Then the figure looked down at the blade buried inside it. "Data transfer—complete."
Cain froze. "What?"
Its hand clamped onto his wrist, tight as iron. "Replication successful."
A pulse of white light erupted between them, and Cain was thrown back, slamming into the rail. The figure's body disintegrated into a storm of nanites that scattered like ash—absorbing into the chamber walls.
The lights began to glow brighter, one by one, as the pods around them came alive.
Roselle's voice cut through the chaos. "Cain! The bodies—they're activating!"
Steve looked at his monitor, horror flooding his face. "He copied Cain's data—combat patterns, reflex signatures—all of it! They're turning it into code!"
Cain rose slowly, his eyes fixed on the awakening pods. "Then we burn this place down before it finishes learning."
Hunter reloaded his pistol. "You got a plan?"
Cain tightened his grip on the sword. "Yeah. Kill everything that looks like me."
