Robin stepped inside.
The door groaned behind him as it slowly closed, the sound echoing through the empty building like a warning he chose to ignore.
Darkness swallowed him almost instantly.
For a moment, he didn't move.
Didn't breathe.
Just listened.
Silence.
Heavy… unnatural silence.
Then—
Drip.
A faint sound somewhere deep inside.
Water.
Or… something else.
Robin exhaled slowly and took another step forward. The wooden floor beneath his feet creaked, the noise sharp in the stillness. Dust floated in the air, catching the faint light that slipped through the cracked windows behind him.
"This place…" he whispered.
It didn't feel abandoned.
It felt… paused.
Like time had stopped here—but not completely.
His eyes adjusted gradually. Broken furniture lay scattered around. Old papers, yellowed and torn, were spread across the ground like forgotten memories. The walls were stained, scratched… marked.
And yet—
There were footprints.
Fresh.
Robin crouched slightly, his fingers brushing against the dusty floor. The marks were clear, recent. Someone had been here.
Recently.
His heartbeat quickened.
"I'm not alone…"
A soft mechanical hum cut through the silence.
Robin's head snapped upward.
There.
From above.
A faint light flickered from the second floor.
And beneath it—
A sound.
Low.
Rhythmic.
Machines.
Without thinking, he moved.
Step by step, he approached the staircase. Each step creaked under his weight, threatening to betray his presence. His senses sharpened, every small noise amplified in his mind.
Halfway up—
He stopped.
A sudden wave hit him.
Not physical.
Something deeper.
A feeling.
Familiarity.
His hand tightened around the railing.
"…I've been here before."
The thought came uninvited.
Unwanted.
But it felt true.
He shook his head, forcing himself forward.
At the top of the stairs, the air felt different. Colder.
Alive.
The flickering light came from a half-open door at the end of the corridor.
Robin approached slowly.
Carefully.
Then—
He pushed the door open.
The room inside was not what he expected.
It wasn't abandoned.
Not even close.
Old monitors lined the walls, some broken… but others still active. Screens flickered with static, while a few displayed data—lines of code, surveillance feeds, unreadable symbols.
Wires ran across the floor like veins.
Machines hummed quietly.
Working.
Waiting.
Robin stepped inside, his eyes scanning everything.
"What is this place…?"
Then—
A screen changed.
Flicker.
Static.
And suddenly—
An image appeared.
Robin froze.
It was a child.
A small boy.
Sitting in a white room.
Expression blank.
Eyes distant.
But that wasn't what made Robin's breath stop.
It was the face.
His face.
"…no."
He moved closer to the screen, his heart pounding violently.
"That's not—"
But it was.
Every detail.
Every feature.
It was him.
Or… a version of him.
Younger.
On the corner of the screen, text appeared:
Subject R-17
Robin's hand trembled slightly.
"Subject…?"
Before he could process it—
The speakers crackled.
A voice filled the room.
Calm.
Cold.
"If you're watching this… it means they failed to stop you."
Robin's head snapped up.
"Who's there?!"
No answer.
Only the recording.
"They tried to erase everything. Your memories. Your identity. Your past."
Robin stepped back slowly, his breathing uneven.
"But memory is not something you can destroy completely."
The screen flickered again.
New footage.
The same room.
The same child.
But now—
There were others.
Men in dark uniforms.
And behind them—
A figure Robin recognized instantly.
The man in the long coat.
Robin's eyes widened.
"…him."
"And her."
The voice continued.
Another figure appeared on the screen.
A girl.
Younger.
Standing behind the glass.
Watching.
Leila.
Robin felt something inside him snap.
Fragments rushed back—
The white room.
The cold lights.
The voices.
Her eyes.
Always watching.
"No… this isn't real…"
His vision blurred.
Pain shot through his head.
Sharp.
Relentless.
Images collided—
Running.
Screaming.
A hand reaching for him.
"Don't let him remember—"
Robin staggered back, nearly losing his balance.
"Stop…"
But the voice didn't stop.
"You were never meant to live a normal life."
Robin clenched his fists.
"You were created for a purpose."
"SHUT UP!"
He slammed his hand against the console.
The screen glitched violently.
Then—
Silence.
Heavy.
Crushing.
Robin stood there, breathing hard, his entire body tense.
"…created?"
The word echoed in his mind.
Before he could think further—
A voice spoke behind him.
Real this time.
Not a recording.
"I knew you would come."
Robin turned instantly.
Standing in the doorway—
A man.
Tall.
Wearing worn, dark clothes.
His face was tired… but his eyes were sharp.
Watching.
Waiting.
"Who are you?" Robin demanded.
The man didn't answer immediately. He stepped inside slowly, closing the door behind him.
"That doesn't matter right now."
Robin tensed.
"Then start talking."
The man sighed lightly, glancing at the screens.
"So… you've seen it."
Robin's voice hardened.
"What is 'Subject R-17'?"
The man looked at him.
Directly.
"You."
Silence.
Robin shook his head.
"No."
"Yes."
A step closer.
"You're not who you think you are, Robin."
Robin's fists tightened.
"Then tell me who I am."
The man's expression darkened.
"…You don't have time for the full truth."
Robin's patience snapped.
"Then give me enough!"
The man looked toward the window.
Listening.
Then—
Distant.
Faint at first.
But unmistakable.
Engines.
Multiple.
Approaching fast.
"They're here," the man said quietly.
Robin's heart dropped.
"…already?"
The man moved quickly toward a panel on the wall.
"If you stay here, you're dead."
Robin didn't move.
"I'm not leaving without answers."
The man turned sharply.
"Then you'll die without them."
The engines grew louder.
Lights flashed through the cracks in the windows.
Voices outside.
Orders being shouted.
They were surrounding the building.
Robin felt the pressure closing in.
"This is your last chance," the man said, his voice low but urgent.
Robin met his gaze.
"…Last chance for what?"
The man's eyes narrowed slightly.
"To choose."
"Choose what?"
A pause.
Then—
The man spoke.
"Do you want to remember…?"
A beat.
"…or do you want to stay human?"
Robin froze.
"What does that even mean—"
But before he could finish—
🔊 BANG!
The front door downstairs exploded open.
Heavy footsteps flooded the building.
Voices.
Weapons.
They were inside.
The man stepped back into the shadows.
"Decide quickly."
Robin's heart pounded.
His mind raced.
His past…
Or his life?
The footsteps grew closer.
Closer.
Closer.
The man's voice echoed one last time:
"Because once you choose…"
A shadow moved behind him.
"…there's no going back."
The hallway lights flickered.
Then—
Darkness.