"We're under attack, Victor. We have to move!"
Victor, can you hear me?
Victor!
Victor stopped suddenly, as if the words had reached him late. He spoke in a low voice, barely a whisper:
— Ilio… tell me… was what I did right?
Ilio looked at him quickly, surprised by the question at such a moment.
— What do you mean?
Victor swallowed, hesitated before continuing:
— What if he really was… my son? Somehow… I don't know how, but what if he was?
A brief silence followed, broken by Ilio as he tried to remain rational:
— Judging by your appearances alone, it's impossible. You're roughly the same age. But… we can't judge what we don't understand.
Victor slowly lifted his head, eyes wide:
— So… Is there a possibility?
— Damn it—
Ilio cut him off sharply:
— But what we do know, without any doubt, is that he killed our comrades. They might mean nothing to you, but we shared the same roof, dreamed the same dream. So even if you hadn't killed him, I would have. You asked if what you did was right—from my perspective, it was more than right. You killed a killer. I see no fault in that.
Victor took a deep breath, then spoke with a broken voice:
— From your perspective… yes. But what about mine?
Before he could continue, Louis suddenly entered, tension clear on his face.
— I'm not sure this is the right time for a discussion, but… the dogs—the Synced—are closing in.
Ilio replied without turning:
— Don't worry. You can leave. They won't hurt you. I think they're after me.
Louis shook his head.
— I'm not so sure. I've tried that before. I nearly got shot.
Ilio's expression changed instantly.
— What? Where are they now?
— Right in front of the building. Directly.
Ilio clenched his teeth.
— We're cornered. They plan to blow up the area. That means the memory capsules aren't here.
Victor replied quickly:
— I don't think so… look.
In his hand was a small capsule, taken from Robert's corpse.
Ilio's eyes widened.
— Hide it. We don't know what's inside. If it really is here, I might have an idea where the rest are. I was watching the place—I saw him heading somewhere… but how could it be here?
Louis stepped forward.
— Do you have a plan? Where do we go? And how?
Ilio looked at him, then said slowly:
— Yes. I have a plan… but I don't think you'll like it.
— What do you mean?
In a split second, Ilio spun around and shoved Victor hard toward the window.
The glass shattered.
Victor fell.
He didn't resist. He didn't scream. His mind was empty, save for one sentence repeating as the window drifted out of sight:
I wish… I wish what I lived today wasn't real.
He fell into the trees, rolling until he hit the ground. He wasn't badly hurt—the floor hadn't been high. He found himself behind the building.
Moments later, Ilio's voice echoed from above:
— Head to the car! We'll keep them busy here—meet us there!
A pistol fell near Victor.
He stood slowly, picked up the weapon, and began walking through the trees and brush, counting his steps unconsciously, lost in thought, as if his body were moving on its own.
Inside the building
Louis stared at Ilio in anger.
— Tell me… why did you do that?
— To survive, we have to split up.
— And what if the capsules are here?
Ilio thought for a moment.
— If they are, they're probably on the upper floors. We were downstairs.
— So the Special Case took them from above?
— Most likely. That's why we divide roles. One searches. One disables the guards.
Louis glared at him.
— You can't face the guards alone.
Ilio smiled faintly.
— Exactly. You'll search for the capsule room.
— What? Wait—what did you say?
— I'm pretty sure I was close enough for you to hear me. Doesn't matter. I'll handle the guards. We will meet at your father's car.
He turned and left quickly, leaving Louis unable to stop him.
Louis tried to ignore the anxiety creeping in and headed straight for the remaining three floors.
In the forest
Victor walked slowly, the capsule in his hand. He didn't know what it was, but something felt… familiar.
He examined it closely.
Victor examined it closely.
The number 307 was engraved on it.
And the mark: M2.
He stopped abruptly.
— Yes… it's definitely it. There's no doubt. It belongs to me.
Then he asked in a trembling voice:
— But… why didn't he show it to me until he was dying?
— My God… what have I done?
He pressed his palm to his head.
— Did I… really kill my son?
— No… impossible.
He tried to calm himself:
— Victor, don't overthink it. You did the right thing. He cannot be my son. Our ages… they're too close.
