The elevator shuddered as it descended, its dim red lights flickering against steel walls.No buttons. No panels. Only a biometric scanner that pulsed faintly with each beat of Lin Wei's heart.
Hamdan gripped the rail, still pale from blood loss. "If this is the bottom, what the hell was everything above?"
Leila smirked without humor. "A distraction. Level Zero is where they keep the truth."
When the doors slid open, icy air poured in—dry, metallic, and far too sterile.
Rows of containment pods stretched across the darkness, each filled with a faint blue glow. Inside them floated human shapes, suspended in clear liquid.
Lin Wei stepped forward, the sound of her boots echoing like gunfire in the silence.
Her reflection stared back at her from the glass.Except—it wasn't quite her.The face inside the pod had the same features, the same birthmark near the collarbone.But the expression was… wrong. Empty.
Leila's voice was low. "They made more of you."
Hamdan turned away, jaw tight. "How many?"
Lin Wei scanned the pods. W-12A. W-12B. W-12C.Each one looked identical.Each one was her.
Her hands trembled. "They didn't stop cloning me—they perfected it."
She backed away, but a console on the wall flickered to life.The same mechanical voice from before filled the chamber.
"Welcome back, Subject W-12. Integration sequence initiating."
Every pod lit up at once. Liquid drained. The glass began to open.
"Run!" Hamdan shouted, grabbing Lin Wei's arm.
But it was too late.
The first clone stepped out, eyes opening—pale and soulless. Then another. And another.Within seconds, a dozen versions of Lin Wei stood before them, moving in eerie unison.
Leila pulled her gun. "You have got to be kidding me."
The clones moved faster than human, their heads tilting in perfect synchrony.One of them spoke, voice flat, mechanical:
"The original consciousness must be assimilated. Please comply."
Hamdan fired. The first clone dropped, glass shattering—but the others didn't even flinch.
Lin Wei gritted her teeth. "They're not alive. They're programmed."
"Then reprogram them!" Leila shouted.
"I can't without—"
Before she could finish, the nearest clone lunged. Lin Wei dodged, rolling under a swing that cracked metal. She snatched a fallen rifle and fired point-blank. The recoil slammed through her arms, but the clone went down.
The others hesitated, heads tilting toward the fallen one.A flicker of confusion—then synchronization resumed.
"They share a neural link," Lin Wei realized aloud. "If I can access the core system—"
Hamdan's voice was raw. "Then do it!"
She bolted for the control console. Sparks flew as Leila covered her, dual pistols blazing."Move faster, genius!" Leila yelled.
Lin Wei's fingers flew across the panel. Lines of code filled the screen. The system demanded authorization, but she didn't hesitate this time. She cut her palm and pressed it against the scanner again.
Authorization confirmed. System override active.
The clones froze mid-motion.
"Come on," she whispered. "Come on…"
Then one of them—closer than the rest—moved. Not attacking, just looking at her.
Its eyes flickered from blue to brown—her exact color.And it spoke.
"Don't shut us down."
The voice wasn't mechanical anymore. It was hers. Soft. Human.
Everyone froze.
Lin Wei's breath caught. "You… can talk."
The clone nodded slightly. "We remember everything you do. Every pain. Every fear. We were made to replace you when you failed."
Hamdan stepped forward cautiously. "Replace her? By who's order?"
The clone's gaze shifted toward the ceiling, as if hearing someone else. "Omar. But not just him."
It hesitated, then whispered, "The King started it."
The silence that followed was deafening.
Hamdan's voice was barely a whisper. "My father?"
The clone looked back at Lin Wei. "He wanted immortality. But your body rejected the program. Ours didn't."
Lin Wei's pulse pounded in her ears. "He wanted to live through us."
The clone's hand twitched. "He's still alive, Lin Wei. Inside one of us."
Before Lin Wei could react, the chamber lights flared crimson.
"Containment breach detected. Manual purge initiated."
Every pod began to hiss. A toxic gas seeped into the room.
Leila coughed. "They're flushing the whole level!"
Hamdan grabbed Lin Wei's wrist. "We have to go!"
She looked back at the clone—the one with her eyes. "Come with us!"
It shook its head slowly. "You don't understand. I'm not the one you think I am."
Then it smiled—a sad, knowing smile. "But she is."
And before Lin Wei could ask what that meant, another door at the far end opened.
Through the fog stepped a figure.
She froze.
It was her face again—but older, sharper, radiating authority.The woman's voice was calm, almost gentle.
"Welcome home, W-12. I've been waiting for you."
Lin Wei's breath hitched.
There was a familiar frigid detachment in the woman's eyes—
an expression she had seen somewhere in her own memories.
Hamdan whispered, "Who is she?"
Lin Wei's heart gave a violent jolt.
The woman smiled, extending her hand.
"I'm Lin Wei…
the original."