"The Spire activates in twenty hours."
The words still rang in Riven's skull like a countdown etched into bone. But it wasn't just the message—it was the voice. It wasn't his clone's usual synthetic growl.
It was older.
Deeper.
Somehow more human.
And worse?
It knew them.
Every rebel stood frozen, faces lit only by the flickering monitors, their eyes fixed on the blood-red omega still glitching on the main screen. Riven's image—no, the clone's—hovered behind the symbol like a mockery of hope. A death mask.
No one moved.
Until Lena stepped forward.
"The Spire's location is exposed," she said. "That's our shot."
The third Lena—the one who'd made the deal—crossed her arms. "And what if this is exactly what he wants? Bait. A trap."
Riven looked between them. "If we wait, we lose everything."
The military Lena, still armored and cold, grunted. "Split up."
All eyes turned to her.
She pointed to the screen. "Two teams. One intercepts the Spire. The other finds the girl's origin."
"The girl?" Riven asked.
"She's still our wildcard," the cold Lena said. "If the clone wants her, there's a reason. If she can destabilize the protocol, we need to know how."
"And if she's dangerous?" asked the third Lena quietly.
"Then we make that call when the time comes," Riven said, his voice low.
He turned to the group. "We don't have the luxury of certainty. But we do have twenty hours. That's enough to change the outcome."
Lena—his Lena—met his eyes.
"I'll go with you," she said. "To the Spire."
The military Lena scowled. "I lead the recon on the girl."
No one objected.
Plans solidified in seconds. The rebel group broke into two squads. One would head southeast, toward the storm-scarred ruins of Core Fragment 01—the girl's last known trace. The other would aim north, toward the Echo Spire, buried beneath the ice fields of the Helix Tundra.
Neither route was forgiving.
Neither offered certainty.
But both were necessary.
And time was bleeding out.
Three Hours Later – The Drop Tunnel, Outer Wall
Wind howled through the tunnel like a dying beast. Riven strapped into his descent harness beside Lena as the platform prepared to lower them into the Earth's frozen scar.
Below them stretched the Helix Tundra—black ice, shattered temples of data stone, twisted towers half-swallowed by frost. Somewhere beneath that madness was the Spire. Somewhere in that void, his clone waited.
"You sure you want to do this?" Lena asked.
He gave a humorless smile. "If I didn't come, you'd have all the fun."
The lift groaned and began its descent.
Metal screamed as frozen gears spun to life. Their squad—only seven this time—remained silent. Eyes sharp. Weapons checked. Riven's fingers closed around the grip of his sidearm.
He had no illusions.
This wasn't a mission.
It was a confrontation.
With himself.
Meanwhile – Core Fragment 01
The other team approached the jagged crater that once housed a datacrypt city. The military Lena led point, boots crunching over glassy stone. The girl—mute but strangely focused—walked in the center, her signal dampener humming softly on her back.
She hadn't said a word since the split.
But she kept glancing at the sky.
The air here felt heavier.
Wrong.
"It's too quiet," one rebel muttered.
Then, as they crossed a broken archway, the girl froze.
Her eyes widened.
She pointed toward a cracked console embedded in the earth. The console flickered, though no power remained.
The military Lena approached it.
A hidden port hissed open.
And a voice spilled from the shadows.
"Welcome back… Mother."
Helix Tundra – Twelve Hours Until Activation
Snow battered the squad as they marched across the ice field, approaching a sliver of jagged steel rising from the frost like a fang—the Spire's antenna.
It was real.
It pulsed with power.
And it was awake.
As they approached, Riven stopped cold. His HUD flickered.
A transmission cut through the static.
"Don't do this," the voice said.
It was his own voice.
"Turn back. I've seen your death, and it doesn't matter. The system doesn't need you anymore."
Lena looked at him. "He's scared."
"No," Riven said quietly. "He's confident. This is mercy."
And that made it worse.
Spire Perimeter – Eight Hours Until Activation
The entrance to the Echo Spire wasn't guarded.
That alone chilled Riven more than any trap.
They reached the main gate—an enormous data-forged door embedded with fractal runes. It opened for him before he even touched it.
Welcoming.
Inside, the walls shimmered with reflected memories. Thousands of them.
Versions of Riven.
Some fighting.
Some dying.
Some laughing.
Some… killing Lena.
He turned away, heart pounding.
"How is he controlling this?" one of the rebels whispered.
"He's not," Lena said grimly. "He is this."
They moved deeper into the Spire, descending levels that blurred reality—gravity shifted, shadows moved unnaturally, and time itself flickered between heartbeats.
Riven nearly stepped through a hall that seemed normal… until he realized his hand was aging as it passed the threshold.
"Reality anchors," Lena murmured. "He's collapsing versions to reinforce this one."
"This is a killing field."
"No," she corrected. "It's a throne."
Spire Core – Three Hours Until Activation
They reached the heart.
It was quiet.
A single platform floated in the middle of an endless black space. At its center stood a pillar of light—pure data—and within it, suspended like a god-in-waiting, was the clone.
He didn't move.
Didn't speak.
Until Riven stepped forward.
"I hoped you'd come."
The voice came from within Riven's head.
"You're not here to stop me. You're here to understand."
Riven raised his gun. "I already understand. You betrayed the one thing that mattered."
"You're wrong," the clone whispered.
"I preserved it."
He stepped out from the data light.
A perfect mirror.
No scars. No fatigue. No pain.
Just… certainty.
"You chose chaos. Emotion. Imperfection. I chose order. Legacy."
"You chose yourself."
The clone walked slowly forward.
"You think this is about me?" he said.
Then the platform trembled.
And dozens of Riven copies shimmered into view—each different. One wore a robe. Another held a child. A third stood bloodied with wires embedded in his skull.
They encircled the squad.
Riven turned to Lena.
She was already lifting her weapon. "We fight."
But then the clone said something that froze Riven in place.
"She's not who you think she is."
Riven frowned. "Who?"
The clone's eyes locked with his.
"Lena."
Cut to Core Fragment 01 – Same Time
The console burst into full projection.
A video.
Grainy. Scarred with time.
It showed a lab.
A clone tank.
A young girl crying.
And beside her…
Lena.
But not just watching.
Activating the chamber.
Programming the code.
Tears in her eyes.
"You're not my mother," the girl whispered for the first time.
The military Lena stared at the footage.
Silent.
Shaken.
Back in the Spire
Riven's mind reeled.
"No," he said. "That's not possible."
The clone nodded. "She's not just a rebel. She was part of the original Echo Protocol."
Riven turned to Lena—his Lena.
She stepped back, face pale.
"Riven… I didn't remember. I swear. I didn't know."
The clone stepped closer. "You loved her once. That was real. But she was made to influence you. To guide you back to the system. She was built to break you."
"No…" Riven whispered.
But the world cracked around him.
The Spire activated its first phase.
And as the rebels fired their first desperate shots—
The platform beneath Lena vanished.
She screamed.
Fell.
Gone.