The road was empty.
Too empty.
Rayan leaned slightly against the broken window frame of the vehicle, his hand still pressed against his side.
Blood had slowed—but not stopped.
Ava kept driving.
Fast.
Focused.
"You're bleeding again," she said without looking at him.
Rayan smirked faintly.
"I noticed."
Ava tightened her grip on the wheel.
"This isn't a joke."
"Never said it was."
Silence filled the space between them.
The engine hummed.
The world outside blurred.
Then—
Ava spoke again.
"You should've told me earlier."
Rayan looked at her.
"You were busy fighting a system."
"That doesn't matter," she snapped. "You matter."
The words came out too fast.
Too real.
Rayan didn't respond immediately.
Instead, he looked away.
Out the window.
"…Careful," he said quietly.
Ava frowned.
"Why?"
Rayan's voice dropped.
"Getting attached to people like me doesn't end well."
Ava's jaw tightened.
"I don't remember asking for advice."
Rayan almost smiled.
But the smile didn't stay.
Because deep down—
He knew she was right.
The silence returned.
Then—
Ava slowed the car.
Rayan noticed.
"…We're here?"
Ava nodded.
In front of them—
A structure stood.
Old.
Broken.
Abandoned.
But not dead.
The facility.
The place where everything began.
Ava's chest tightened.
"I remember this place," she whispered.
Rayan glanced at her.
"…How much?"
Ava didn't answer.
Instead—
She opened the door and stepped out.
Cold air hit her instantly.
The building loomed in front of her.
Familiar.
And wrong.
Rayan stepped out too.
Slower.
Careful.
"You don't have to do this," he said.
Ava didn't look back.
"Yes, I do."
She started walking.
Each step—
Heavier than the last.
Rayan followed.
They reached the entrance.
The door—
Half destroyed.
Ava paused.
Her hand hovered over it.
Rayan watched her.
"…You okay?"
Ava whispered—
"No."
Then—
She pushed the door open.
It creaked loudly.
The sound echoed inside.
Darkness greeted them.
Cold.
Silent.
Ava stepped in.
The moment her foot touched the floor—
A flash hit her.
Bright.
Sharp.
She gasped.
Rayan caught her.
"Ava!"
Her vision blurred—
Voices.
Screams.
Machines.
"…No… stop…"
Rayan held her tighter.
"Stay with me."
The flash faded.
Ava's breathing was heavy.
"I saw it…"
Rayan frowned.
"What?"
Ava looked around.
"This place… it wasn't empty."
A pause.
"It was alive."
Rayan's grip tightened on his weapon.
"Stay close."
They moved deeper inside.
The corridor stretched ahead.
Lights flickering faintly.
Walls cracked.
But something felt wrong.
Too clean.
Too untouched.
Rayan noticed it too.
"…This place hasn't been abandoned."
Ava nodded slowly.
"They kept it preserved."
A faint sound echoed.
Metal.
Moving.
Both of them froze.
Rayan whispered—
"You hear that?"
Ava nodded.
"…We're not alone."
They moved forward carefully.
Step by step.
The sound grew louder.
Until—
They reached a room.
A lab.
Inside—
Machines.
Still running.
Ava's eyes widened.
"No way…"
Rayan scanned the area.
"Someone's been here recently."
Ava stepped forward slowly.
Her hand touched a console.
It lit up instantly.
Rayan turned sharply.
"Don't—"
Too late.
The screen flickered.
And then—
A video started playing.
Ava froze.
On the screen—
A younger version of herself.
Rayan's eyes widened.
"…Ava…"
She couldn't move.
Couldn't breathe.
The video showed her—
Sitting in a chair.
Restrained.
A man stood in front of her.
Not the one from her memory.
Someone else.
Older.
Colder.
"Subject 01," he said.
Ava's heart stopped.
"…01?"
Rayan looked at her.
"You're the first."
Ava shook her head slowly.
"No…"
The video continued.
"Memory wipe successful," the man said.
Ava on screen looked confused.
Scared.
"Begin behavioral reset."
Ava staggered back.
"They erased me…"
Rayan's voice softened.
"Ava—"
"They erased everything!"
Her voice broke.
The screen changed.
More footage.
More subjects.
Others.
Different faces.
Same chair.
Same fate.
Ava whispered—
"…I wasn't the only one."
Rayan clenched his jaw.
"No."
A pause.
"You were just the first."
Silence.
Ava's hands trembled.
"They all… died?"
Rayan didn't answer.
Because he didn't know.
Or maybe—
He did.
Before Ava could speak again—
A sound echoed behind them.
Slow.
Measured.
Ava turned.
Rayan raised his weapon.
From the shadows—
Someone stepped forward.
Clapping slowly.
"Well done," the voice said.
Ava froze.
That voice.
She knew it.
"…You."
The man smiled.
The same calm, controlled smile.
"You came back exactly as predicted."
Rayan stepped forward.
"Stay behind me."
Ava didn't move.
Her eyes locked on the man.
"You're the one," she said quietly.
The man tilted his head.
"I'm many things."
A pause.
"But yes… I'm one of the ones who created you."
Silence.
Rayan's grip tightened.
"…Big mistake showing yourself."
The man smiled slightly.
"Oh, I disagree."
Ava stepped forward.
"Why me?"
The man looked at her carefully.
"Because you were the only one who survived."
Ava's breath shook.
"Survived what?"
The man's smile faded.
"The process."
Silence.
Rayan asked coldly—
"What process?"
The man's eyes darkened.
"Evolution."
Ava felt something inside her shift.
"You didn't create a subject," she said.
The man nodded slowly.
"No."
A pause.
"We created the future."
Ava's voice hardened.
"I'm not your future."
The man smiled again.
"You already are."
Rayan stepped forward.
"That ends now."
He raised his weapon—
But before he could fire—
The man moved.
Faster than human.
He appeared right in front of Ava.
Rayan's eyes widened.
"…Impossible—"
The man looked directly into Ava's eyes.
"You've grown."
Ava didn't flinch.
"So have you."
Silence.
Then—
The man whispered—
"But you're still incomplete."
Ava's eyes narrowed.
"Then I'll complete myself."
The man smiled.
"I was hoping you'd say that."
Behind him—
The lab lights turned red.
Alarms started blaring.
Rayan cursed.
"Of course."
The man stepped back.
"Welcome back," he said calmly.
A pause.
"To where you were made."
The ground shook.
Machines activated.
And something—
Far worse than before—
Started waking up.
🔥