Chapter Four: Selena
The memories did not disappear. Didn't fade. Rather, I stayed. Stuck. Repeated. You press. As if Ruan's mind could no longer close the door again. He was still on the ground. He's breathing hard. His hands are shaking. The picture fell next to him. But his eyes...were not looking at her. But to something else. Something inside him. "…I…" His voice came out broken. "I wasn't…" "You weren't what?" Ether said calmly. "A human?" silence. Then— "Or maybe… I was." …Roan slowly raised his head. The room is not what it used to be. The lights are flashing faster. The screens around him started working. One by one. Without an order. For no reason. Symbols. Files. Faces. Many faces. Same face. His face. But in different cases. A-9 — ACTIVE A-9 — FAILED A-9 — TERMINATED His eyes widened. "…How many copies…?" "A lot." Ether said. "But not all of them worked." ...Suddenly—a voice. Behind the door. friction. Then—blow. Strong. Rowan froze. Another hit. Stronger. The door shook. "He found you." Ether said. "from?!" "The one I ran away from." …A third blow—the glass in the door cracked. Something appeared behind him. face. distorted. Only one eye. open. She stares at him. And she smiles. "No…" Rowan blinked. He hit the table. The file fell. "move!" Ether shouted. But his body—froze. Fear was not just a feeling. But control. Complete. The fourth blow—the door was smashed. The creature lunged inside. His body is twisted. Inconsistent. But fast. Too fast. Rowan fell backwards. creep. Try to stay away. But—there was no room. The being stopped in front of him. close. Very close. His smell—not body odor. But something rotten. As if it was not completed. He raised his hand. slowly. Towards Rawan's face. "…No…" he whispered. But—before he could touch it—a voice rang out. This time—for real. sharp. He broke through the silence. The object stops. His head shook. Then—part of it exploded. He fell aside. Rowan froze. consideration. At the door—there she was. Standing. Steadily. She holds a small weapon. Smoke rising from its nozzle. Her eyes—cold. Two centers. "Stay away from him." She said softly. The being turned towards her. He shouted. Distorted sound. inhumane. Then rush. But—two shots. Then—a third. Each one hits him precisely. His movement slowed down. Then—he fell. Abnormally. His body trembled. Then he settled down. silence. heavy. ...Rowan didn't move. Just looking. Doesn't understand. Doesn't understand. The woman came forward. Her steps are steady. No fear. No hesitation. I stood in front of him. I looked at him. For seconds. Long. As if she was reading it. Then— "You hear him." She said. freeze. "What?" She raised her eyebrow. "Don't waste my time." Her gaze hardened. "The sound." … silence. Then— "…yes." I breathed slowly. As if she was certain of something. "good." Rowan sat up slowly. "Who are you?" I looked at him. Then— "Selena." Time stopped for a moment. "And you…" she moved a little closer. I looked directly into his eyes. "It's becoming a problem." … "problem?!" He said it in shock. "I barely understand what's going on!" "This is exactly what makes the situation dangerous." She replied calmly. ...He looked at the corpse. "What is this thing?" She turned to him. I looked at the corpse. Then— "Copy." "copy?!" "Failed." She said coldly. "Her consciousness did not stabilize." ...He felt something in his chest. weight. "I mean…" He stopped. Then— "That means… I could be—" "Yes." I interrupted him. "It could have ended like this." … silence. heavy. stuffy. Then— "But I didn't." He said in a low voice. I looked at him. For seconds. Then— "Because you're different." … "how?" he asked. But she didn't answer immediately. Instead—I looked at the red file. On the floor. Then—to the screens. Then—to him. "Because you weren't completely erased." freeze. "What does this mean?" … "I mean..." she came closer. She whispered. "The original consciousness… is still within you." ...Shut up. His mind... stopped. "Ether…" he whispered. I smiled. Slight smile. But it's not comfortable. "So that's his name." … "You know him?!" "I know what it is." She said. ...And then—suddenly—the room shook. warning. This time—clear. high. Red lights started flashing violently. Screens—turned. One word appeared everywhere: LOCKDOWN Freeze Rowan. "What is happening?!" Selena looked up. "They've started." … "What?!" "Close level." She said. Then I looked directly at him. "And if we stay here..." she stopped. Then— "We will be wiped out." ...Get up quickly. "Where are we going?!" She pointed back. Towards a side corridor. It didn't exist before. Or maybe... he didn't see it. "there." … to stop. He looked at her. "Why are you helping me?" I was silent. For a second. Then— "Because—" she stopped. I looked into his eyes. Deeply. Then— "Last chance." ...and then she turned around. I started moving. "Come here." … to hesitate. He looked behind him. To the corpse. To the file. To the screens. Then—to himself. His reflection in a broken screen. But—this time—he was not alone. Ether—was standing behind him. He looks. And he smiles. ... "We've started." He said. …Then— Rowan ran.