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 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...