The 1001st Copy

CHAPTER 2: THE PATH TO THE MACHINE'S GRAVE

New Tokyo, March 15, 2145 – 5:17 AM

Liora pushed her sweat-drenched black hair back, her fingers trembling slightly as she adjusted the grip on her ion pistol. The acidic rain drummed softly on the roof of the Neotech building, forming a crimson mist that looked like dried blood.

"Jax, you sure the tunnel’s here?"

The young hacker nodded, his smart-lens glasses emitting a faint laser as they scanned the concrete wall. "According to the leaked schematics, there’s an entrance to Lab B-13 just behind this wall. But..." He hesitated, noticing an anomaly. "It’s secured with a Level 9 security system—the kind they use for nuclear armories."

A sharp beep echoed. The wall split apart, revealing a metallic door with an intricate biometric lock.

5:23 AM – Underground Laboratory

"No way in hell…" Jax muttered, his breath hitching as he read the security prompt. "Retinal scan for Kael, voice authentication, and a fresh DNA sample within five minutes."

Liora pulled out a plastic bag containing the left eye of Kael Unit 7. "Will this do?"

Two seconds of silence. Jax swallowed hard before nodding.

ALERT: UNAUTHORIZED ACCESS DETECTED

The screen flashed a menacing red as Jax inserted the eyeball into the scanner.

"Get ready to run!" he shouted just as the lab’s AI announced in a cold, sterile voice:

"Identity confirmed: Daniel Kael – Version 7. Disconnected at 3:07 AM. Status: Deceased. Activating Exterminatus Protocol."

From the walls, dozens of spider-like surgical drones scuttled out, each wielding twin plasma scalpels.

Jax grabbed Liora’s wrist, yanking her forward as the first blades slashed through the air, leaving behind glowing blue trails.

"Follow the purple lights!" Liora yelled, firing two shots at the drones. The ion blasts made them stagger, but didn’t completely disable them.

5:31 AM – The Anomaly Hallway

They dashed through a pitch-black corridor, illuminated only by rows of glowing containment tubes filled with amber liquid.

Liora came to an abrupt stop in front of one. Inside was… herself.

The label on the monitor sent a chill down her spine:

"Liora Kane – Version 12. Creation Date: 03/12/2145. Status: Memory integration in progress."

Jax slammed his fist against the control panel. "Those bastards! Echo Engine wasn’t just cloning Kael… they’re replicating elite officers!"

Loud, synchronized footsteps echoed from the end of the hallway.

The Clone Hunters had arrived—twelve figures clad in jet-black tactical gear, gas masks shaped like skulls, and railguns locked and loaded.

5:39 AM – Confrontation

Talia Voss, the squad commander, removed her mask, revealing a scar-covered face. "Chief Kane, you are trespassing in a Level 10 restricted zone." Her voice was as corroded as acid.

Liora raised her gun. "How much do you know about these clones?"

Talia smirked, motioning toward Liora-12’s containment tube. "We clean up the trash. Every defective clone must be eliminated. Even…" she flicked her gaze toward Jax, "those who know too much."

Jax suddenly lunged, jamming an electro-screwdriver into Talia’s wrist.

"Glitch out, machine!" he roared as her cybernetic nervous system short-circuited.

5:47 AM – The Escape

They sprinted into an emergency elevator, leaving Talia convulsing on the floor.

A small ID card slipped from her pocket. Liora caught a glimpse of the inscription:

"Dr. Talia Voss – Version 15. Project Thanatos."

Her blood ran cold.

The elevator plummeted toward the 40th sublevel. Jax frantically hacked the brake system while Liora stared below—at a massive, spherical chamber pulsing with eerie green light.

"Echo Engine…" she whispered.

The elevator came to a jarring halt. The doors slid open to reveal a nightmare:

Hundreds of containment pods.

Each one holding a different stage of Kael’s development.

And at the center…

A perfect Kael clone. Eyes wide open. Waiting.

A sinister smile curled on his lips.

"Hello, Liora. I’ve been expecting you."