Ava's POV
I woke up strapped to a steel table.
The air was sharp with antiseptic and electricity. Above me, fluorescent lights flickered like they were struggling to survive just like me. Cold metal bit into my wrists and ankles. Every breath I took rattled with old panic.
It was Facility Black all over again.
Except this time, it was Erik watching me from behind the glass.
He stood there, my brother expression unreadable, arms folded across his chest like this was some kind of twisted experiment. His eyes met mine. Still no recognition. Just... calculation.
"You were always stronger than me," he said finally. "They wanted to see what happens when the stronger model gets corrupted."
I gritted my teeth. "You're not my enemy."
He pressed a button. A current jolted through the table sharp, controlled, but not fatal. Just enough to hurt. I bit down hard and tasted blood.
"They reprogrammed me," he said. "Erased everything. Then rebuilt me."
I could barely speak through the pain. "And now what? You're the loyal lapdog?"
"I'm not loyal to them," Erik replied. "But I need to know how much of you is still you."
Another shock. My vision blurred.
Then the lights went out.
I woke again this time in a different room. No straps. Just a simple metal cell and a cot. My body ached, but I was alive.
A whisper came through the vent above me.
"I saw you… in the observation deck."
I jolted upright. "Who are you?"
"A failed experiment. Like us."
I moved closer to the wall. "You know a way out?"
"No. But I know where they keep the override codes."
Footsteps approached. Silence.
Then the door clicked open.
Erik stood there. Alone.
"You're not ready yet," he said. "But you will be. I'll break what's left of you. And when I do, maybe we can be family again."
Then he shut the door and walked away.
And for the first time in years, I was truly afraid.