The grainy image of Nightshade standing beside Dr. Thorne in the video log burned in my mind, a stark betrayal etched onto the fragile landscape of my understanding. My carefully constructed reality, already a bizarre tapestry of accidental heroism and online infamy, was unraveling at an alarming rate.
"Nightshade…?" I stammered, my voice barely a whisper, my gaze fixed on the frozen image on Glitch's ancient monitor. The room fell silent, the weight of the revelation pressing down on us.
Maya and Nova exchanged bewildered glances, their superhero senses seemingly unable to process this unexpected twist. Nightshade herself stood frozen, her usual composed demeanor shattered, her eyes wide with a mixture of shock and… something else? Guilt? Fear?
『Harem Streamer System: Nightshade's potential involvement in Project Chimera: 89% probability. Heroine affection level: Critical instability detected. Recommendation: Initiate 'awkwardly confrontational questioning' protocol. (Protocol success rate: Historically low.)』
"Nightshade," Maya began, her voice carefully neutral, "what… what is the meaning of this?"
Nightshade finally seemed to snap out of her stunned silence. She turned away from the screen, her hands clenched into fists. "I… I can explain." Her voice was strained, the usual confident tone replaced by a raw vulnerability I had never witnessed before.
"Explain how you were working with the mad scientist who experimented on me?" I blurted out, the shock giving way to a surge of anger and confusion. "Explain how you were 'instrumental in my development'?" The words felt like poison on my tongue.
Nightshade flinched as if struck. "It wasn't like that, Scott. You have to believe me."
"Believe you?" I scoffed, the disbelief bubbling up into bitter laughter. "I just found out I was some kind of lab rat in a project to create superhumans, and the person I trusted, the person who's been helping us, was apparently part of it?"
"I was trying to protect you!" Nightshade insisted, her eyes pleading. "That's why I contacted you as Spectre. That's why I've been helping you."
"Protect me from what?" I shot back. "From the truth? From my own past?"
Nova stepped forward, her ethereal glow softening slightly as she looked at Nightshade. "Please. Tell us what happened."
Nightshade hesitated, her gaze flickering between me and the others. She took a deep breath, as if bracing herself for a painful confession.
"Years ago," she began, her voice low and unsteady, "before I became Nightshade… I was involved in a research program. Project Chimera. I was… young. Naive. I believed in Dr. Thorne's vision, his belief in unlocking human potential."
"And that involved experimenting on children?" Maya asked, her voice sharp with disapproval.
Nightshade's face paled. "At first… it was theoretical. Studies on energy sensitivity, neural pathways… But then… they found you, Scott. You were… different. You exhibited a unique ability to channel and amplify ambient energy."
The fragmented memories flashed through my mind again – the cold table, the humming machines, Thorne's intense gaze. A terrifying clarity began to dawn.
"They were using me," I said, the realization hitting me like a physical blow. "They were experimenting on me to… to harness my power."
Nightshade nodded slowly, tears welling up in her eyes. "Thorne… he became obsessed. He pushed the boundaries, ignoring ethical concerns. I… I started to have doubts. I tried to stop him, but…"
"But you didn't?" I finished, the anger rising again.
"I couldn't," Nightshade whispered. "He had powerful backers. And… and I was afraid. But I never wanted to hurt you, Scott. When the project was shut down, I made it my mission to watch over you, to protect you from anyone who might try to exploit your abilities again."
"So, the whole 'Spectre' thing, the cryptic warnings… that was all you?" I asked, the pieces clicking into place.
Nightshade nodded. "I knew the Shadow Syndicate was still interested in Project Chimera, in you. I tried to intervene indirectly, hoping to steer you away from them."
『Harem Streamer System: Nightshade's explanation provided. Heroine affection level: Severely compromised. Recommendation: Initiate 'trust assessment' protocol. (Protocol outcome highly dependent on host's emotional state.)』
The revelation was a bombshell, shattering the fragile trust I had begun to build with Nightshade. She had been my protector, my ally… but her past was inextricably linked to the very nightmare I was only beginning to understand.
"Why didn't you just tell me the truth?" I asked, the hurt and betrayal weighing heavily on me.
Nightshade hesitated. "I was afraid. Afraid of how you would react. Afraid of losing your trust."
The irony wasn't lost on me.
The silence in the archive stretched, thick with unspoken words and shattered trust. Maya and Nova looked at Nightshade with a mixture of suspicion and reluctant understanding. Glitch, ever the pragmatist, continued to pore over the data, seemingly unfazed by the emotional turmoil in the room.
"There's something else," Glitch said, their voice cutting through the tension. "Thorne's research… it mentions a failsafe. A way to disrupt anyone trying to weaponize Subject Omega's energy."
A glimmer of hope flickered within me. A failsafe? A way to control whatever strange power resided within me?
"Where is it?" Nightshade asked, her voice regaining some of its former urgency.
Glitch pointed to a heavily encrypted file on the terminal. "This is it. But it's locked down tight. I'll need time to crack it."
Time was a luxury we didn't seem to have. The Shadow Syndicate was still out there, and now they knew we were aware of Project Chimera. They wouldn't hesitate to come after me again.
I looked at Nightshade, my heart a confusing mix of anger, betrayal, and a strange, reluctant understanding. She had lied, she had kept a huge secret, but her intentions, however misguided, seemed to have stemmed from a desire to protect me.
"Glitch, work on that failsafe," I said, my voice firm despite the turmoil within me. "We need to know what Thorne was planning."
I turned to Nightshade, my gaze unwavering. "And you… you need to tell us everything. Everything about Project Chimera, about Dr. Thorne, about my… abilities. No more secrets."
Nightshade nodded slowly, her eyes filled with a renewed determination. "You're right, Scott. You deserve the truth. And I'll do whatever it takes to help you."
The archive, filled with the ghosts of a forgotten past, had become our new battleground. The truth about Project Chimera, about my own identity, and about Nightshade's role in it all was slowly coming to light. And I had a feeling that the revelations to come would be even more shocking than anything we had uncovered so far. The game had changed, the stakes had been raised, and the uncomfortable reunion with my past was only just beginning.