Chapter 32: ZAYN vs ZAYN
\[Final Sync Protocol: Mirror Battle]
\[Opponent: Nexus Avatar – ZAYN PROTOTYPE V3]
\[Parameters: Lethal Simulation | Memory Lock Active Until Victory]
The force field sealed Zayn in a glowing ring. The floor beneath him shifted—flickering like old VR code as a digital arena stabilized.
Across from him stood the Nexus version of himself: armored, scarred, and cold. His gaze held no warmth. No doubt.
Just precision.
"You were the best of us," the prototype said. "Then you ran."
"I escaped," Zayn replied, lifting his rifle. "And I never looked back."
The prototype's eyes glowed crimson.
"You should have died in the simulation like the rest."
He moved first.
A flash.
Faster than anything Zayn had fought before. Their rifles clashed mid-air—metal on metal. Sparks flew. The echo of gunfire rang out through the chamber.
Zayn dodged low, rolled behind a pillar of exposed code, and returned fire. The prototype weaved between bullets like a shadow, then flipped over him—landing a kick that sent Zayn skidding across the ground.
\[Warning: Integrity 76%]
\[Psychological Stress Spike Detected]
Zayn coughed, wiped blood from his mouth. "So this is what I could've become…?"
"No," the prototype said. "This is what you *should* have become."
Another burst of shots. Zayn ducked, rolled, then lunged forward—fist first. They collided in the middle of the ring, rifles forgotten.
Fist met fist. Kick met block. They were evenly matched.
Same instincts. Same training.
But not the same soul.
"I remember every loop," Zayn said, swinging low. "Every respawn. Every death."
The prototype dodged.
"And yet you still cling to weakness. To people."
Zayn's eyes narrowed.
"That's what makes me human."
He grabbed the prototype by the arm and used his momentum to slam him into the code pillar. The structure shattered into light, stunning the Nexus avatar.
Zayn didn't waste the moment.
He drew his secondary pistol and fired into the prototype's chest—each shot chipping away at the armor, burning code away.
The prototype roared, charged forward—and Zayn met him head-on.
The final blow came not from brute force—but from Zayn pulling his knife and plunging it into the glowing core embedded in the prototype's chest.
Light exploded outward.
The prototype stared at him—silent.
Then smiled.
"You broke the loop."
And he vanished into shimmering data.
The arena flickered.
\[Mirror Protocol Complete]
\[Memory Archive Unlocked]
\[Final Sync Achieved – 100%]
\[Reconstructing True Past…]
The force field dropped.
The squad rushed in.
"Zayn!" Kira grabbed his shoulder.
"I'm okay," he said, breath heavy. "It's done."
The orb in his hand no longer pulsed red—it was calm now. Balanced.
A final memory projection lit up behind them.
A recording of Nexus scientists. Watching over rows of children in VR pods. Zayn among them.
A voice spoke from the past.
"This batch shows promise. Especially N-07. If we succeed… we can overwrite consciousness itself."
Another scientist answered, "But what about their souls?"
Laughter.
"We deleted those long ago."
The projection faded.
Silence.
Zayn stared at the orb in his hand.
"They tried to erase us. But they failed."
Iris stepped beside him. "You carry all their memories now."
Max nodded. "Then let's make them mean something."
Zayn looked ahead. A path forward had opened—one leading out of the vault and toward a platform marked *SYSTEM CORE*.
\[New Objective: Destroy Nexus Root Program]
\[Path to Exit: Now Accessible]
He turned to the squad.
"Let's finish what they started. But on our terms."
They moved together.
And behind them, the last ghost of the old world faded into silence.
---
Author's Note:
Thanks for reading Chapter 32! Zayn has defeated the darkest reflection of himself and recovered the final memory fragment. But now, the real fight begins—against Nexus itself. Don't miss Chapter 33—it's the beginning of the end.