Ch. 12: Memories Of The Past

Meanwhile, Leo sat alone in his room.

The dim lighting and cold walls weren’t helping. He stared blankly at the floor, deep in thought.

That day…

He remembered falling—off the tower where he tried to save a girl from a crumbling ledge. He remembered hitting the ground—or at least, he should have. But there were no injuries. No broken bones. Just darkness. And then… here.

Why didn’t I die? he thought. Why this world?

Fragments flickered in his mind. The voice of Carolin, yelling his name through the chaos. The look of fear in her eyes. His attempt to tell her to run—to get to safety. But maybe the words never reached her.

“Ahh…” he winced, clutching his forehead as a sharp pain pierced through his skull.

The memories—fragmented, violent, overwhelming—were trying to force their way back. But they weren’t complete. Not yet.

He needed air.

Throwing on a jacket, Leo stepped out into the evening chill. He wandered through the empty streets of the zone, past old shops converted into barracks, past quiet bunkers and inactive outposts. His legs moved without direction until he reached a broken skyscraper on the edge of the zone.

The building was hollowed out—long abandoned. Most windows shattered. Its skeleton remained, but its soul was gone. Still, Leo climbed the stairs slowly, making his way to the rooftop.

And there—on the edge—stood Sarrie.

She didn’t notice him at first, her gaze fixed on the horizon. The wind tugged at her scarf, and the fading sun cast a soft glow over her pink hair.

Leo stepped forward. “Sarrie?”

She spun around, startled—and her foot slipped. The edge crumbled beneath her.

Without thinking, Leo lunged forward and caught her by the arms.

Their eyes met.

“You okay?” he asked, pulling her back onto solid ground.

But just as their hands connected, something snapped inside him.

A violent wave of energy surged through his mind. Images flashed before his eyes—fractured and vivid. A room filled with wires. A scream. A sky turning red. A memory not his… or maybe it was.

His grip loosened as the pain returned—sharper this time.

He gasped, stumbling back, clutching his head.

And in that moment—his eyes glowed faintly.

The cold wind rustled the tattered remnants of the rooftop banners as Leo stood still, his breathing uneven, chest rising and falling rapidly. His eyes, wide with disbelief, were still glowing faintly, fading back to their usual color. In front of him, Sarrie watched him closely, her expression unreadable—neither surprised nor alarmed.

The memories came in a cascade—visions and voices, each more intense than the last:

---

“You have to make these robots. Only you can do this. Do this for your nation.”

“Do you want to see people dying because of this war?”

The voice was forceful, urgent. A young girl stood in a laboratory, surrounded by engineers and officers. Her hands trembled as she was handed schematics—schematics for machines that would change the world.

---

“They want us to make more robots… to send them to allied nations.”

“I’m tired of this… I don’t want to do it anymore.”

A woman in a lab coat, her face weary, spoke in a hushed voice to a colleague. Her shoulders sagged under the pressure of expectations and threats.

“If we don’t cooperate, they’ll pull all funding for our research. That's just evil.”

“They all know how important this project is to you, and they are taking advantage of that…”

---

“Ohhhh! You’ve finally achieved it… just a few more tweaks and it’ll be complete.”

“You’re saying you won’t finish it?”

“Because they want more robots. Because they want to steal your life’s work.”

“You've spent all your life for this and won't even live to see it… I wish all the higher ups would just die…”

---

“You made more robots?”

“More advanced ones, to continue your research in secret?”

“You want me to overlook them? To protect them?”

“I promise… I’ll finish what you started. I will achieve your dreams…”

A silent agreement passed between two scientists, away from the eyes of their superiors. The dream of peace persisted, but it was now buried under layers of lies and steel.

---

“The humans lost control of the robots after your death.”

“Did you really program them to stop taking orders once you were gone? Or they are doing it consciously”

“The research bots… are they still working?”

“They seem… fine.”

Someone sat alone in the lab, staring at flickering monitors, watching war unfold. The last remnants of peaceful programming continued to function, but humanity was falling fast.

---

“I can’t believe the robots actually succeeded.”

“But the body… it’s still required for this to work properly.”

“They’re working on that now.”

“I hope I can see you again. Soon. But probably not.”

“It was nice living… especially when I was with you.”

A final whisper. A farewell. As if sent across time.

---

The visions ended. The world returned to silence. The sun had begun to set, casting long shadows over the broken cityscape.

Leo staggered back, still reeling. His gaze locked onto Sarrie, who now looked calm, almost resigned.

“…What was that?” Leo asked, his voice hoarse. “What did I just see?”

Sarrie stepped forward slowly, her tone quiet but firm. “That memory… is from five hundred years ago.”

Leo’s eyes widened. “Five hundred…?”

She nodded. “They were real memories. Yours, maybe. Or someone’s who now lives inside you.”

Leo couldn’t speak. His mind struggled to process it. The memories weren’t just scenes—they felt real. Emotions, voices, regrets. His heart ached with a strange nostalgia for something he never lived.

Sarrie looked away. “You weren’t supposed to see that. The system malfunctioned”

He stepped closer. “What does that mean?”

She met his gaze again, this time more serious. “Because you touched me. And maybe because you’re connected to her.”

“…Her?”

“I can’t say more,” she said quickly. “But promise me, Leo… don’t tell anyone what you saw. Please.”

He hesitated. “Why?”

“They’re looking for answers, that they're not prepared for” she said. “And if they find out what you know—or what you are—they won’t leave you alone. I don’t want them to find out. Not yet.”

Leo stared at her for a long moment, then slowly nodded. “I can't promise that…”

Sarrie, though her expression was still shadowed. She took a step back and turned away.

“I suppose that's what I imagined…”

As she walked down the stairs, disappearing from view, Leo stood on the rooftop alone.

The wind blew gently across the broken skyline, but inside Leo’s mind, the storm had just begun.