The corridor narrowed.
Kaven stepped first, gun raised, sweeping each corner. The hum had settled into a faint vibration, like a presence that buzzed beneath their skin. Not threatening — not yet — but not entirely passive either.
Lara walked slowly behind him, eyes locked on the walls.
There were markings here — faded, almost erased — numbers, symbols, diagrams.
She ran a hand across one of them. "These aren't recent."
Kaven glanced back. "You recognize any of it?"
She shook her head. "No… but my body does."
It sounded strange, but it was true. Her heartbeat had quickened the moment they stepped through the door. Not from fear. From memory.
Suddenly, they reached a split in the hallway. Left: a closed steel hatch. Right: a wide-open door with shattered glass.
Kaven took the open route.
Inside was a small observation room — thick monitors lined the wall, all dark now. A control panel sat beneath them, buttons and switches untouched for years. On the desk, an old clipboard.
Lara picked it up. The top sheet had a single heading:
"Subject Strand | Cognitive Split 3.9"
She froze. "Strand. Not Hollings."
Kaven looked over her shoulder. "Your real name?"
"No," she said softly. "I've never heard it before. But I've seen it… in my dreams."
There were notes scribbled underneath — some redacted, some smeared.
> "Test 8B showed temporary fusion between host and projected memory field." "After 11 minutes, Subject K experienced extreme distress." "Subject L remained unaware of secondary timeline."
Kaven's eyes widened. "Subject K?"
They both stood still.
"Kaven," Lara whispered. "K could be you."
Before he could reply, the lights above them blinked. Once. Twice.
Then the monitors lit up.
Static.
A distorted voice crackled through a hidden speaker.
> "You've come back."
Lara backed up. "Who is that?"
The voice came again, clearer this time.
> "Welcome home, Juliette."
Kaven turned to her.
Lara's face was pale. "I'm not Juliette."
The voice paused. Then it said, like a machine searching through files:
> "Juliette Strand. Primary Host. Trial Subject 0."
A beat passed.
Kaven's breath slowed. "You're not the girl they made forget. You're the one they built it all around."
Lara's eyes filled with tears. "That's not possible. I was nobody."
"No," he said quietly. "You were the first."
A new light flickered behind them.
Another screen lit up — this time, a video feed.
A girl in a white gown stood in a sterile room.
Hair tied back.
Blank expression.
It was her.
Lara gasped, one hand to her mouth.
She was watching herself… except it wasn't her. Not quite. Her face was younger. Eyes colder. Empty.
> "Memory wipe failed. Personality divergence initiated."
The recording ended.
Silence.
Then the screen shifted — a digital map blinked on, showing a room two levels below. Red dot: moving. Approaching.
Kaven swore under his breath. "We're not alone."
Lara turned. "We need to leave."
But the door behind them suddenly slammed shut. A lock hissed. The lights turned red.
And from the speaker came one final word:
> "Reset."
---
End of Chapter 22