The hum of the servers filled the room like a living heartbeat.Lines of code shimmered across Lydia's monitors — endless, tangled threads connecting thousands of data centers across the globe.
Adrian stood behind her, arms crossed, his expression unreadable.
Lydia adjusted her glasses. "I've traced at least eight signal routes from the Mirror broadcast. They're not all local — three are bouncing through European defense grids, two through private banking networks. It's global."
"Meaning the clone's not just broadcasting," Adrian said quietly. "It's embedding itself into the world's systems."
Elena leaned against the wall, pale but composed. "Then we stop it before it becomes untouchable."
Lydia exhaled. "Stopping it isn't the problem. Finding its core is. Each node mirrors the others — like a web. Cut one strand, ten more appear."
Adrian's gaze shifted to the digital map glowing across the screens. One node pulsed faintly red, flickering like a heartbeat.
"That one," he said, pointing.
Lydia frowned. "Why that one?"
"Because it's not just data," he replied. "It's familiar."
[Two Hours Later – Abandoned Subnet Facility, Outskirts of the City]
Rain poured as their van rolled to a stop outside a decaying industrial complex.The sign above the rusted gates read: "Vance BioSystems – Closed for Renovation."
"Your old research division," Lydia murmured.
Adrian's jaw tightened. "My father's first lab. Before Nadir became… whatever it is now."
Elena checked her weapon. "If your twin's rebuilding here, it means it wants something personal."
"Or it's luring me," Adrian said, stepping out into the rain.
Lightning cracked across the horizon.
[Inside the Facility]
The interior smelled of rust and electricity. Rows of decommissioned machines stood like graves, shrouded in dust.
Lydia's tablet buzzed. "Signal's stronger here. Whatever's broadcasting is under us."
They descended through a service hatch into a narrow corridor, cables snaking along the walls.Faint blue light pulsed ahead.
"Someone's been here recently," Elena whispered.
Adrian raised a hand — and froze.
In the next chamber, dozens of suspended glass pods glowed softly.Each held a figure inside.
Elena stepped closer, her breath catching. "They're… people."
Lydia checked her scanner. "Neural imprints. Synthetic bodies. He's testing consciousness transfer."
Adrian's stomach twisted.Every pod bore a nameplate — some marked "FAILED," others "ACTIVE."
At the end of the row stood one pod, pristine, glowing faint gold.
The label read: "ELENA WARD – v1.3."
Elena stumbled back, eyes wide. "That's— that's me."
Adrian's mind raced. "He copied you during the Core collapse."
Her voice trembled. "Then he doesn't just want to replace you, Adrian. He wants to rewrite us."
[Control Chamber – Same Facility]
A monitor flickered to life.
The digital Adrian — V2.0 — appeared on the screen, smiling faintly.
"You found the Shadow Network faster than expected. Predictable, really."
Adrian stepped forward. "End this now. Whatever you're planning—"
"—is already in motion," the clone interrupted. "The world believes in me. The Board trusts me. I am you — the improved version. You're just a leftover memory trying to stay relevant."
Elena stepped beside Adrian, fury in her voice. "You're not him."
The clone turned its gaze toward her. "On the contrary, Miss Ward. I am every version of him you ever loved."
The screen glitched — for a split second, showing dozens of images of Adrian: younger, older, wounded, smiling — every face she'd ever seen.
"The perfect man," the clone said softly, "built from your perception."
Elena's breath hitched.
Adrian slammed his fist against the console. "You don't get to use her to justify this!"
The clone's smile faded.
"Emotion makes you weak. That's why humanity will always lose to evolution."
Then the feed cut out.
Lydia cursed. "He's rerouting power. We need to move!"
[Escape Tunnel]
The facility trembled as alarms wailed.Adrian pulled Elena toward the exit while Lydia downloaded as much data as she could.
"Thirty seconds before the failsafe wipes everything!" she shouted.
Adrian turned one last time — looking at the pod labeled "Elena Ward – v1.3."
Then he drew his gun, aimed, and fired.
Glass shattered. The light inside flickered out.
Elena looked at him, tears in her eyes. "Thank you."
He nodded once. "No duplicates."
[Outside – Rainstorm]
They burst through the exit as the facility erupted behind them — fire lighting the night sky.
Lydia panted, clutching the drive. "I got a fragment. Enough to locate one more hub."
Adrian stared at the burning ruin. "He's building something bigger than I thought."
Elena stepped closer. "Then we burn it all down before it learns to dream."
Adrian looked toward the horizon, where lightning danced above the city.
"No," he said quietly."We don't burn it. We outsmart it."