EPISODE 14 SUBJECT ZERO
The photograph trembled in Elias’ hands.
The child remained motionless beneath the red emergency lights.
Silent.
Watching.
For several seconds, neither of them moved.
Then the child spoke.
You finally found me.
Its voice sounded calm.
Almost familiar.
Elias stared at the picture again.
Years ago, he stood beside the circular machine.
And beside him was the same child.
Exactly the same age.
Exactly the same face.
Impossible.
Who are you? Elias whispered.
The child tilted its head slightly.
“You gave me that name.”
A distant alarm echoed through the facility.
The emergency lights flickered.
For a brief moment, shadows stretched across the hallway like dark water.
Then they vanished.
Elias took a cautious step forward.
Subject Zero?
The child smiled faintly.
That’s what the scientists called me.
Another tremor shook the underground complex.
Dust drifted from the ceiling.
Somewhere far below, heavy machinery groaned to life.
The sound seemed to come from the depths beneath the facility.
The place where the corridor had first opened.
You were never human, Elias said.
The child’s expression changed.
For the first time, it looked sad.
No.
A long silence followed.
Then the child pointed toward the darkness behind Elias.
You weren’t supposed to be either.
Elias felt a chill run through him.
Before he could answer, every monitor in the hallway suddenly activated.
Screen after screen illuminated the corridor.
Dozens of security feeds appeared.
Every camera showed the same location.
The central chamber.
The room containing the circular machine.
Something was happening there.
The machine had started spinning again.
Slowly.
Steadily.
As if responding to a signal.
A new voice crackled from the speakers overhead.
Director Hale.
The dead director.
Or something pretending to be him.
Containment breach progressing.
Static hissed.
Then the voice continued.
Primary gateway reopening.
The child looked toward the monitors.
“It’s awake.”
What is? Elias asked.
The child’s eyes remained fixed on the screens.
The thing behind the corridor.
The facility lights dimmed.
For an instant, every monitor displayed a single image.
A black doorway.
Nothing more.
No walls.
No room.
Just a doorway standing alone in darkness.
Then the screens returned to normal.
Elias felt his pulse racing.
What is that place?
The child finally looked at him.
“A place where copies begin.”
The words echoed through the hallway.
Before Elias could ask another question, a loud metallic crash erupted nearby.
One of the security doors burst open.
Footsteps approached.
Fast.
Several figures emerged from the darkness.
Scientists.
Security personnel.
Technicians.
All wearing old facility uniforms.
All perfectly silent.
They walked in unison.
Their expressions empty.
Their eyes fixed on Elias.
The child stepped backward.
“They found us.”
The figures continued advancing.
Not running.
Not rushing.
Just walking.
As though they already knew there was nowhere to escape.
Elias turned toward the nearest stairwell.
We need to move.
The child nodded.
Together they ran.
Behind them, the silent figures entered the corridor.
The emergency lights flashed red.
A warning siren filled the facility.
LEVEL FOUR LOCKDOWN INITIATED.
LEVEL FOUR LOCKDOWN INITIATED.
The message repeated endlessly.
Elias and the child reached an abandoned observation deck overlooking the central chamber.
The sight below stopped him cold.
The circular machine was active.
Bright white energy flowed around its outer ring.
Engineers’ platforms surrounded it.
Most were empty.
Others were occupied by motionless figures staring down at the machine.
In the center of the chamber stood the black doorway from the monitors.
Except now it was real.
And larger.
Much larger.
The darkness inside it seemed deeper than ordinary shadow.
It felt wrong.
As though space itself bent around it.
The child stared at the doorway.
Fear appeared on its face for the first time.
“It’s opening faster than before.”
Elias looked down.
What happens if it fully opens?
The child remained silent.
Then it answered.
Everything starts over.
A sudden burst of static filled the observation deck.
Every speaker activated simultaneously.
Director Hale’s voice returned.
Only now it sounded different.
Distorted.
Layered.
As if many voices were speaking together.
We’ve been waiting for you, Elias.
The machine below accelerated.
The doorway expanded.
Darkness spilled outward like a living shadow.
The chamber lights flickered violently.
Then the speakers delivered one final message.
The first experiment never ended.
The observation deck shook.
Cracks spread across the glass windows.
The child grabbed Elias’ arm.
We have to reach the control room.
Why?
The child pointed toward the growing doorway.
Because you’re the only one who can remember what happened on the other side.
The glass shattered.
A freezing wind erupted from the chamber below.
Alarms screamed.
Machines failed.
Lights exploded.
And from deep inside the expanding darkness—
Something moved.
Not toward the facility.
Toward Elias.
As if it had recognized him.
TO BE CONTINUED…