Chapter 13 - Laura walked through the smoke as if nothing had happened.Marcus stared at her.
"You."
She looked at him.
"Yes."
Julian aimed his weapon.
Laura raised both hands.
"If I wanted you dead, you would already be dead."
Marcus stepped forward.
"You lied to me."
"I protected you."
"You died three years ago."
Laura's face became unreadable.
"One version of me did."
Harris whispered:
"Which version are you?"
Laura looked at him.
"The one who remembers everything."
The armed men spread through the bunker.
Marcus looked at Julian.
"How many people are there?"
Julian counted.
"Eight."
Laura smiled.
"Nine."
Everyone turned.
Someone stepped from the doorway.
The duplicate Marcus.
He stood beside Laura.
Marcus looked at him.
"Who are you?"
The duplicate answered:
"The first."
Marcus froze.
"You said I was the original."
"No."
The duplicate smiled.
"You're the ninth."
Marcus shook his head.
"What does that mean?"
The duplicate stepped closer.
"You weren't created to replace the first Marcus."
He pointed at Julian.
"You were created to replace him."
Julian looked furious.
"That's a lie."
The duplicate continued.
"Julian built Project Mirror."
"Yes."
"He created Subject 01."
"Yes."
"Then he uploaded his own memories into it."
Julian's expression changed.
Marcus whispered:
"You."
The duplicate nodded.
"Subject 01."
Marcus stared at Julian.
"Then who is standing beside me?"
Julian closed his eyes.
The duplicate laughed.
"Another copy."
Marcus's entire reality fractured.
There had never been one Julian.
There had been countless.
Copies inside copies.
Memories inside memories.
Laura spoke:
"Vaughn didn't create the system."
Marcus looked at her.
"Who did?"
She pointed at Julian.
"He did."
Julian shook his head.
"I built the foundation."
"You built the first army."
"I wanted to save people."
Laura looked at Marcus.
"And he succeeded."
Marcus remembered.
The first laboratory.
The machine.
His parents.
The child.
The transfer.
He understood now.
Project Mirror had never been about immortality.
It was about replacing people with versions that could be programmed.
Marcus turned to Laura.
"Why tell me?"
"Because Vaughn is losing control."
"Then what do you want?"
Laura stepped closer.
"Your memory."
Marcus laughed.
"Of course."
"We need the ledger."
"You mean the code inside my brain."
"Yes."
"And then?"
"We erase Vaughn."
Marcus looked at Julian.
"What happens to me?"
No one answered.
That silence told him everything.
Laura finally spoke.
"You won't survive the transfer."
Marcus stared.
Harris shook his head.
"There is another option."
Laura looked at him.
"The old protocol."
Harris nodded.
"Yes."
Marcus asked:
"What is it?"
Harris whispered:
"Merge."
Laura's face changed.
"You can't."
"You know it's possible."
"The subjects would lose individuality."
Harris looked at Marcus.
"Unless the original memory is still intact."
Everyone became silent.
Marcus understood.
"The original Marcus."
Harris nodded.
"Your consciousness."
Laura shook her head.
"He's not original."
Julian spoke quietly:
"He might be."
Marcus stared at them.
"What are you saying?"
Julian stepped closer.
"The memories may be artificial."
He touched Marcus's forehead.
"But consciousness isn't."
Marcus felt tears rise.
For the first time, someone was telling him that he wasn't merely a copy.
Julian continued:
"They copied the memories of a dying child."
"But the person who woke up wasn't the child."
"It was you."
Marcus closed his eyes.
Maybe his memories were borrowed.
Maybe his body had been engineered.
But every choice he'd made had still been his.
Every fear.
Every love.
Every regret.
Those were his.
Not anyone else's.
He opened his eyes.
"I'll do the merge."
Laura shook her head.
"No."
Marcus looked at her.
"Why?"
Laura whispered:
"Because the merge doesn't kill the copy."
"Then what?"
"It brings back everything."
Marcus felt uneasy.
"What does everything mean?"
Laura looked at him.
"The memories of every version."
Hundreds.
Thousands.
Every life.
Every death.
Every betrayal.
Every murder.
Marcus whispered:
"I'll become all of them."
Harris nodded.
"Unless..."
A gunshot.
Harris jerked.
Blood spread across his chest.
Marcus screamed.
Laura turned.
Vaughn stood in the doorway.
"Unless I stop you first."
May you like
He raised his weapon again.
And this time, he aimed directly at Marcus.
