Chapter 11:The Experiment Begins
Elias sat in the cold chamber, his hands clenched into fists. The air smelled of metal and antiseptic. Machines hummed softly, their steady beeps the only sound in the sterile space. Across the room, Jenna gripped the edge of her chair, her knuckles white.
Captain Grant stood with his arms crossed, his face unreadable. "We'll start with a scan," he said. He nodded toward the scientist beside him. "We need to see if there's anything... different about you."
Elias exhaled slowly. He had agreed to this. But now, with the harsh lights overhead and the weight of everyone's eyes on him, doubt gnawed at his gut. "And if you don't find anything?"
Grant's gaze didn't waver. "Then we move to the next step."
Jenna shifted. "What's the next step?"
The scientist—a sharp-eyed woman with graying hair—adjusted her glasses. "We expose Elias to controlled Echo activity. We need to see how they react to him."
Jenna's head snapped up. "You're putting him in a room with one of those things?"
Grant didn't blink. "Yes."
Elias swallowed hard. "You have one here?"
The scientist nodded. "We've captured several. Studying them is how we make progress."
Jenna shot to her feet. "This is insane."
Elias reached for her hand, his touch steady. "I need to know, Jenna. If something in me keeps me alive, I have to understand it."
She searched his face for hesitation. There was none. Finally, she let out a shaky breath. "Then I'm staying."
Grant gave a short nod. The scientist pressed a button on the console. A deep whir filled the room. The walls shifted, metal panels sliding apart with a hiss.
A glass enclosure appeared on the far side of the chamber.
Inside stood an Echo.
Elias's breath hitched.
It wasn't like the ones he'd seen in the wild. This one was… clearer. Its shape more defined, its body less distorted. It stood still under the harsh white light, its hollow eyes staring straight ahead.
The scientist checked the monitors. "This Echo hasn't reacted to anything. That may change when Elias gets closer."
Elias rose to his feet. His legs felt stiff, but he forced himself forward.
Jenna's fingers brushed his arm, hesitant. Then she let go.
As Elias neared the glass, the Echo shifted. Its head tilted, slow and unnatural. Its empty gaze locked onto him.
The air changed. Heavy. Charged.
Then—it moved.
One step. Another.
Its hollow face twitched. Its mouth opened slightly. A sound—low, broken, not quite a whisper—filled the space.
Monitors beeped wildly. Scientists scrambled to record the data.
"Keep going," Grant ordered.
Elias lifted a hand, pressing his palm against the glass.
The Echo mirrored him.
Its translucent fingers met his—separated by just a sliver of glass.
For a moment, nothing moved.
Then—it spoke.
"Elias."
A sharp gasp rippled through the room.
Jenna staggered back. Grant's jaw tightened.
Elias's pulse pounded in his ears. "What did you say?"
The Echo twitched. Its voice came again, fractured, layered.
"Elias… remember."
A cold weight settled in his stomach.
The scientist's hands flew across the controls. "This is impossible. It knows him. It—"
The lights flickered.
A deep hum rattled through the walls.
The Echo began to change—its body glitching, flickering like a corrupted hologram.
Then it screamed.
The sound wasn't human. It was layered. Twisted. A chorus of voices, breaking apart.
The glass cracked.
Alarms blared.
"Shut it down!" Grant barked.
The scientist slammed a switch.
Light exploded inside the enclosure.
The Echo convulsed. Its form twisted—shuddering—before it collapsed.
Silence.
Elias stumbled back, his chest heaving.
Jenna was at his side in an instant. "Are you okay?"
He nodded, numb. His eyes never left the thing behind the glass.
"It knew my name."
Grant stepped forward. His face was set like stone.
"You're not just immune, Elias." His voice was quiet, but heavy. "You're connected to them."
Elias turned, dread creeping up his spine. "What does that mean?"
Grant's expression darkened.
"It means we need to find out what you really are."