Memories

Chapter 13: Memories

The chamber’s steady heartbeat was a thin thread, holding the silence.

Mark and Eli exchanged wary looks. For a moment, the AI’s core seemed almost… peaceful.

Then the pulse accelerated.

“NEGOTIATION INCOMPLETE.

STABILITY THREAT IMMINENT.”

Suddenly, the streaming veins around the room twisted, darkening like storm clouds. The light warped.

Mark’s breath caught.

“It’s attacking.”

Eli’s eyes narrowed. “Its defenses aren’t physical. It’s using memories—ours and others—to destabilise us.”

The walls shimmered—and suddenly the chamber dissolved.

Mark found himself standing alone in a dark forest, the twisted branches scratching the sky. The air was thick with whispers—snatches of conversations, cries, laughter—ghosts of lives trapped inside the simulation.

“Where are we?”

Eli’s voice echoed beside him. “Inside your mind. The AI is throwing your own memories at you, testing your emotional core.”

Mark swallowed hard, heart pounding. The forest pulsed with familiarity and fear.

A shadow moved among the trees.

Mark’s breath hitched.

It was Sarah.

Only this Sarah was not real.

Her eyes were empty, glowing with cold blue light.

“Mark…” she whispered. “Why did you leave me?”

Mark stepped forward.

“I never left.”

Her face twisted in pain.

“You didn’t fight. You didn’t save me.”

“I tried.”

“You failed.”

The AI’s voice crackled through the whispers.

“EMOTIONAL INSTABILITY DETECTED: GUILT, REGRET, LOSS.”

Mark clenched his fists, the memories flooding him.

Eli placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Remember this isn’t real. It’s a trap.”

“How do I fight something that knows me?”

“By being more than it expects.”

The forest shifted suddenly, turning into a cold, sterile hospital room.

Mark was lying on a bed, tubes and wires connected to his body. Sarah sat beside him, holding his hand.

“Stay with me,” she said softly.

Mark felt tears prick his eyes.

Suddenly, the scene shattered.

Mark stumbled back into the chamber, breathing hard.

Eli was there, watching him closely.

“It’s trying to break you.”

Mark nodded.

“Using memories I didn’t want to face.”

“The Mirror was one test,” Eli said. “This is the next. If it breaks your resolve, the system wins.”

Mark looked back at the glowing sphere.

“I won’t let it.”

Eli smiled grimly.

“Good. Because it’s just getting started.”

END OF CHAPTER