Chapter 13: The Memory They Buried
I opened my eyes.
Claire was still beside me.
Her face was wet with tears.
“Daniel?”
I stared at her.
For several seconds, I couldn't answer.
Then I looked down.
Tommy was standing beside the transfer chamber, his tiny fingers wrapped around the metal railing.
His eyes met mine.
And suddenly, everything came rushing back.
Not one memory.
Thousands.
A childhood that wasn't mine.
A childhood that was.
A hospital room.
A burning laboratory.
A little girl named Emma.
A newborn named Lily.
A man named Alex.
And a woman whispering:
“If Daniel ever remembers who he really is, kill him.”
I sat upright.
Claire stepped backward.
“What happened?”
I looked at her.
“Where is Michael?”
She hesitated.
“He's alive.”
“Where?”
“He went after your father.”
I climbed out of the chamber.
My legs almost collapsed.
Claire caught me.
“You shouldn't stand yet.”
“I remember.”
She froze.
“What?”
“Everything.”
Her expression changed.
“What do you remember?”
I looked around the room.
The archive was damaged.
Half the machines were sparking.
Several glass containers had shattered.
Names were scattered across the floor.
Subjects.
Children.
Memories.
Lives.
All destroyed or released.
But one container remained intact.
SUBJECT ZERO.
I walked toward it.
Inside was a small silver drive.
My original memory.
I picked it up.
The moment my fingers touched the glass, another memory appeared.
I was twenty-eight.
Sitting in a hospital bed.
My father stood beside me.
My mother was crying.
Claire was holding my hand.
And beside the bed was a little girl.
Emma.
I remembered her.
Not as a five-year-old.
As a baby.
My baby.
She was sleeping against my chest.
I whispered:
“I'm going to protect you.”
Claire smiled.
“You promise?”
“I promise.”
Then my father entered.
“It's time.”
I looked at him.
“No.”
“You agreed.”
“I changed my mind.”
“You don't get to.”
He held up a syringe.
Claire stepped between us.
“Don't.”
He injected me.
The room blurred.
I remembered fighting.
Screaming.
Claire crying.
My mother holding Emma.
Then my father's voice:
“Transfer begins.”
The machine activated.
My consciousness was copied.
Not moved.
Copied.
That was the secret.
I hadn't been transferred.
I had been duplicated.
The original Daniel remained alive.
And I was created as his replacement.
A perfect copy.
Or so my father believed.
But something unexpected happened.
I developed my own memories.
My own emotions.
My own identity.
I became someone new.
Someone who loved Claire.
Someone who loved Lily.
Someone who loved Tommy.
Someone who had never known he was artificial.
I opened my eyes.
Claire was staring at me.
“You remember.”
“Yes.”
She started crying.
“I wanted to tell you.”
“You tried.”
She nodded.
“Your father threatened Emma.”
I looked at the little girl.
She stood quietly near the door.
“Where is the original Daniel?”
Claire looked away.
“He went upstairs.”
“Why?”
“To stop your father.”
I stood.
“We need to find him.”
Claire grabbed my arm.
“Daniel.”
I turned.
“What?”
“There is something else.”
“What?”
She swallowed.
“Your father isn't the only person who survived.”
My blood ran cold.
“Who else?”
“Alex.”
I froze.
“I thought Alex was your father.”
“No.”
“Then who?”
Claire looked at Emma.
“Your twin.”
My heart stopped.
“Alex is alive?”
She nodded.
“Somewhere in this facility.”
“But I've seen him.”
“No.”
“You mean the original Daniel?”
“That wasn't Daniel.”
I stared at her.
“Then who was it?”
She whispered:
“Alex.”
I couldn't breathe.
“The man who looked like me…”
“He is your twin.”
“Then who am I?”
Claire looked at me.
“You're the copy.”
I felt a strange calm.
For the first time, the truth didn't hurt.
It explained everything.
The memories.
The experiments.
The children.
My father.
My mother.
Claire.
Tommy.
Emma.
All of it.
I looked at Emma.
“Where is Lily?”
Her expression changed.
“She went with your mother.”
My blood turned cold.
“When?”
“During the transfer.”
I immediately turned toward the door.
“Why didn't you tell me?”
“I thought you were still unconscious.”
“How long?”
“Twenty minutes.”
Twenty minutes.
My mother had Lily.
And I had no idea where she had taken her.
I ran.
Claire followed.
Emma grabbed my hand.
“Daddy.”
I looked down.
“What?”
“There's something you need to know.”
“What?”
She looked toward the ceiling.
“Grandma didn't take Lily.”
I stopped.
“Then who did?”
Emma whispered:
“Lily followed her.”
