Subject Twelve dragged itself through the shattered doorway on all fours, its limbs bending in sickening, unnatural angles. Pale synthetic skin stretched over reinforced bone structures, cracking with every movement. Its spine arched like a hunting animal, but its face—
Mara's breath hitched.
Its face looked like hers.
Not perfectly.
Not fully formed.
Like an unfinished sketch—
Mara's features carved into something still growing into itself.
Daniel shoved Mara behind him. "Don't look at it!"
The creature lifted its head sharply. Static rippled from its throat.
"Ma…ra…"
Its voice was hers too—broken, distorted, as if someone had taken her speech and run it through a corrupted machine.
Evelyn stumbled backward, papers scattering.
Ten screamed and covered her ears.
Daniel raised his gun again, despite Evelyn's warning.
"No—Daniel, don't!" Evelyn hissed.
Too late.
Twelve lunged.
Daniel fired. The bullet struck Twelve in the shoulder—
—but instead of recoiling, the prototype studied the wound, tilting its head as if calculating the physics of the impact.
Then, before Daniel could blink—
Twelve moved.
A blur.
A streak.
A perfect, horrifying mimic of Mara's combat reflexes… but stronger.
It slammed Daniel across the room with one hand. His body crashed into the far wall and dropped hard to the floor.
"Daniel!" Mara cried.
He didn't get up.
Ten sobbed. Evelyn grabbed the girl and dragged her under the table.
Twelve's glowing eye focused on Mara.
It crawled toward her, slow and deliberate, claws clicking against broken wood.
Zero's shimmering figure flickered beside Mara, her expression hard.
"Don't run."
Mara's heart pounded. "What? Why?"
"Running triggers chase behavior."
"Then what do I do?"
Zero's eyes glowed brighter.
"Show it you are not prey."
Twelve rose from all fours, lifting itself until it stood at full height. Its body creaked, adjusting. Mimicking. Learning how to stand like her.
Mara forced herself still.
Hands trembling.
Legs shaking.
But refusing to step back.
Twelve leaned forward until its broken face was inches from hers.
It sniffed the air around her, breathing mechanically. It studied her eyes… as if comparing them to its own warped copy.
Static burbled from its throat—
"Sub—ject… Pre—miere."
Mara's brow furrowed.
"Premiere?"
Evelyn whispered hoarsely from under the table, "It's calling you the first. The primary. The original template."
Zero murmured softly:
"It was programmed to replace me… but it was built from you."
Twelve raised one shaking hand and reached toward Mara's face—
Daniel groaned on the floor.
Barely conscious.
Twelve's head snapped toward him like a predator scenting food.
"No!" Mara shouted instinctively.
Twelve froze.
Slowly, its attention returned to her.
It responded to her voice.
Zero whispered urgently, "Mara… it's waiting. Issue a command."
Mara swallowed, terrified but steady.
She spoke carefully, softly.
"Stay."
Twelve obeyed.
It lowered its arm.
Tilted its head.
Watched her.
Ten peeked from under the table. "Mara… you're controlling it."
Evelyn shook her head. "Not control. Recognition. It knows she outranks it."
Mara didn't dare move.
Twelve's eye flickered wildly as though battling internal code.
Static surged.
[—Override detected—]
[—Obey primary—]
[—Eliminate interference—]
Its gaze snapped back to Daniel.
"No," Mara whispered. "No—look at me. Me."
Slowly, painfully, Twelve turned toward her again.
Its jaw twitched.
Its voice glitched.
"Ma…ra… with… me…"
Mara stiffened.
"What?"
Evelyn's face drained of color.
"It's requesting integration," she whispered. "Connection. Bonding to its source."
Zero's reflection glowed fiercely.
"You can't let it touch you."
Twelve raised both arms.
Reached.
Wanting to merge.
Mara stepped back—
A mistake.
Twelve shrieked—
A ripping, metallic sound.
It charged.
Zero shouted—
"RUN!"
And Mara sprinted as Twelve smashed through the house after her.