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Chapter 51

last update Last Updated: 2025-05-20 01:12:55

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Chapter 51: The protocol 

The air filtration system kicked in overhead, allowing the silence that fell after Victor's collapse. His breathing grew shallow, the paralytic  substance which was given to him has already taking effect—slowing him down but not making him go silent.

Ethan movesmaking sure  locking Victor’s wrists into the cuffs. Christopher quicken his pace towards the his weapon, still on command, until Isla raised a hand. “It’s clear.”

Christopher lowered his gun, his eyes locking with Isla’s. “You alright?”

She didn’t answer immediately. Her pulse was still racing, her body alive with adrenaline and fury. “Definitly alright,” she muttered, turning her attention back to Victor. His head turned slightly to one side, eyes flickering.

“No much time Isla said, her voice steadier than she felt. “The serum’s window is short. We need to start the extraction.”

Ethan pulled out a small case and cracked it open. Inside, an interface rig—neural extraction pads, fiber-linked monitors, and a voice-modulation sync chip. “We'll get his memories. But you need to be the one to ask the questions. The serum responds to you. Your voice, your tone.”

Victor's eyelids fluttered. “Clever girl,” he muttered  “You learned from the best…”

“I learned from you.”

She moved in front of him, taking a steady breath. The old rag which was  beneath her skin, but she couldn’t let it rule her now. Not when they were this close.

“Tell me about the Echo Protocol,” she said.

Victor’s head lifted slightly. “It…was never meant for you.”

“But you made it for someone,” Isla pressed. “Who was it?”

His lips twitched. “Lyra.”

Silence hit the room like a dropped weight.

Isla froze. “My mother?”

Victor nodded slowly. “She wasn’t just the test subject. She was the prototype. The first echo.”

Christopher stepped forward. “What does that mean? What did you do to her?”

Victor’s eyelids struggled to remain open, but the serum forced compliance. “Her mind…was fragmented. We enhanced what remained. Built an imprint of her consciousness. An emotional map. Stored in fragments across multiple hosts. The final one…was Isla.”

Isla took a step back, nausea creeping up her spine. “You're saying I’m…what? Some kind of carrier? A second Lyra?”

Victor blinked at her, blood pooling in the corner of his mouth. “Not a carrier… an upgrade.”

Ethan cursed under his breath. “He’s saying you’re not just her daughter. You’re her continuation.”

Christopher’s eyes burned. “That’s not possible.”

Isla stared at Victor, voice trembling. “You built me to finish her mission. Or to control it?”

Victor didn’t answer. His eyes began to glaze.

“Stay with me!” Isla shouted. “What’s the mission? What was the endgame?”

Victor’s lips parted. A whisper escaped. “Oblivion…or rebirth.”

Then he went still.

The monitors beeped erratically. Ethan leaned in, checking his vitals. “He’s not dead. But he’s gone into neural shock. We got what we could.”

Christopher rubbed his temples. “So what now? What the hell are we supposed to do with that?”

Isla turned away, barely able to breathe. “We find the fragments.”

Ethan looked up. “Fragments?”

“If what he said is true…” Isla met his gaze, her voice low, “Then my mother’s mind didn’t die. It was driven,Hidden. And I’m not the only one carrying it.”

There was a pause—heavy and terrifying.

Christopher finally asked, “Who else?”

Isla answered with steel in her voice:

“Whoever survived the original trials.”

She looked at them both. “We’re not hunting Victor anymore. We’re hunting ghosts.”

-

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