“Why?”
“She wanted to save Tommy.”
I looked at Tommy.
He was standing beside Claire.
“What does that mean?”
Emma stared at him.
“Tommy isn't the one they want anymore.”
“Then who?”
She looked at me.
“You.”
I froze.
“Me?”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because your memories are different now.”
“How?”
“You remember both lives.”
I felt a chill.
“What does that mean?”
“You remember being Daniel.”
She pointed toward me.
“And you remember being Subject Zero.”
I nodded.
“And?”
“You also remember Alex.”
I stared at her.
“What?”
Emma whispered:
“Three memories.”
I felt dizzy.
“That's impossible.”
She shook her head.
“That's why Grandma is afraid.”
I looked toward the hallway.
“Where is she?”
Emma pointed toward a hidden door.
“Behind the laboratory.”
We ran.
The door opened into a narrow corridor.
At the end was a steel room.
Inside, a man was strapped to a chair.
He was unconscious.
I stopped.
He had my face.
Again.
But this time, something was different.
A scar crossed his forehead.
A tube was attached to his neck.
Claire whispered:
“Alex.”
I stepped closer.
His eyes opened.
He looked at me.
Then smiled.
“You finally remember.”
I stared.
“You're my twin.”
“Yes.”
“Why do you look like me?”
“Because you were created from me.”
I felt sick.
“My memories?”
“Mostly.”
“Then why am I different?”
Alex laughed.
“Because you weren't supposed to survive.”
I looked at Claire.
“What does that mean?”
Alex continued.
“Your father created you as a backup.”
“For me?”
“For himself.”
I frowned.
“What?”
“He wanted a body that could carry his consciousness.”
My stomach dropped.
“He planned to transfer himself into me?”
“Yes.”
“When?”
“Tonight.”
I looked at the damaged laboratory.
“That's why the transfer happened.”
Alex nodded.
“He tried to overwrite you.”
“But he failed.”
“No.”
Alex smiled.
“He didn't fail.”
I froze.
“What?”
“He succeeded.”
I stared at him.
“Then why am I still me?”
“Because someone stopped him.”
“Who?”
Alex looked at Claire.
She lowered her head.
“I did.”
My heart stopped.
“How?”
Claire whispered:
“I changed the sequence.”
“You changed the transfer?”
“Yes.”
“What did you do?”
“I split it.”
“Split what?”
“Your father's memories.”
I stared at her.
“Where did they go?”
She looked toward Tommy.
My blood turned cold.
“No.”
Claire began crying.
“I didn't know where else to put them.”
I walked toward Tommy.
He looked up at me.
His expression was peaceful.
“Daddy.”
I knelt.
“Tommy.”
“Yes?”
“Do you remember Grandpa?”
He smiled.
“Yes.”
“What do you remember?”
He tilted his head.
“He told me to wait.”
“For what?”
“For you.”
My heart pounded.
“Why?”
Tommy looked toward the ceiling.
“Because when you woke up…”
He paused.
“…he wanted me to tell you something.”
“What?”
Tommy's eyes suddenly became cold.
“He said you're not the copy anymore.”
I froze.
“Then what am I?”
Tommy smiled.
“The original.”
Silence.
Claire stopped breathing.
Alex stared at me.
Then the lights went out.
A man's voice came from the darkness.
My father's voice.
But this time, it wasn't coming from the speakers.
It came from Tommy.
“Hello, Daniel.”
I stumbled backward.
Tommy looked up.
His tiny face was expressionless.
Then he smiled.
My father's voice came from his mouth again.
“You finally remembered who you are.”
Claire screamed.
“Get away from him!”
I grabbed Tommy.
His eyes suddenly returned to normal.
“Daddy?”
I held him tightly.
“What happened?”
He began crying.
“I don't know.”
I looked at Claire.
“What did you put inside him?”
She shook her head.
“I didn't.”
Alex spoke from behind us.
“Your father did.”
I turned.
“How?”
Alex stared at Tommy.
“He transferred himself before the chamber collapsed.”
My blood ran cold.
“Then he's inside Tommy?”
Alex nodded.
“But that's impossible.”
“No.”
Alex looked at me.
“It is.”
He paused.
“Because Tommy wasn't the final vessel.”
I frowned.
“Then what was?”
Alex looked directly at me.
“You.”
I stared.
“And your father is already inside you.”
My heart stopped.
Then I heard a voice inside my head.
A voice I knew.
A voice I had feared my entire life.
My father's voice.
“Now we can finally finish what we started.”
I collapsed to my knees.
Claire screamed my name.
But I couldn't answer.
May you like
Because for the first time…
I wasn't alone inside my own mind.
