Undisclosed Mountain Facility – Former Bloodline Lab
The air inside was ancient.
Not dusty—preserved. Like the walls themselves remembered every scream, every splice, every betrayal.
Isabella moved slowly, flashlight trembling in her hand. Adrian was behind her. Cain brought up the rear.
"This was the first one," Cain muttered. "Before the Protocol. Before the donors. This was where the Archivists stored the backups."
"Backups?" Adrian asked.
Cain nodded. "Genomes. Failed projects. And… her."
Isabella didn't turn. "Why do I feel like I've been here before?"
Cain didn't answer.
Because deep down—they all knew she had.
Deeper in the Lab – Hallway 3C: CODEX LEVEL
They reached a steel door with no keypad. Just a retinal scanner that seemed to flicker to life the moment Isabella approached.
Adrian raised his gun.
Cain held him back. "No use. Only one person opens that door."
The scanner lit up:
IDENTITY CONFIRMED
WELCOME, EDEN.
Isabella froze.
"Did it just call me Eden?"
Cain swallowed hard. "That's what they used to call the original prototype."
"But I'm Isabella—"
"No. Isabella was your alias. Eden was your function."
The door creaked open.
Inside – The Vault Room
Dozens of containment tubes lined the walls. Most were shattered. Dried blood on the floor. Scratch marks on the glass.
Only one was still lit.
Inside floated… her.
Or rather—a version of her. A younger one. Hair shaved. Body still developing. But unmistakably Isabella.
Adrian stepped back.
"What the hell is this?"
Cain's voice was hollow. "She's not a clone. Not anymore. She's a closed-loop system."
Isabella stared at the girl in the tank.
"She looks like she's sleeping."
Cain turned to her.
"She's not. She's dreaming. Downloading."
Adrian frowned. "Downloading what?"
Cain's expression was grave.
"You."
Flashback Fragment – Unknown Video File, Year Unmarked
A static screen flickered.
A man's voice: "Codename: Eden. Activated once every cycle when bloodlines collapse. Purpose: reseed. Reboot. Reset."
A woman's voice: "She must never remember who she is. That's why we built the loop."
The screen cut out.
Back in Present – The Vault
Isabella staggered back, chest rising and falling in sharp bursts.
"You're saying I'm a system? Like… a walking failsafe?"
Cain didn't answer.
Adrian did.
"No. You're more than that. You're someone who made her own choices. Who defied every damn plan they set."
Isabella shook her head. "But what if they were never my choices? What if every step I've taken was programmed into me?"
Cain stepped forward. "You want the truth?"
He pointed to the tube.
"Then wake her up."
Scene Turns — The Resurrection Protocol
Adrian moved to stop her.
"Izzy, think. We don't know what that version of you might do."
She looked over her shoulder.
"Neither do I."
She touched the glass.
The lights shifted.
SEQUENCE INITIATED.
VITAL SIGNS: STABLE.
MINDLINK ACTIVE.
MERGING IN PROGRESS…
Suddenly Isabella clutched her head and screamed.
Inside the Memory Spiral — Eden's Mind
She wasn't in the lab anymore.
She stood in a silver orchard. Fruit trees with glowing roots. A sky filled with violet thunder. Whispers surrounded her—names, languages, equations.
And then she saw her.
Eden.
Same face. Same eyes. But ancient. Terrifying.
"You were never meant to wake," Eden said softly. "You were meant to obey."
"Obey who?"
Eden stepped forward, placing a finger on Isabella's chest.
"Obey the blood."
Isabella backed away. "I'm not you."
Eden smiled.
"You're what's left of me. And I'm what happens when you stop pretending to be human."
Back in the Lab
Isabella collapsed.
Adrian caught her.
Cain watched the merging data flow across the screen. The mindlink was still active.
He whispered, "She's fighting it."
Adrian looked at him.
Cain's face was pale.
"And she's losing."
Final Scene — The Awakening
Later that night, Isabella opened her eyes.
They weren't hers.
Not fully.
Adrian moved closer. "Izzy?"
She looked at him.
Smiled faintly.
And said in a voice that didn't sound like hers—
"Adrian… You were the only variable I never accounted for."
His blood ran cold.
"Who are you right now?"
She tilted her head.
"Would you love me… if I said I don't know?"