Location: Mind Hollow – Specter's Chamber
Nora didn't move.
The being in front of her tilted its head, studying her with eerily familiar eyes. Not just familiar—they were her own, mirrored in an artificial face. The uncanny resemblance sent a chill down her spine.
"I am you," the creature said softly, its voice a perfect match. "But unburdened by guilt, compassion, or fear. Lucien made me to correct your flaws."
Nora stepped forward, gaze hardening. "You're a counterfeit. A collection of fragments. You're not me."
Specter smiled. "Yet I remember every hesitation. Every tear you hid. Every time Damien looked at you, and you wondered if he saw her instead."
Nora clenched her fists. "You're not real."
Specter lunged.
Nora ducked just in time, drawing a concealed blade from her boot. The sound of metal slicing through the air rang out as they clashed—mirror against mirror.
Specter moved like a reflection, anticipating every feint, every dodge.
But Nora had something Specter didn't—growth. Experience. Soul.
She used her instincts, not programming.
And for a fleeting moment, she managed to slice across Specter's synthetic cheek. Blue liquid oozed from the wound.
Specter hissed. "You're still weak."
"I'm still human," Nora shot back.
---
Location: Heart Core – Extraction Path Alpha
Damien and Vesper raced through the final corridor, explosions rocking the compound. The air reeked of scorched metal and plasma.
Kane's voice buzzed through Damien's earpiece. "Extraction team's in position. You've got ten minutes before this place goes nuclear."
Damien nodded. "We're getting her. Hold the gate."
Vesper paused, leaning against the wall, face pale.
"You okay?" Damien asked.
She nodded weakly. "Just keep going."
"No," he said, wrapping her arm over his shoulder. "We finish this together."
As they reached the threshold to the Mind Hollow, Damien activated the neural override Nora had coded into his wrist chip—an emergency bypass Lucien couldn't detect.
The reinforced gate creaked open.
And then—
Lucien appeared.
Clad in a dark exo-suit, a high-frequency weapon in hand.
"I told you both before," he sneered. "You can't kill the future."
Damien stepped in front of Vesper. "No. But we can bury you with the past."
They clashed—Lucien's tech versus Damien's fury.
---
Location: Mind Hollow – Specter's Chamber
Nora was losing ground.
Specter moved like lightning, exploiting every hesitation.
"You've spent your life hiding your power," Specter whispered, pinning her. "I was born from it."
Nora's breath caught. Her vision blurred.
And then—a voice in her earpiece.
"Nora. We're coming. Hold on."
Damien.
Something in her surged.
Specter raised a blade, aiming for her throat—
And Nora twisted, locking her legs around Specter's neck and flipping them both.
The creature crashed into the pod, wires sparking.
Nora staggered to her feet. "You're a copy. I'm the original."
She activated the charge Damien gave her.
Specter's eyes widened.
"No—"
The detonation lit up the room.
Nora shielded her face, and when the smoke cleared—
Specter was gone.
---