He remembered what Louis had taught him about counting ages:
One…
Five…
Ten…
Twenty…
— I'm twenty-five years old.
He exhaled in relief:
— Thank God… he must have been deceiving me. I can't father a child at this age.
His heart calmed slightly.
— Now I have to get to the car…
He stopped suddenly.
— Hm… what's this?
Two bodies, covered in white cloth, lay before him.
He approached cautiously, bent down, and lifted the covers.
He froze.
The faces were distorted.
He recoiled quickly, his body trembling. Then he turned toward a nearby tree and vomited, while the image of Robert's corpse and the head wound flashed in his mind.
— My God… what's happening to me?
He wiped his mouth with his trembling hand.
— My new self… isn't used to this. I wonder… What was I like before I lost my memories?
He paused.
— That sound…
A communication earpiece lay on the ground. He grabbed it quickly and put it on.
— Hamilton and the others. I've seen them wear these before.
He secured it firmly.
— I'll keep this with me… and wait if someone contacts me.
Inside the building — hallway
Louis stood in the corridor, pacing, as if the walls themselves mocked him.
He had no clue what he was doing. He opened room after room, searched every corner, even the bathroom… nothing.
— What absurdity…
He muttered, running a hand over his face.
— What was Ilio thinking, sending me to search? How does he expect me to find the capsule room? And how does he face fifty armed dogs alone? Nonsense… pure nonsense.
He headed toward a chair in the corner of the hall and sank onto it, exhausted.
— I'll wait here until Ilio comes back…
Silence.
Silence.
Silence.
Then a thought… or maybe not.
— Should I go help him? I might ruin whatever he's planning.
He paused, then smiled faintly, a touch of irony on his lips.
— Actually… I trust his plan. Things always go his way, in a strange way… perhaps a satisfying way. That's what it's like to be a genius.
He rose suddenly.
— Ha…
He found it…
He would check on the Special Case's body.
— I just hope Ilio is alright.
Outside the building — in front of the door
— Alright? Ha…
The dog corpses lay scattered on the ground. One by one.
Precise shots, right to the heart.
And in the middle… a man holding two pistols.
Blood splattered on his clothes, hands, and face.
Yes… it was him.
Who else?
Ilio.
He stood calmly, observing the scene, as if nothing had happened.
— That was easy.
He whispered to himself.
— I don't know how things are going with Louis or Victor, but as I predicted… Victor will pass by the two bodies and find the earpiece.
— And Louis… most likely stopped searching, started doing some trivial task, as always.
He smiled lightly.
— But he won't go down to the lower floor.
He clenched his fists.
— And now… I am alone.
— I can take them.
Ilio entered the building with steady steps. He didn't look back, didn't hesitate. He headed straight to the elevator.
He stopped in front of it, stared at the buttons for a moment, then entered.
Inside the elevator, he stood calmly and said clearly:
— Victor Noctis.
And suddenly…
The usual elevator doors didn't open.
Instead, the side panel slid open.
A staircase led downward, illuminated by a cold blue light.
Ilio stared at it for a few seconds, then began descending.
Step…
Step…
Step…
He descended and descended… until he reached the bottom.
He raised his head.
A room.
A monitoring room.
Cameras covered the entire building.
Screens, computers, a single chair in the middle.
— So… this is where they were hiding.
He stepped forward slowly.
— A clever hiding place. Doesn't look like a conventional control room.
— More like… a private room. For them.
He scanned the room carefully.
— But their size… small.
He came closer.
— Small enough to fit in a safe.
He reached the chair, grabbed its cover, and removed it.
— This is easy…
There was a handle.
He grabbed it and pulled it upward.
A cloud of cold smoke rose with it.
It was safe.
But… not just any safe.
Ilio looked at it and whispered:
— It's the one… the capsule safe.
Suddenly…
A whistle.
Then another.
— What…?
He turned quickly.
The computer screens had turned red.
One word flashed repeatedly:
DANGER
Alarms blared everywhere.
— Self-destruction in one minute.
Ilio let out a short laugh, tinged with schadenfreude.
— One minute?
Then his expression changed instantly.
— Damn it… we have to leave.
Before time ran out.
To be continued…