Episode 17: Echoes of Origin
The following morning, the team regrouped around the briefing table. Zahara had barely slept — a mix of adrenaline, dreams she couldn't remember, and the ever-growing ache of too many unanswered questions.
Tunde, still in pajamas, kicked his feet up on the table. "So… I traced that encrypted signal from the gala. You'll never guess where it's coming from."
Sophia narrowed her eyes. "Please don't say space. I'm not in the mood for aliens today."
"Nope. Better — or worse, depending on your anxiety levels. It's coming from the ruins of Null Facility One. The first lab that tested neuro-tech on human subjects."
Zahara's blood ran cold. "That place was shut down years ago."
Tunde nodded. "Yeah. After a 'mysterious containment breach.' You know what that means in sci-fi: glowing tubes, screaming scientists, and one poor intern who's now part fridge."
Lukas grunted. "Pack your bags. We're going to dig up some ghosts."
---
Hours later – outside Null Facility One
The team landed on a windswept cliff, the lab barely visible through the thick fog. Twisted metal and collapsed walkways hinted at an explosion that had torn the place apart from within.
Sophia pulled her coat tighter. "Why do all creepy labs have to be on cliffs? Is it in the evil villain handbook?"
Martins scanned the area. "Keep your eyes open. No telling what's left behind."
Zahara shivered as they entered the ruins. The walls flickered with residual energy — static images of doctors and test subjects, forever repeating the last moments of their existence. A child's voice echoed faintly, distorted:
> "Heart… sync… override…"
Tunde pointed at a shattered console. "This is the main neural sync chamber. If you were trying to control minds, this is where you'd start."
Zahara stood frozen in place, staring at a pod in the corner. It was scorched, half-open — but familiar. Uncomfortably familiar.
Martins noticed her expression. "What is it?"
"I… I've seen this pod. In my nightmares." Her voice trembled. "I think I was born here."
Tunde looked up, face suddenly serious. "Zahara… I just found something in the system logs. A recording. Dated 18 years ago."
He played it.
A voice — cold, clinical — spoke:
"Subject ZH-01 shows extreme compatibility. Neural override: 94%. Memory suppression protocol active. She must not remember who built her."
Zahara's knees buckled.
Martins caught her, holding her close as she stared at the wall.
"I'm not just someone they experimented on," she whispered. "I was the experiment."
Sophia looked stricken. "They didn't just hack your mind. They designed you."
---
Back at the base that night…
Silence hung heavy in the air. Zahara sat alone in the tech lab, her reflection flickering on the dark screen.
Tunde approached carefully, holding out a soda. "Hey. I brought sugar and bubbles. The international symbol of comfort."
She gave a weak smile, taking the drink.
"I don't know who I am anymore, Tunde."
He shrugged. "Doesn't matter."
She blinked. "What?"
He sat beside her. "You know who you are to me? The genius who once hacked a military drone to drop glitter bombs. The girl who beat me at chess four times in a row and laughed every time. The woman who made him"—he jerked his thumb toward Martins—"stop being a human frown."
Zahara laughed, wiping a tear. "Thanks, Tunde."
"Don't mention it. Ever. I have a sarcastic reputation to maintain."
---
Later on the rooftop…
Martins found Zahara again, this time wrapped in a blanket, sipping the soda.
"You don't have to come up here every time I spiral, you know," she said softly.
"I know," Martins replied. "But I kind of like being where you are."
She turned to him, vulnerable. "Do you think I'm… real?"
He leaned closer. "You're more real than anyone I've ever met. You laugh, you cry, you get mad when I eat your plantain chips. Doesn't matter where you came from. What matters is who you've become."
They sat in silence for a long time, watching the stars.
Finally, Zahara leaned her head on his shoulder.
"Promise me something," she said.
"Anything."
"When the time comes… if I lose control… you stop me. No matter what it takes."
Martins didn't answer right away.
Then he took her hand, squeezed it gently.
"I'll protect you. Even from yourself."
---
Meanwhile…
In a hidden chamber beneath the ruins of the lab, a figure watched the team through cracked surveillance footage.
A familiar voice echoed in the shadows.
"ZH-01 has awakened. Phase Two begins now."
The Architect stepped into the light — and smiled.