Location; Silverbridge Estate – Main Control Hall
Red lights pulsed through the corridors. A shrill alarm blared as reinforced steel doors slammed shut across the compound. Security turrets rose from hidden panels, locking onto any movement.
Damien slammed his fist against the control panel. "He's inside. How the hell did he get past the perimeter?"
"He didn't pass it," Charles muttered, tapping away on the mainframe. "He phased through it."
Nora stood beside Caelum, who was still recovering on a stretcher. His breathing was shallow but steady. "He's using the fragments," she said grimly. "What you destroyed was only a tether. The real him… he's not bound by physical limitations anymore."
Caelum's eyes opened, voice low. "Then I need to go to him."
"Not a chance," Damien said. "You're still weak."
"I don't have time to wait."
---
Location: Estate Grounds – Control Tower
Subject 01B moved like a wraith, gliding between shadows. His movements were fluid, eerily silent. The guards never saw him coming.
One by one, they collapsed.
As he entered the control tower, he ran his fingers across the glass table. The room flickered—lights dimming under his presence.
"I built half of this," he muttered. "And yet... they still thought they could hide from me."
He pressed his palm against the biometric scanner. Instead of rejecting him, it accepted. The room buzzed to life, systems folding open before him.
Control override successful.
He smiled.
"Let the game begin."
---
Location: Safe Room B2 – Silverbridge Lower Quarters
"They're being picked off," Nora whispered, staring at the shrinking dots on the estate's internal scanner. "He's targeting staff, isolating us."
"We should evacuate," Charles said. "Seal the medical bay and tunnel out through the old train vault."
"No," Caelum said, slowly rising. His voice was steadier now, his will reigniting. "He's doing this to provoke me. He knows I'll come to him."
"You're not going alone," Damien growled. "Not after what happened."
Caelum looked at him with a strange mix of gratitude and pain. "You were always the better protector. But this fight… is mine."
Damien stepped forward. "Then we go together."
Nora reached out, placing a syringe in Caelum's hand. "Neural stabilizer. If he pulls you into another mind merge, use it. It'll keep your identity intact."
Caelum gave her a long look. "If I don't come back—"
She kissed him. Fiercely. No hesitation.
"You will."
---
Location: Estate Grand Corridor – Moments Later
The team moved like ghosts—Damien in front, Caelum at his side, two security operatives trailing. Their footsteps echoed against the marbled floor as tension thickened with every step.
"Heartbeat sensors picking up movement ahead," Damien said.
Caelum's eyes narrowed. "It's him."
The grand doors before them burst open with a violent gust.
Subject 01B stood atop the central staircase, cloaked in a dark trench coat. His eyes glowed with unnatural light, expression unreadable.
"Well, brother," he said smoothly. "Welcome home."
Caelum stepped forward. "You've crossed the line."
"I crossed it the day they locked me away in a lab. I just remembered it better than you did."
Damien raised his rifle, but Subject 01B extended a hand—and the weapon jammed, sparking with static.
"No more toys," he whispered.
---
Location: Grand Hall – Seconds Later
The brothers circled one another.
"You always feared what we could become," Subject 01B said. "But what if we were meant to rule?"
"I don't want to rule," Caelum said. "I want to heal. I want peace."
"Peace is an illusion. Power is real."
They charged at each other—fists colliding midair, creating a concussive blast that shattered nearby windows.
Damien dove for cover. Charles and Nora watched from the hall's edge, unable to interfere.
Blow after blow, the twins fought—not just with strength but with ideology.
"You were made to be a weapon!" Subject 01B roared.
Caelum countered with a knee to his ribs. "Then I choose to be more than my design!"
The floor cracked beneath them. Sparks flew. Pillars collapsed.
Then suddenly—
Subject 01B paused.
Blood dripped from his nose.
His form flickered.
"You... used the stabilizer..."
Caelum's hand trembled, the empty syringe falling from his grip. "This ends now."
The twin collapsed to one knee, disoriented.
But instead of finishing him, Caelum dropped beside him.
"No more running. Let's end this together—merge, and rewrite us both."
Subject 01B blinked. The fury in his eyes faltered.
"You'd merge with me? Risk yourself again?"
Caelum nodded. "I'd rather lose myself in trying than let either of us destroy everything."
Silence. A moment stretched like eternity.
Then Subject 01B reached out.
Their hands touched.