Jack Williams had always hated sterile rooms.
Something about the cold metal, the hum of the ventilation, and the soft, unnatural light reminded him of hospitals. Places where you waited for answers you didn't want. Places where people in white coats walked around with clipped voices and gloves that smelled like chemicals.
This room had the same smell.
Except this time, Jack wasn't here for stitches or blood work.
He was here to tear open the truth buried inside him.
A large chair sat in the center of the room, surrounded by biometric scanners, oxygen monitors, EEG cables, digital touchpads, and a holographic projection screen that floated above the seat like a threatening ghost.
Rafael Rios stood by the console with a tablet in hand.
"This is Cognitive Stress Testing," he said. "It measures your ability to think under pressure, withstand mental strain, react to stimuli, and stay functional while your brain fights itself."
Jack frowned. "Sounds… awful."
Rafael shrugged. "It is."
Maya entered behind him, her boots echoing softly across the concrete floor. She wore her tactical jacket unzipped, hair pulled back, expression unreadable.
When she looked at Jack, something flickered in her eyes — worry, maybe fear, maybe something she didn't want him to see.
"Are you sure he's ready?" she asked Rafael quietly.
Jack bristled. "I'm standing right here, you know."
Maya didn't answer.
Rafael tapped some settings. "Ready or not, this is happening."
Jack stared at the chair.
He'd faced a soldier with an electrified blade.
He'd heard Mercer's message.
He'd been told he was created in a lab.
But somehow, this chair felt more terrifying than all of that.
Because this was where he learned what he truly was.
And what he might become.
"Get in."
Maya walked around the chair, checking straps, securing the biometric cuffs.
Jack raised an eyebrow. "Straps? Seriously?"
"Standard procedure," Maya said.
"Standard procedure for what? Torture?"
She met his eyes.
"It's not torture."
Jack gave her a flat look.
She sighed.
"It's… safety. For you. And us."
That didn't help his nerves.
He sat down reluctantly. The metal was cold enough to sting through his shirt. Maya adjusted the chest strap, her fingers brushing lightly against his ribs. He tried not to react, but his breath hitched slightly.
She paused, gaze flicking to his face.
"You okay?"
"No," Jack said honestly.
A hint of sympathy touched her eyes — real, unshielded.
"You will be," she whispered.
Rafael cleared his throat behind them. "You two done? I'd like to keep the emotional bonding for after the test."
Maya shot her brother a glare sharp enough to cut steel. Jack almost smiled.
Almost.
The lights dimmed.
A soft tone filled the room.
Jack's heart pounded in his chest.
"Sensors online," Rafael said. "Jack, you're going to see images, hear sounds, and face simulated scenarios. Your job is to stay calm and solve the puzzles. Don't fight the emotions. Just… keep going."
"Define 'don't fight'," Jack muttered.
Rafael smirked. "You'll know."
The holographic screen lit up.
A countdown began.
3
2
1
BEGIN
Phase One — Memory Disruption
The first image flashed.
A street.
Rain.
Two people running.
Jack blinked.
It was familiar.
Too familiar.
"What… what is this?" he whispered.
More images flashed:
A woman screaming.
A man pulling a child into a vehicle.
Gunshots.
A lab corridor.
A crying infant.
Maya stepped closer, watching Jack's vitals spike.
"Rafael," she warned.
"It's necessary," he said.
Jack's chest tightened.
The images sped up.
A door labeled:
HELIX — BIOGENESIS DIVISION
A woman carrying a baby — running, desperate.
A man dragging hospital equipment to block a doorway.
Gunfire.
Jack felt his throat close.
Because he knew — with a terrifying certainty — that the baby in the woman's arms was him.
His pulse skyrocketed.
"Maya," Jack gasped. "Make it stop—"
"You have to keep going," Maya said softly through the glass. "It's not real. Just memories. Echoes."
"I can't—"
"Yes, you can."
Her voice anchored him.
The images slowed, dissolving into static.
Phase One complete.
Phase Two — Cognitive Overload
Numbers, equations, pattern grids flooded the screen.
They shifted rapidly, layering over one another until they formed dizzying spirals.
"Jack," Rafael said into the mic, "solve the sequence."
"What sequence?!"
"All of them."
Jack stared, panic rising.
The numbers crawled like insects across the screen.
His head throbbed.
His vision blurred.
He pressed fingers to his temples. "I can't—"
"Yes, you can," Maya said again, now closer, voice steady like a lifeline.
Jack exhaled shakily.
Focused.
Let the numbers stop being monsters.
