EP 012: An Impostor?

The truck rattled along the cracked highway, headlights slicing through the thickening fog. Kisimoto's knuckles were white against the steering wheel, breath shallow. The road ahead stretched endlessly, a void swallowing them whole.

Serena sat curled in the passenger seat, hugging her knees, her fiery green eyes vacant. The blood on her dagger had dried, dark against the silver blade. Every so often, her fingers twitched, as if still reliving the kills.

Roko, sprawled across the backseat, tapped his fingers rhythmically against his knee. His usual cocky smirk was gone. His eyes flickered toward their mother, who sat silently, staring ahead.

No one spoke.

No one dared.

Their father had been there. And then… he wasn't.

Kisimoto swallowed, his voice hoarse when he finally broke the silence.

"Where… the hell did he go?"

No one answered.

Serena shifted, her gaze locked onto the road. "He's watching us."

The words sent ice through Kisimoto's veins.

Their mother, stiff as stone, finally spoke. "He can't—he shouldn't be alive."

Roko suddenly straightened up, rubbing his temples, deep in thought. "Wait. No, I think I get it now…"

Kisimoto gave him a sharp look. "What?"

Roko exhaled, staring at the ceiling of the truck. "Before I escaped that place… I saw something. Something about 'C-Bots.'"

Their mother turned to him, eyes narrowing. "C-Bots?"

"Clone Bots," Roko muttered. "They're not just clones. They're programmed corpses. Dead bodies, but with enhanced limbs, internal wiring, mechanical joints—and the worst part?"

Kisimoto's fingers gripped the wheel tighter. "What?"

Roko's expression darkened. "They wear heads."

A cold shiver ran down Kisimoto's spine. "What?"

"The heads aren't real," Roko continued, voice grim. "They're… I don't know. Artificial. Synthetic. Like a mask with flesh. Underneath, they're just…" He exhaled sharply. "Something else. Their bodies are nothing but upgraded machines running computer-coded commands."

Their mother covered her mouth.

Serena had gone completely still.

"So you're saying—" Kisimoto struggled to speak, his mind racing.

"Yeah," Roko said. "That thing back there? The one that looked like Dad?"

He met Kisimoto's gaze.

"Wasn't him."

Kisimoto felt something inside him snap. "Then what the hell was it?"

Roko clenched his jaw. "Something designed to look like him. Act like him. Maybe even think like him."

A heavy silence settled over them.

Then—

The truck jerked.

Kisimoto's breath caught.

The steering wheel locked.

The entire vehicle shuddered violently—then stopped.

Dead silence.

The engine had failed.

"Shit," Kisimoto hissed. He turned the key again. Nothing. Not even a spark.

"We just got sabotaged, didn't we?" Roko muttered, grabbing his sword.

Serena tilted her head, her eyes glinting. "He's here."

Their mother gripped the seat. "We need to run."

Kisimoto flung the door open. The air outside was thick, heavy. The fog pressed around them like a living thing.

Footsteps echoed.

Slow. Deliberate.

A silhouette emerged.

It stepped into the light.

Roko froze.

His own face stared back at him.

"Going somewhere?" The voice was his. The exact same voice.

Roko's body stiffened. "What… the… hell…"

Kisimoto's blood ran cold.

The C-Bot had scanned him.

It had become him.

Serena's breathing hitched. "It's adapting."

Roko bared his teeth. "Oh, HELL NAH!"

The Fake Roko smirked, tilting its head—the same way the real one always did.

It shifted its weight.

"Let's see how well I fight…"

Then—it lunged.

Roko barely twisted in time. Their blades clashed, sparks flying.

It moved just like him. Exactly like him.

Every counter, every stance, every instinct—it had them all.

It was a mirror match.

A perfect one.

"Shit, shit, shit!" Roko snarled, barely dodging a high kick—his own signature move.

Kisimoto tried to step in.

The Fake Roko twisted, throwing its sword—exactly how Roko would.

Kisimoto ducked. The blade whizzed past his ear, burying itself into the truck's door.

Serena moved next.

Her dagger flashed—aiming for the bot's exposed side.

It predicted her attack.

It spun, catching her wrist, and flung her aside like a ragdoll.

"SERENA!" Kisimoto shouted.

She hit the ground, rolling—but got back up, eyes burning.

The Fake Roko grinned. "Nice try."

It dashed forward—blades clashing again.

Roko panted, sweat dripping down his temple.

"Why the hell… is this thing… so good?!"

Kisimoto's chest heaved. "Because it learns."

Their mother whispered, "It's not just copying. It's… evolving."

The Fake Roko flickered—its movements smoother, sharper, deadlier.

Serena's hands clenched.

"We're not winning this," Kisimoto realized.

Roko gritted his teeth.

"This b***tard is me…"

He stumbled back, out of breath, staring at the perfect version of himself standing there—unharmed. Unphased.

And then—

Laughter.

From behind them.

The REAL Roko stepped out of the fog.

"Man, y'all suck at fighting me."

Kisimoto's jaw dropped.

"WHAT?!"

The Fake Roko turned, its smirk twitching.

The real one rolled his shoulders, cracking his neck.

"I had to find out where the actual bot was first, duh." He grinned. "And guess what? I did."

The Fake Roko twitched.

"Impossible."

The real one snapped his fingers.

"Serena, tag in!"

Her green eyes flared.

She didn't hesitate.

She lunged.

The final clash began.

The battle raged on.

But by the end—

As the dust settled—

Serena stood there, dagger still in hand, chest rising and falling with steady breaths. The dim glow of the truck's headlights painted her in flickering shadows, her expression unreadable.

The Fake Roko lay in pieces at her feet—its synthetic skin peeling away, exposing cold metal and wires underneath. Sparks fizzed from its severed joints, the last remnants of its mimicry flickering out like dying embers.

The real Roko wiped the sweat from his forehead. "Damn, that was a workout." He glanced at Serena. "You good?"

She didn't answer right away.

Her fingers twitched around the hilt of her dagger.

Kisimoto noticed. "Serena—"

She exhaled—slow and deep—then nodded.

"...Yeah."

Their mother took a shaky step forward. "We need to leave. Now."

Kisimoto didn't argue. He turned the key again.

This time—the engine roared to life.

Serena climbed in last, her dagger still coated in the C-Bot's remnants.

As they drove off into the night, no one spoke.

But deep in her green eyes, something flickered.

Something cold.

Something awake.

TO BE CONTINUED...