Phase 4

Jessica’s breath came shallow and quick. The sterile voice still echoed in the vast chamber, reverberating off the rusted walls. Subject 002: Welcome home. She wasn’t sure what terrified her more—the fact that this facility recognized her, or the possibility that it was right.

Leanna stepped protectively in front of her, instinctively reaching for her weapon. “What the hell does that mean?” she demanded, scanning the room for hidden threats.

The injured man groaned, his head lolling to the side. His lips trembled as he tried to speak. “They built this place for one purpose. And it was never meant to be abandoned.”

Olivia flipped rapidly through the charred notebook, searching for answers. “According to this, Phase Three wasn’t just about erasing memory. It was overwriting identity—entire personalities built from scratch.”

Jessica dug her nails into her skin, trying to hold herself together, trying to prove she still was someone worth holding together. “And me? Where do I fit into all of this?”

A metallic groan echoed from deeper within the chamber. Something was coming online.

Leanna tightened her grip on her gun. “We need to move. Now.”

Olivia hesitated, staring at the pods. “Jessica… what if there are others like you?”

Jessica swallowed hard, forcing herself to look at the rows of frozen figures. The thought chilled her. If this was where she had come from, what else had Vanguard left behind?

Suddenly, a screen on the far wall flickered to life. A grainy video feed appeared, showing distorted figures in lab coats. A timestamp in the corner indicated it was from over twenty years ago.

A scientist spoke into the camera, his voice flat. “Subject 002 continues to show near-total compliance. She accepts all implanted memories as real. No deviation. No resistance. She does not question the reality we have constructed for her.”

Her legs faltered, like her body suddenly didn’t believe in gravity. They were talking about her.

The injured man coughed violently, blood speckling his lips. “You were never supposed to wake up.”

The overhead lights flickered, casting erratic shadows. With a groan of pressurized hydraulics, the first stasis pod cracked open, spilling mist across the floor. Jessica took a step back. Whatever was inside… it was waking up.

Leanna grabbed her arm. “Time to go!”

The voice on the speaker crackled to life once more. “Phase Four activation confirmed.”

The facility screamed to life—sirens howling, red lights pulsing in time with her heartbeat.