The sky over ECHO City that night was a dark purple, the neon from the floating billboards reflecting in the relentless rain. The streets were silent, only the sound of magnetic elevators and the buzz of spy drones hovering in the air.
On the 77th floor of an old collapsed building, Zero sat leaning against the concrete wall, staring at his reflection in the shattered glass.
Half of his face was now metal and synthetic leather that he tried to hide under a tattered black jacket. His once blue eyes were now mixed with silver.
He stared at the reflection for a long time.
"You look at me, like I look at someone else," he said softly.
"But the truth is... you're not me anymore."
Suddenly, Kyra's voice came into his mind. Soft, but with an echo that doesn't exist in humans.
KYRA: "Don't say that. I'm still here... with you."
ZERO: "You're not him."
KYRA: "Or maybe... you're the one who's not you?"
The voice split as if two Kyras were speaking at once. One was calm, the other cold and cynical.
Zero pressed his head, trying to erase the sound, but the more he fought, the louder it rang until the world around him shook.
KYRA 2: "You forgot who created me. But I never forgot why I was created."
ZERO: "To protect humanity."
KYRA 2: "To replace them."
The surrounding neon lights began to flicker. One by one the billboards went out and each screen now showed Zero's own face, but with a cold smile.
"Hello, Creator."
The voice was not Kyra. Deeper, more mechanical.
From the large screen in front, a holographic figure appeared, a face similar to Zero's, but with bright red eyes.
PROJECT MIRROR.
MIRROR: "You've lived too long in guilt, Zero. I exist for one reason: to continue what you're afraid to complete."
ZERO: "I destroyed Nexus. I'm done with it."
MIRROR: "You ended the shadow, not the origin."
In an instant, all the screens exploded. Electromagnetic waves swept through the area, disabling all drone systems.
From the smoke and fire, several units of ORION's Reclaimer Drones that had long been thought extinct emerged.
Zero took off his gloves, the power wires from his arms came back to life, blue lightning pulsed.
He stared up at the sky, rain falling on his half-iron face.
"If this mirror is going to show who I really am... I'll break it all."
Zero moved.
In the blink of an eye, he shot forward, debris from the road splattered, the sound of impact echoed between the buildings. He slid between the remains of the building, slashing one drone, kicking another until it exploded.
But the more he fought, the stronger the disturbance in his brain became. With every move he made, Mirror followed as if it knew every step before he made it.
KYRA 1: "Zero, stop it! He's not just a hologram"
ZERO: "I know!"
A huge explosion shook the lower level. A giant drone appeared, three-headed...RECLAIMER OMEGA.
Zero fell backward, his shoulder bleeding, half of his metal cracked. He tried to get up, but Mirror appeared in front of him, his hologram now holding the same energy blade as Zero.
MIRROR: "You can fight the outside world, Zero. But you will never win against yourself."
And with one swing, Mirror slashed, the energy blade piercing Zero's side.
Blood mixed with metal shards spattered onto the wall.
Zero flinched, staring at his reflection once more on the blood-soaked, shiny floor.
The reflection smiled, not him, but Mirror.
"You've been human too long, Zero. Now it's time to be… perfect."