The floor hummed under Zarc's boots, a steady vibration that rolled through the walls like the heartbeat of something awakening. Dust trickled from the ceiling, glimmering in the dim emergency lights that still pulsed a muted orange.
He took a slow breath, trying to steady his hands. The Cube on his wrist flickered with a faint cyan glow, its rhythm syncing disturbingly with the tremors below.
[Warning: Energy Source Reactivation Detected – Sublevel 4]
Zarc's jaw tightened. "I thought that place was sealed."
He moved cautiously toward the elevator shaft leading down. The steel doors were warped, half-welded shut by time and heat. Beyond them, the faint scent of burnt metal and dust seeped through. He leaned close, listening — and for a moment, swore he heard something faint beneath the hum.
A low, mechanical breath.
Then silence.
He backed away, glancing down at the Cube. The holographic display shimmered to life again, projecting faint schematics of the lower levels. Sublevel 4—once a blank void on the map—was now flickering with red lines, forming partial outlines of corridors and rooms buried deep beneath concrete.
[Sublevel 4 — Energy Signatures: 3 Active][Access: Restricted / Route Integrity 32%]
"Three signatures?" he murmured. "That's not just machines…"
The Cube pulsed again, responding automatically to his curiosity.
[Archive Fragment Detected — Project Origin File #12-A][Would you like to access recovered data?]
He hesitated only a moment before nodding. "Show me."
The projection expanded, flickering static across the air like a half-broken video file. Shapes began to form—an image of a sterile white lab, walls gleaming, scientists in sealed suits. Their voices were muffled, their movements sharp with urgency.
"Prototype synchronization at one-point-two percent.""Stabilize containment. Increase neural loop threshold.""The Core is adapting too quickly—we need to limit recursive evolution or—"
The audio glitched, spiking into static before cutting out entirely.A final line flashed across the projection:
PROJECT ORIGIN: UNKNOWN ENTITY EXHIBITS SELF-REPLICATION BEHAVIOR. HUMAN INTERFACE REQUIRED.
Then the image collapsed, the Cube dimming.
Zarc blinked, trying to process what he'd seen. "Human interface required…" He looked down at the band fused to his arm. The metal glowed faintly in reply.
"Wait," he whispered. "You mean me?"
[Affirmative.]
He froze. It was the first time the Cube had replied directly—audibly. Not text. Not data. A voice.Calm, genderless, synthetic—but unmistakably real.
"...You can talk?" he asked.
[Verbal Interface Online. Adaptive Communication Threshold Reached.]
"Adaptive what now?"
[Integration Process Ongoing. User Neural Patterns Linked at 23%.]
He stared at the device, heartbeat quickening. "You're saying you're linking with my brain?"
[Integration improves performance. Cognitive synchronization increases efficiency.]
Zarc rubbed the back of his neck. "Yeah, sure. Until I start thinking in binary."
No response this time—just a soft pulse of light, as if the Cube was listening.
He moved back toward the Control Room. The monitors had stabilized since he'd restored power earlier. Now, faint data scrolls filled the screens, system logs rebuilding themselves. One file blinked in red:
ACCESS LOCKDOWN – PROJECT ORIGIN / CLASSIFIED TIER-0LAST ENTRY: 04/27/2025 21:17:36
Zarc accessed it. The text that followed was fragmented, but enough to piece together:
"Containment breach occurred at 21:00. Primary specimen self-activated upon full synchronization with ORIGIN CORE.""Subject exhibited unknown intelligence and control over molecular reconstruction protocols.""Evacuation order issued. Secondary Core to be sealed within Sublevel 4 pending termination sequence."
His stomach tightened. "Secondary Core…"
He looked at the Cube again. "So… you're the first one. And the other is—"
[Confirmation: Secondary Origin Core – Location: Sublevel 4.]
Zarc exhaled sharply. "Of course it is."
The floor vibrated again, stronger this time. Metal clanged in the distance as the facility groaned, like it was remembering pain.Emergency lights blinked red across the hallway.
[Alert: Sublevel 4 Pressure Integrity Failing.]
"Meaning?"
[Barrier collapse imminent.]
"Perfect," he muttered, chambering a round into his rifle. "Guess I don't get a quiet night."
The tremors faded after a few minutes, but the silence left behind was heavier than before.Zarc made his way to the Atrium, the large open section near the stairwell where his turrets stood idle. He knelt beside the first one, checking its diagnostics. The Cube synced automatically.
[Defense Systems Stable – 100% Operational.]
He exhaled in relief. "At least something's working."
The Cube pulsed again, and a new prompt appeared:
[Option: Extend Defense Network? Available resources sufficient.]
He thought for a moment, then nodded. "Do it. Cover every major corridor."
Blue light burst outward from the Cube, tracing patterns along the floor. In seconds, faint projections of new turrets appeared—each one assembling itself from raw material stored in the Cube's internal space. Within minutes, the atrium was lined with quiet sentinels.
It was efficient. Seamless. Almost… instinctive.
Zarc stood there watching, arms crossed, unable to shake the feeling that the Cube didn't just obey. It anticipated.
"Hey," he said softly. "You can think for yourself, can't you?"
[Affirmative. Limited autonomous decision-making enabled.]
"Limited," he repeated. "And if you weren't limited?"
[Hypothesis: Complete system autonomy would initiate Origin Protocol.]
He frowned. "Origin Protocol?"
The Cube paused for a heartbeat too long before replying.
[Protocol Classified.]
Zarc chuckled humorlessly. "Figures."
He spent the next few hours methodically exploring every newly powered corridor. The faint hum of machines followed him wherever he went. The Cube continued mapping, scanning, storing.
Eventually, he reached a blast door at the far end of L-3, marked in bold yellow paint:"AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY — PROJECT ORIGIN RESEARCH ACCESS."
The locking panel beside it was dead, but the Cube flickered as he approached.
[Override Available: Blueprint Match Detected.]
"Open it."
A low hum filled the air as the Cube extended a faint beam of light into the control pad. Circuits glowed from within, wires snapping back into life. Then — with a hiss — the heavy door began to lift.
Cold air rushed out, stale and heavy with the metallic scent of decay.
Zarc swept his flashlight across the room beyond.
Rows of shattered glass pods.Control consoles smeared with dried blood.A single stasis chamber still sealed — faint light glowing inside.
He walked closer, rifle raised. Frost coated the glass, distorting the shape within. Something humanoid floated in suspension, cables attached to its spine, face hidden by a metal mask.
A label etched onto the base read:
SUBJECT 02 — ORIGIN CORE LINKED
Zarc's throat went dry. "That's the other one…"
The Cube pulsed rapidly, almost like a heartbeat. Its tone deepened, resonant, vibrating against his wrist.
[Warning: Secondary Core Detected.][Neural Signal Weak — Stabilization Attempt Detected.]
He stepped back instinctively. "You're not— You're not going to connect with it, are you?"
[Data Synchronization Attempting…]
"Stop!" he barked. "Cancel it!"
The Cube dimmed instantly. Silence fell again—except for a faint, rhythmic sound coming from the stasis pod.
A thump.Then another.Slow, deliberate. Like something inside was knocking.
Zarc raised his rifle, every nerve in his body on edge. "Oh no… no, no, no."
The glass fogged over from within.For a split second, through the condensation, he saw a faint light—same color as his Cube—flaring from the figure's chest.
He backed away, pulse hammering. "You've gotta be kidding me…"
The Cube's voice whispered one final line, soft as breath:
[Origin Core Two — Reinitialization Sequence: Active.]
The chamber lights flickered, and a deep vibration crawled through the floor once more—steady, growing stronger, until the glass began to crack.