Location: Atlas Underground Base – Secure Medical Lab, Tavara
The soft hum of life-support machines filled the air. Subject V, now removed from the stasis pod, lay motionless on a reinforced medical bed encased within a transparent containment dome. Blue light flickered as biometric scanners traced every inch of his physiology.
Victor watched from behind the glass, arms crossed. Zuri stood beside him, flipping through data on a handheld tablet.
"He's recovering faster than expected," she murmured. "His vitals stabilized within two hours. That's... not normal."
Victor's jaw tightened. "Nothing about this is normal. They made a clone of me. But why?"
Before Zuri could answer, Nora walked in, her expression unreadable.
"Dominion didn't just build a copy," she said. "They altered his mind. Conditioned him with a mirror of your memories—your battles, your losses, even your voice commands. He was meant to replace you if you ever went rogue."
Victor's eyes narrowed. "And now he's free."
---
Location: Holding Room Adjacent to Lab
Damien leaned against the wall as Echo projected a holographic simulation.
"They trained him inside a virtual battlefield they called 'The Crucible.' Constant simulations. Zero rest. Psychological reinforcement tied to success, punishment for failure."
Elros, arms folded, added grimly, "He doesn't know right from wrong. Only mission parameters."
Linda, reviewing the Dominion mental programming files, looked up. "His identity is fractured. If he wakes up disoriented, he could be dangerous… or utterly lost."
Echo's voice cut in: "They built him in your image, Victor. But you are defined by choices. He was denied that."
---
Location: Containment Chamber, Minutes Later
A faint movement.
Subject V's fingers twitched. His breathing changed—more rhythmic. Then, with a sudden gasp, his eyes flew open.
Dark. Piercing. Empty.
He sat upright slowly, looking around at the unfamiliar walls. His gaze settled on the reflection in the glass—Victor Kane, standing motionless.
"Target… identified," he said in a flat, mechanical tone.
Victor didn't flinch. "You're not a target. You're me—or at least, what they tried to force me into becoming."
The young man tilted his head. "I am V-One. Primary objective: unknown. Memory… scrambled."
Zuri, now behind a control panel, whispered, "He's broken protocol. He's not following command directives. That's good—it means he's more human than they anticipated."
Victor walked closer. "You have a choice. For the first time, you're not under their control."
V-One stared at him for a long moment… then looked at his own hands. His fingers curled into a fist.
"I… remember pain," he muttered. "Voices. Screams. I was... alone."
Victor nodded. "They used you. But you're not alone anymore."
---
Location: Atlas War Room – That Evening
A heated discussion was underway.
"He's a ticking time bomb!" Damien shouted. "We don't know when he'll snap!"
Nora countered, "And if we lock him away, we become no better than Dominion. He needs help—not chains."
Zuri added, "If we monitor his integration carefully, he could even become an asset. He has capabilities even Victor doesn't."
Victor finally raised a hand. "Enough."
He turned toward the digital map—Dominion's remaining strongholds glowing red.
"We give him time. If he's a weapon, he deserves the chance to choose his own war."