Subject-002

The darkness inside the tunnel swallowed them whole. Jessica adjusted her flashlight, its beam slicing through the damp air, illuminating rusted pipes and exposed wiring running along the curved ceiling. The facility felt ancient, like it had been forgotten by time—except the whispers told a different story.

Olivia moved cautiously beside her, flipping through the burned notebook they had taken from the town above. “There’s something about this place,” she murmured, flipping a torn page. “If these notes are right, Project Alabaster didn’t just erase memory—it rewrote it. And this facility? It’s the source code.”

Leanna, still supporting the injured man, frowned. “What I don’t get is why this guy remembers enough to be terrified. If they erased everyone’s memories, why didn’t his go too?”

Jessica exhaled slowly, her breath visible in the frigid air. “Maybe because he wasn’t a civilian. Maybe because he was one of them.”

They reached an old security door. Its keypad was rusted and lifeless, but a faint crack in the metal suggested it had been forced open before. Jessica exchanged a look with Leanna, who nodded. Together, they pushed the door aside, revealing a vast chamber filled with rows of stasis pods, their glass frosted over with time.

Jessica’s stomach clenched as ice fogged her breath. The sight hit her like a memory she never had—rows of frosted pods, identical forms sealed behind glass. A place made for replacements.

Leanna stepped closer, wiping a layer of frost from the nearest pod. The face beneath the glass was indistinct, but the body’s proportions were eerily familiar.

Jessica swallowed hard. “These aren’t just test subjects.”

Olivia held up the notebook, reading aloud. “Stage Three Activation: Memory Suppression Complete. Genetic Recalibration Initiated.”

Leanna glanced at Jessica, realization dawning in her eyes. “Jess… this place—it wasn’t built for just anyone.”

Jessica felt the weight of those words settle deep in her chest. The memories Vanguard had stolen, the nightmares that haunted her sleep—was this the answer she had been running from all along?

Before she could respond, the injured man stirred, his voice barely above a whisper. “You think the town was the experiment…” he gasped. “But it was always you. You’re the variable.”

The chamber lights flickered to life, casting long, eerie shadows. A mechanical voice echoed from unseen speakers, monotone and sterile:

“Subject 002: Welcome home.”

Jessica’s blood ran cold. This wasn’t just another lab, it was the blueprint. And Jessica wasn’t the intruder here. She was the product. Somewhere in the darkness, something recognized her.