The capital looked different under smoke.Where marble towers once glimmered, only firelight remained.
From the ridge above, Lin Wei watched the city burn, her heart a knot of dread and determination. The helicopter lights patrolled the skyline like hunting eyes.
"They sealed every entrance," Leila muttered, scanning through binoculars. "Omar declared martial law an hour ago. His soldiers shoot on sight."
Hamdan, still pale from his wound, clenched his jaw. "Then we go where they least expect us—the undercity."
Leila arched an eyebrow. "The tunnels? They're flooded."
"Not all of them," Hamdan said. "My father built escape routes during the oil wars. Only a few of us knew they existed."
Lin Wei met his gaze. "Then let's use them."
Her voice no longer trembled. There was something new in it—steel, conviction. Even Leila paused at the tone.
They descended at dusk.
The old drainage tunnels beneath the capital smelled of rust and ash. Their footsteps echoed through the wet stone, accompanied by the distant rumble of generators.
Hamdan led the way, a torch flickering in his hand. Lin Wei followed close, clutching the drive she'd taken from him—the one marked Project SANDGATE.
When they reached a sealed iron gate, Hamdan placed his hand on a faded biometric panel. To their surprise, it blinked green. The gate creaked open.
Behind it lay a chamber lined with monitors and dormant machinery. Dust coated everything, but the tech was far beyond anything Lin Wei had seen in the palace.
Leila whistled. "So this is where the royal family hides their ghosts."
Hamdan ignored her. He stepped toward the central console. "This system shouldn't even be active."
Lin Wei hesitated, then connected the data drive. The screen flared to life, displaying the same file header: SANDGATE MAINFRAME.
A cascade of documents appeared—reports, images, medical scans. Each labeled with a code.W-01. W-02. W-03… all the way to W-12.
Lin Wei's throat tightened. She clicked the first file.
W-01 – Male subject: neural compliance 73%. Terminated due to psychological breakdown.W-02 – Female subject: incomplete integration. Terminated.W-03 – Subject vanished.
She scrolled faster.
W-07, W-08—terminated.W-09—"stable, under observation."W-10—"reassigned to palace staff."
And then—
W-12 – Lin Wei. Status: operational. Trigger dormant.
"Trigger?" she whispered.
Leila frowned. "What does that mean?"
Before anyone could answer, a low beep filled the room. The monitor shifted to a live feed. Dozens of faces appeared on the screen—women, men, children—each with a faint number tattooed on their wrist.
They weren't dead. They were alive.
Dozens of "W" subjects.
All confined in sterile white rooms, their expressions blank.
Hamdan's eyes widened. "My God… they're still running it."
Leila's voice turned sharp. "You mean this wasn't just your father's project?"
He shook his head. "No. Rahim may have expanded it—but this… this started long before him."
Lin Wei stepped closer to the screen. One of the figures turned toward the camera. For a heartbeat, she thought she saw herself—same eyes, same face.
Her stomach dropped. "They cloned me."
Before they could process it, the chamber lights flickered. A voice filled the room—cold, automated, yet familiar.
"Unauthorized access detected. Welcome back, Subject W-12."
Lin Wei froze. The machines around them powered on one by one, humming like a waking beast.
"Your compliance cycle will now resume. Please remain still."
Panels slid open on the walls. Mechanical arms extended, glinting under the light.
Hamdan shouted, "Get down!"
They dove behind the console as the arms fired tranquilizer darts into the air. Sparks flew as Leila yanked out a power cable and slammed her pistol into the nearest control box.
"Shut it off!" Hamdan roared.
"I'm trying!" Lin Wei's fingers flew across the keys, overriding the system command. Lines of code scrolled by faster than she could read.
ACCESS DENIED. SECURITY OVERRIDE REQUIRED.
Then another message flashed on-screen:
Override Key: DNA Signature W-12.
Leila's gaze snapped to her. "You. It's keyed to you!"
Lin Wei bit her lip. "Then I'll stop it myself."
She pressed her bleeding palm to the scanner. The system hesitated—then beeped.
Authorization confirmed. Manual control transferred.
The machinery powered down, one section at a time, until the chamber fell silent again.
Hamdan exhaled shakily. "Remind me never to doubt you again."
Leila smirked. "She's more dangerous than either of us, that's for sure."
Lin Wei didn't respond. Her eyes were locked on the frozen screen—on the faces of the other subjects.
"Those people…" she whispered. "They're me."
Hamdan put a hand on her shoulder. "Then we free them."
She turned to him. "And if they're not human anymore?"
"Then we find out who did this to you—and end them."
Outside, the tunnel lights began to flash red. The emergency alarm blared through the metal corridors.
Leila cursed. "They've traced us. We've got company."
"How many?" Hamdan asked.
She checked the monitor. "A full strike team. Ten vehicles."
Lin Wei pulled the drive free and pocketed it. "Then we move. But not out."
Hamdan frowned. "What do you mean?"
She looked toward the deepest tunnel, where cold air drifted upward like breath from a sleeping monster.
"If this project started here," she said quietly, "then its heart isn't aboveground."
Leila's smirk returned, sharp as ever. "You want to go down?"
Lin Wei nodded. "We've spent enough time running. It's time they start running from me."
Hamdan's gaze met hers—equal parts fear and awe.
Then, wordlessly, they followed her into the darkness.As they descended, the tunnel lights dimmed to black. A single holographic line appeared on the wall ahead, pulsing like a heartbeat.
"Welcome to Level Zero, W-12."
And beneath it, a new phrase scrolled in blood-red letters:
PROJECT: RESURRECTION ACTIVE.