The girl in the chamber stepped forward, fluid and confident—too perfect.
Too Arden.
But the moment she smiled, Rhea knew it wasn't her.
Not the man she once trusted.
Not the one who'd shattered her.
This was worse.
"Rhea Lin," the clone said, tilting her head. "You survived longer than predicted."
Lucien stepped between them, gun raised. "Don't talk like you know her."
But the clone's icy eyes landed on him—and softened.
"Lucien Hale. Alpha subject. You were meant to lead with me. Not... her."
Something cold twisted in Rhea's chest.
"She knows you," Rhea whispered.
Lucien didn't respond fast enough.
The clone continued, "You were part of Phase Zero, before the resets began. The first connection. The first failure. That's why he left you out."
Rhea turned to Lucien slowly. "What is she talking about?"
He clenched his jaw. "It was a memory I traded. Before I met you. I didn't think it mattered—"
The clone smiled wider. "You chose to forget me."
And suddenly, Rhea wasn't sure what burned more—anger, betrayal, or fear.
00:07:51
Prometheus Activation: Phase One Commencing.
Kairo, still alive but bloodied, dragged himself up by the wall. "You should've let it die with me."
"No," Rhea said, stepping forward. "You should've stayed dead the first time."
The clone raised her hand. "Let's end this."
But she didn't attack.
Instead, the room shifted.
Walls trembled. Lights dimmed. And through the glass window, massive gears began to turn—revealing a lab beneath the chamber.
Lucien pulled Rhea back. "This isn't a fight. It's a transfer."
Rhea's eyes widened. "She's downloading herself into something else."
They raced down the side corridor—following a staircase that hadn't been there before.
And at the bottom—they saw it.
A full-scale humanoid weapon rig—taller than a person. Cords running into the clone's neural stem.
Project Prometheus wasn't just a person. It was a weapon. A host body. A war machine with Arden's face.
Lucien touched Rhea's arm. "We stop the transfer—we stop her."
Rhea looked at him—really looked. "Why did you forget her?"
His voice cracked. "Because she wasn't someone I loved. She was someone I obeyed. There's a difference."
"But you loved me by choice."
He nodded once. "And I'd choose you again, even if it killed me."
She didn't kiss him this time.
But she held his hand—and together, they stepped into the core.
00:04:33
Initiating Override Lockdown.
The clone's voice echoed around them, now deeper, fused with machine code.
"You're too late. My story has already begun."
Rhea's fingers flew across the console, Lucien covering her as sparks flew and alarms blared.
Kairo crawled forward, holding a blade. "She's not invincible. You just have to break the part that still thinks it's human."
The clone's body began to flicker—half data, half flesh.
Rhea stared into her almost-Arden face.
"You're not him," she said softly. "And you never will be."
And then—
she unplugged the last neural link.
The clone screamed.
The machine surged.
Lucien pulled Rhea away just before the rig imploded, sending out a shockwave that shattered the observation window.
Kairo's body hit the floor—still.
Smoke.
Silence.
00:00:00
Override Complete.
Rhea sat on the floor, shaking. Lucien beside her.
He reached for her hand.
But she didn't take it yet.
"Promise me," she said softly, "no more secrets. Even the ones you've buried."
Lucien looked at her, raw and wrecked. "I promise."
Their fingers laced again—this time without fear.
And for now, there was no ticking clock.
No clone.
No betrayal.
Just them.
And a silence between heartbeats.
[To be continued...]