He saw the patterns.
Saw the symmetry.
Saw the rhythm of the anomalies.
His fingers twitched.
He leaned forward, whispering, "Twenty-eight… fifty-six… thirty-two…"
A light beeped.
Rafael raised his brows. "He solved phase two in under thirty seconds."
Maya allowed a hint of pride to touch her lips. "Told you."
Jack panted softly. "That was… awful."
"Good," Rafael said. "Because Phase Three is worse."
Jack groaned.
Phase Three — Emotional Warfare
The lights flickered.
A new scenario loaded.
A dark room.
Low, distorted breathing.
A figure stepped into the projection.
Jack's pulse spiked instantly.
Mercer.
Not a photo.
Not a recording.
A hyper-realistic simulation.
Cold eyes fixed directly on Jack.
Maya stiffened.
Even Rafael cursed softly.
Mercer's voice slithered through the speakers.
"Hello, Alpha."
Jack froze.
A phantom blade of terror slid into his spine.
Mercer stepped closer in the projection — too close.
"You cannot hide from what you are."
Jack shook.
His breaths came too fast.
"Maya," he whispered, "get him out of here."
"It's not really him," she insisted. "It's just a projection."
But her voice was tight.
Tense.
Afraid for Jack.
Mercer leaned in.
His face filled the screen.
"You are mine."
The room seemed to shrink.
Jack's fingers trembled violently.
His pulse hit danger levels.
"End the simulation," Maya snapped.
"No," Rafael argued. "He needs to face—"
"He's not ready!" Maya shouted.
It was the first time Jack had ever heard real panic in her voice.
Jack gripped the armrest so tightly his knuckles turned white.
Mercer's image tilted his head.
"You feel it, don't you? The truth sleeping under your skin."
Jack squeezed his eyes shut.
"Stop," he whispered.
Mercer's voice darkened.
"Awaken, Alpha."
Jack jerked violently—like something had exploded behind his forehead.
Maya slammed her palm against the emergency override.
"Rafael, shut it down NOW!"
Rafael cursed and hit the kill switch.
The simulation collapsed.
The lights brightened.
Jack jerked forward, ripping the biometric cuff off his wrist, chest heaving like he couldn't pull air properly.
Maya rushed in, dropping to her knees at his side.
"Jack—Jack, look at me!"
He didn't.
His eyes were unfocused. Wild.
She grabbed his face gently, forcing him to meet her gaze.
"It wasn't real. It wasn't Mercer. It was a test."
Jack's voice cracked. "It felt real."
"I know," she whispered. "But it wasn't."
He shook his head. "He said… he said I was his."
Maya's jaw clenched.
Her eyes burned with controlled rage.
"He doesn't own you."
Jack swallowed hard.
"He thinks he does."
Maya leaned closer, her forehead nearly touching his.
"He is wrong."
Jack exhaled shakily.
Maya's hands remained on either side of his face, grounding him.
Eventually, his breathing steadied.
Rafael approached quietly. "He lasted longer than expected."
Maya shot him a look that could've melted steel. "Not now."
Rafael raised his hands in surrender.
The Aftermath
Jack sat on the floor, back against the wall. His shirt clung with sweat. His hands still trembled slightly.
"Why did you stop it?" he asked Maya softly.
She hesitated.
Then said the truth:
"Because you were breaking."
Jack nodded slowly. "I felt like… like something inside me was waking up. Something I didn't want."
Maya sat beside him, shoulder just barely touching his.
"You're not a weapon, Jack," she said firmly. "You're not a monster. And you're not his."
Jack looked at her.
"Then what am I?"
She held his gaze.
"You're someone who gets to choose."
Silence fell warm between them.
Then Rafael cleared his throat again.
The moment shattered.
"Ward wants a full report," he said. "And we need to run Jack through reflex training once he stabilizes."
Jack groaned. "More training?"
"You nearly had a panic-induced synaptic overload," Rafael said. "We don't have time to ease you in."
Jack sighed. "Yeah, yeah. Mercer's coming."
Maya stiffened slightly. "Not if we get to him first."
Jack blinked. "We?"
She nodded.
"You. Me. Rafael. We're a team now."
Jack stared at her.
Emotion—difficult, deep—rose in his chest.
Maya must've sensed it because she stood quickly, hiding something in her expression.
"Get up," she said. "We're not done for the day."
Jack let out a tired laugh. "I didn't think we were."
But as he stood, she touched his arm.
Just briefly.
A small, soft contact.
One that meant far more than she wanted it to.