Chalter:12 Fractured Truths

The lab was dead silent. The Echo's final, twisted scream still rang in Elias's ears as he stared at its crumpled body behind the shattered glass. The alarms had stopped, leaving only the low hum of the facility's power systems.

Jenna stood frozen, her fingers locked around Elias's arm in a vice grip. Her nails dug into his skin, but he barely noticed. Across the room, Captain Grant's sharp eyes flicked between the lifeless Echo and the scrambled data on the monitors. Next to him, Dr. Lane's hands flew over the keyboard, her face drained of color.

Elias swallowed hard. "It spoke my name."

Grant's expression darkened. "That changes everything."

Jenna turned to him, suspicion burning in her eyes. "What does that mean? What aren't you telling us?"

Dr. Lane hesitated, choosing her words carefully. "The Echoes have never shown recognition before. We've studied dozens, and none of them have acknowledged a human—until now."

Elias shook his head. "It didn't just recognize me. It told me to 'remember.'"

Grant and Dr. Lane exchanged a look. A silent conversation passed between them, something unspoken but heavy.

Jenna stepped in front of Elias, her stance firm. "You're not experimenting on him."

Grant raised a hand. "No one said that. But this is bigger than Elias now. If the Echoes can communicate, it means they still retain fragments of their humanity."

Elias exhaled sharply. The Echo hadn't seemed hostile. If anything, it had been trying to tell him something. But what?

Dr. Lane pressed a button, and mechanical arms descended into the chamber. They carefully lifted the Echo's broken form onto a hovering medical gurney. "We need to analyze its remains," she murmured, almost to herself. "Maybe we'll find something in its neural patterns."

Elias ran a hand through his hair. "And what about me?"

Grant studied him carefully. "We'll run more tests. If something in your biology connects you to them, we need to know."

Jenna scoffed. "Or you just want to use him."

Grant didn't deny it. "If he's the key to understanding them, then yes, we need him."

Elias sighed, his shoulders slumping. "Fine. But no more secrets. I want answers too."

Grant nodded. "Then let's begin."

---

The next few hours blurred together. Scanners hovered over Elias, mapping every cell of his body. Needles pricked his skin, drawing blood, taking tissue samples. Electrodes pressed against his temples, tracking every flicker in his brain. Jenna never left his side, her arms crossed, eyes never straying from the scientists.

Dr. Lane finally stepped back from the monitor, her brows furrowed. "This… this isn't possible."

Elias sat up. "What?"

She hesitated before turning the screen toward them. "Your DNA… it's different."

Jenna leaned in. "Different how?"

Dr. Lane pointed to the glowing sequence on the display. "There are patterns in his genome that don't match any recorded human data. Not even pre-collapse records."

Elias felt his stomach drop. "What are you saying?"

Dr. Lane's voice was quiet, but her words hit like a hammer. "You're not just immune, Elias. You're… evolving."

Jenna inhaled sharply. "That's insane."

Dr. Lane shook her head. "Not if the Echoes are remnants of human consciousness. If the Collapse wasn't an extinction but a transformation, then Elias might be the bridge—something between what we were and what we're becoming."

Elias's mind reeled. "You're saying I'm turning into one of them?"

Grant's voice was steady. "No. I think you're something else entirely."

Elias stood abruptly, the weight of their words crashing over him. "I need air."

He pushed through the lab doors, his breath coming in ragged gasps. The cold metal walls blurred as he stormed down the corridor, his thoughts spinning out of control.

"Elias, wait!"

Jenna caught up, grabbing his arm. "Talk to me."

He turned to her, eyes wild. "What if they're right? What if I'm not… human anymore?"

Jenna cupped his face, forcing him to meet her gaze. "You're still you. I don't care what their data says."

Elias clenched his jaw. "But what if I change?"

She squeezed his hand. "Then we'll face it together."

His breathing slowed. He nodded, the panic ebbing slightly. "I just… I need to know the truth."

Jenna gave his hand another squeeze. "Then let's find it."

Elias took a steadying breath and turned back toward the lab. He didn't know what he was anymore. But one thing was certain—he couldn't run from it.

He had to remember.