Isla stood before the final mirror. The reflection looked peaceful now, no stitches, no fear.
"You can end it," it said softly. "Let me take your place."
"What happens to me?"
The reflection smiled. "You rest. Everyone rests."
The clocks all around began to tick backward again.
Isla took a deep breath. "I'm sorry," she whispered to Mason, to the child, to herself.
Then she stepped forward, merging with the reflection.
The mirror rippled, stilled.
The facility lights flickered once. Twice. Then steadied.
In the silence that followed, a faint sound broke through, the hum of the clock restarting.
00:59:59
A woman's voice, calm and clinical, filled the room:
"Subject 09: Awake."