament to my progress. Dr. Kane watched from the corner of the room, her arms folded and her expression unreadable. The man in the suit was absent for once, and the lack of his cold presence felt almost like a reprieve. “Your response times have improved,” Dr. Kane said, her voice breaking the silence. “Faster than expected. You’re adapting well, 13.” I didn’t answer. The simulations felt empty, a mechanical exercise that did nothing to ease the questions swirling in my mind. Who had this body belonged to? What was I really meant to become? Before I could dwell on it,...

Chapter Three: Fractured Truths The hum of the orientation chamber still lingered in my ears as I followed Dr. Kane and the man in the suit down yet another endless corridor. The light seemed brighter here, sharper, as though the walls themselves were watching. My head throbbed faintly, filled with fragments of images and words that didn’t belong to me. Knowledge had been poured into my mind, but it felt like a puzzle dumped out of its box—disjointed and incomplete. Dr. Kane slowed her pace, glancing over her shoulder at me. “How are you feeling, 13?” she asked, her voice carefully neutral. I hesitated, unsure how to answer. “Different. Like… there’s more inside my head now. But it doesn’t all make sense.” She nodded, as if this was expected. “That’s normal. The learning modules introduce concepts gradually. Over time, it will feel more natural.” The man in the suit didn’t react, his long strides carrying him ahead of us. He’d barely spoken to me since I’d woken up, yet his presence lo...

Chapter Two: Orientation The hallway stretched endlessly in both directions, a sterile tunnel of white walls and soft, humming lights. Each step I took felt tentative, my bare feet padding against the cool floor. Dr. Kane walked beside me, her clipboard tucked under one arm, her other hand hovering near my shoulder as though I might fall at any moment. Behind us, the man in the suit followed in silence, his presence a shadow that loomed over every word, every breath. “You’re doing great, 13,” Dr. Kane said, her voice warm and encouraging. “I know this must feel overwhelming, but you’re adapting faster than we expected.” I wasn’t sure what “adapting” meant. Every sensation, every movement felt both alien and familiar at once. My legs carried me forward without hesitation, yet the rhythm of walking seemed like something I had only watched, never done. The air was crisp and faintly metallic, the lights above casting my shadow in sharp relief. “Where are we going?” I asked, glancing up at ...

  The first thing I remember is the sound of humming—a soft, electric rhythm vibrating through the air. It wasn’t a sound I could place, but it felt familiar, as though it had been there all along, waiting for me to notice. My eyes opened slowly, and the world around me snapped into focus, sharp and pristine like the surface of a polished mirror. White light flooded the room. Everything was clean, sterile. The walls, the floor, even the air felt clinical, as if life itself had been scrubbed away. I was lying on a table, my arms and legs strapped down. The restraints weren’t tight, but their presence was unsettling. My hands flexed instinctively, and I marveled at how real it felt—the slight resistance of tendons, the texture of my skin, the subtle crackle of movement in my joints. “He’s online,” a voice said, pulling me out of my thoughts. It was a woman’s voice, calm and measured but tinged with something—relief? Pride? I turned my head toward the sound, though the motion felt un...