Location: Atlas Safehouse, Command Chamber
Victor stood in front of a wide tactical display, his eyes narrowing as an alert flashed red across the top of the screen. "Neural deviation detected," it read. The signature was unmistakable—V-One.
Zuri barged in, breathless. "Something's wrong. His brainwave pattern just spiked abnormally. It's like someone activated a dormant sector of his mind."
Victor turned sharply. "Dominion. They've triggered something."
Damien, standing behind them, folded his arms. "They're not just watching us. They're pulling his strings."
Victor muttered, "Then we cut the strings before they control him completely."
---
Location: Training Arena, Moments Later
V-One gripped the edge of the sparring platform. His vision blurred as fragmented voices echoed in his mind. Screams. Metal grinding. A child crying. Flames.
He stumbled back, clutching his head.
Nora ran to his side. "V-One! What is it?!"
His voice cracked. "I… see things. People I've never met. Places I've never been."
His body began to shake. His eyes flashed red for a split second—then faded. "Someone is inside me."
Nora held his face, steadying him. "No. You're in control. You are more than what they built."
V-One gasped. "Then why do I feel like I'm breaking apart?"
---
Location: Dominion Vessel, Orbiting Tavara
Commander Thorne watched the readings. "His rejection response is slower than expected. He's bonded with them."
The Dominion AI responded, "Then isolate the core memory. Use the trauma loop. Push him to the edge."
Thorne activated the trauma amplifier, injecting a series of visuals—destruction, abandonment, betrayal. All things V-One never lived, but now believed were his.
"Let's see if loyalty survives chaos," Thorne whispered.
---
Location: Atlas Safehouse, Infirmary Chamber
Zuri set up neuro-dampeners around V-One's bed. His vitals were erratic.
Victor stood nearby, his expression unreadable. "We need to get into his mind. Extract the Dominion trigger manually."
Zuri hesitated. "It's risky. If you go in too deep—"
"I'm not letting Dominion turn him into a weapon again," Victor snapped.
Nora stepped forward. "Then I'm going with him."
Damien raised an eyebrow. "You sure you want to dive into that storm?"
Nora didn't blink. "He's not just a clone. He's family."
---
Location: Neural Interface Chamber
Victor and Nora lay on the chairs, neuro-sync devices attached to their temples. As the countdown began, Zuri's voice rang in the chamber.
"Entering V-One's mind… in 3… 2… 1."
A blinding flash consumed them.
They awoke not in a lab, but in a crumbling cityscape—buildings on fire, skies blood-red. Screams echoed in the distance.
Victor narrowed his eyes. "Welcome to V-One's mind."
Nora reached for his hand. "Then let's find him. Before Dominion does."