The word "You" lingered on the glowing screen like a curse.
Adrian took a step back, his breath uneven. "What is this?"
Daniel's gaze didn't waver. "You were part of the Lazarus trials before Emma ever died. Subject Two the only successful hybrid."
"That's impossible," Adrian snapped. "I would've known."
"Would you?" Daniel's tone was flat, too calm. "Your father erased your memory. He had to. The experiment was unstable back then it triggered violent rejection. You were a weapon before you were his heir."
Emma's heart pounded. "Daniel, stop."
But Adrian's hands were already trembling. "You're lying," he whispered. "I'm not—"
He stopped. The sound of static filled the room. Emma turned the monitors flickered again, and one displayed a video feed.
A younger Adrian stood inside a sterile white lab. Wires clung to his chest. His father's voice echoed faintly from the background:
"Subject Two showing stable vitals. Begin cognitive suppression."
Then Adrian on the screen screamed.
The sound was raw, broken human and inhuman all at once.
Emma's breath hitched. "Adrian…"
He stared at the footage, frozen, his face pale. "No. That's not real."
Daniel's voice was quiet. "It's all real. You and Emma both created, both bound to the same system. That's why you found her again. The Lazarus algorithm links you through memory and emotion."
Emma's head spun. "So our lives… our pain… all of it was programmed?"
Daniel met her eyes. "Maybe not programmed. But influenced. The Project doesn't just rewrite the body. It rewires destiny."
Adrian staggered backward, pressing a hand to his temple. "I can't—" He winced, dropping to one knee.
Emma rushed to him. "Adrian!"
He was shaking, sweat dripping down his temples. "Voices," he muttered. "I can hear—"
Daniel knelt beside them, eyes wide. "It's starting. His neural code is reactivating."
"What does that mean?" Emma demanded.
"He's remembering everything."
Images flashed through Adrian's mind pain, fire, white light, the sound of Emma screaming. Then another memory: a metallic room, his father's voice saying, "She'll die, but you'll live. You'll rebuild what I started."
He gasped and grabbed Emma's wrist. "I was there, that night. I saw you burn."
Tears stung her eyes. "Adrian—"
"I tried to reach you, but they stopped me. My father's men—" He groaned, the pain overwhelming. "He said if I interfered, they'd shut me down."
Emma's throat closed. "Shut you down?"
Daniel nodded grimly. "Every Lazarus subject has a neural command. One code word can end your consciousness instantly."
She turned on him. "Then tell me what it is!"
"I don't know," Daniel said. "He changed it after I escaped."
Adrian's breathing slowed. When he opened his eyes again, they glowed faintly the same eerie blue as Daniel's.
Emma flinched. "No…"
He stood, voice lower, colder. "I remember everything now."
Daniel stepped forward cautiously. "Adrian, listen to me—"
But Adrian's gaze was fixed on the screen. "He used both of us. You think I'll let him control me again?"
Emma reached out. "Adrian, you're not him. Don't let this change you."
He turned to her, pain flickering behind his eyes. "Maybe it already has."
The monitors behind them began to spark. Code scrolled rapidly, faster than the eye could follow.
Phase Two Override Engaged.
Daniel's expression darkened. "He's activating the failsafe remotely."
Emma's pulse raced. "What does that mean?"
Daniel shouted, "It means he's trying to erase Adrian!"
Without warning, Adrian convulsed. The glow in his eyes flickered wildly. Emma caught him as he collapsed, her hands trembling.
"Stay with me!" she cried.
He grabbed her wrist, voice shaking. "Emma… if I lose control, don't let me hurt you."
"Don't say that—"
"Promise me!"
Tears spilled down her cheeks. "I can't promise something like that!"
He smiled weakly. "That's why I loved you. You never give up."
The words hit her like a blade to the heart.
Daniel moved quickly, pulling open a panel in the wall. "There's an emergency stabilizer. It might reset his neural flow."
"Do it!" Emma shouted.
He connected wires to Adrian's arm. The machine buzzed, then sparked. Adrian screamed again his body jerking violently.
"Hold him!" Daniel yelled.
Emma held on, tears falling freely. "Please, Adrian, come back."
Then silence.
The monitors dimmed. Adrian's body went still.
"Adrian?" she whispered.
Daniel checked his pulse, then froze. "He's alive… but something's wrong."
Adrian opened his eyes. The blue glow was gone, replaced by a haunting emptiness.
He sat up slowly. "Where is he?"
Emma frowned. "Who?"
"My father." His voice was calm too calm. "I can see him. Every code, every command. He's still inside my head."
Daniel stepped back. "That's impossible."
"No," Adrian said softly. "It's perfect."
The screens behind them all flashed at once the same message repeating:
Subject Two – Sync Complete.
Emma's stomach dropped. "What did you do?"
Adrian turned toward her, eyes hardening. "I didn't do anything. He did."
Daniel's voice trembled. "He's using you as the control system."
Adrian nodded slowly, a tear sliding down his face. "Then maybe it's time I stop being his experiment."
He looked at Emma one last time a mix of love and despair in his gaze.
"Run, Emma," he whispered. "Before I can't stop him."