Memory Was Never Gentle
Prague – Rooftop Shelter
The wind howled softly above them as Rhea connected the Geneva drive to Lex's encrypted terminal. They sat on the dusty rooftop floor, backs against a cracked concrete wall, the city lights flickering below.
The interface came alive, flickering pale blue.
> Accessing: EchoNet_01
Authorized Subjects: LEX_04 – RHEA_09
Warning: Memory sync risk. Proceed?
Lex looked at Rhea. "We don't have to—"
But she was already reaching out. "We do."
She pressed YES.
The screen split—two timelines blooming in parallel.
> Date: Geneva, 2020
Subject bonding trial: Phase 3
Location: Cartwright Research Compound – Level 5
A video began to play.
Lex and Rhea—younger, uncertain, eyes bright with something close to love but deeper than trust—sat across from each other in sterile chairs. Cables threaded into the base of their skulls. A researcher's voice narrated over the footage:
> "Subjects Lex and Muri have reached full emotional entanglement. Neural patterns have begun partial mimicry. We are ready to begin memory fusion."
Rhea flinched beside Lex.
The real Rhea.
She whispered, "They fused us."
Lex's mouth was dry. "I don't remember this."
But now came a second screen—showing Lex's memories bleeding into Rhea's. A first kiss under rain. A conversation in a field of mirrors. A fight in Zurich. Her voice in his head during the blackout.
Rhea gasped. "That wasn't my memory. That was… yours."
Lex leaned forward. "They made us share. Then erased it."
The last entry auto-played.
> Termination Order: Phase 3 incomplete. Subject Muri extraction protocol initiated. Subject Lex retained for further study. Memory wipes authorized. Reclassification to civilian status.
Lex sat frozen.
"They separated us," he whispered. "And they made you forget everything. Me. Us."
Rhea looked at him, tears rimmed but unshed. "I never chose to forget you."
Lex's voice cracked. "But I remembered. Every dream that didn't make sense. Every face I drew. Every time I said your name and didn't know why."
She reached for his hand.
"Then say it now."
He met her eyes.
"Muri."
The rooftop light flickered—just once. The system registered something invisible.
> Bond reactivation underway. Synchronization level: 87%
Behind the scenes, a dormant process ticked to life.
Somewhere far away, in a vault beneath India…
…Sky's head snapped up.
"Lex," he breathed, disoriented. "He's remembering."
Micah turned. "You okay?"
But Sky's voice sounded distant. "Something just clicked. Something old. Like I'm not just watching—I'm inside him."