The world was a blur of shadows and sharp voices. Lila fought against the hands that dragged her down the corridor, her mind screaming for Aidan, but the darkness swallowed everything. The air smelled of antiseptic and fear.
They threw her into a small room—cold, white walls that seemed to vibrate with an unnatural hum. The lock clicked behind her like a gunshot.
She stumbled to her knees, gasping, and pressed her ear to the door. Footsteps echoed beyond, muffled voices carried on an urgent current she couldn't decipher.
He's still there, she thought, picturing Aidan slumped in that glass prison. I have to get him out.
A small light flickered on above her, illuminating the room in a harsh glare. She blinked, her eyes adjusting to the brightness—and saw, on the opposite wall, a small panel of blinking red lights.
A camera. Watching her.
Her skin crawled. She turned her face away, pressing her back to the wall. The weight of the surveillance bore down on her like a physical presence, and the silence stretched until it felt like it would snap.
Then the speaker above her crackled.
"Subject 12," a voice droned—calm, measured, inhuman. "You have proven… difficult."
Lila's pulse pounded. "Where's Aidan?!" she demanded, her voice breaking.
A pause. A low hum.
"He is… essential to the experiment."
Her heart sank. "Experiment?" she whispered.
The voice didn't answer. Instead, a panel on the opposite wall slid open with a hiss, revealing a small screen. On it, Aidan's face appeared—pale, eyes half-lidded, lips moving soundlessly.
She pressed a hand to the screen. "Aidan, can you hear me?!"
He didn't respond. The screen flickered, static dancing across his image. Then, suddenly, he looked straight at her, his eyes wide and terrified.
"Lila—" His voice was ragged. "They're—"
The screen went black.
Lila's scream echoed through the room, raw and desperate.
The speaker crackled again.
"Subject 12, your emotional response is… informative."
A surge of rage burned in her chest. "You're monsters," she spat.
Silence, then:
"Perhaps. But you are the key. Your bond with Subject 11 is… unique."
Subject 11. Her stomach turned. They didn't even call him by his name.
"What do you want from me?" she demanded.
"Compliance."
She clenched her fists. "Never."
The voice was silent for a moment. Then:
"You misunderstand, Subject 12. This is not a negotiation. This is the culmination of years of research—emotion, memory, human connection. You and Subject 11—your bond is the experiment."
Her mind reeled.
Years of research?
"Lila," a softer voice suddenly broke through—a new voice, trembling and hesitant. "Lila, it's me. Clara."
Her heart stopped. "Clara? Where are you?!"
Clara's voice cracked with emotion. "They're listening, but I had to reach you. I couldn't let them—"
The speaker cut in, harsh and cold. "Clara is a liability."
A gunshot rang out—distant but sharp enough to make Lila flinch. Silence followed.
Lila's scream tore from her throat. "No! Clara! No!"
The lights dimmed. The speaker crackled.
"Subject 12, you must understand. We need you to cooperate. Without your emotional responses, Subject 11 will not achieve the… necessary breakthrough."
Her mind raced. Breakthrough? What did that mean?
Tears blurred her vision. "Why him? Why Aidan?"
The voice paused, almost considering. "Because you love him."
She sagged against the wall, her strength draining away.
"Yes," she whispered. "I do."
The voice hummed in satisfaction. "Then you will do as we say."
Her spine straightened. Rage and defiance sparked within her. "No," she said, her voice like steel. "You don't get to use my love like a weapon."
Silence, then a low chuckle. "Very well, Subject 12. Let us see how long your resistance lasts."
The lights went out.
In the darkness, time ceased to exist. Minutes bled into hours, hours into days—though she could no longer tell which was which. Hunger gnawed at her belly, thirst clawed at her throat. But the worst was the silence—the oppressive weight of isolation pressing down on her soul.
Sometimes she thought she heard Aidan's voice—a whisper in the darkness, calling her name. But every time she reached for him, there was nothing.
Then, one night, a scraping sound at the door.
Her breath caught.
A key turned in the lock. The door creaked open, and a sliver of light spilled in.
A shadow slipped inside—a man, tall, his face hidden beneath a hood.
"Lila," he whispered.
Her heart slammed into her ribs. "Aidan?!"
He shook his head and lowered the hood. It wasn't Aidan. His eyes were sharp, determined.
"My name is Kieran," he said. "I'm here to help you."
She stumbled to her feet, dizzy. "How do I know you're not one of them?"
He held up his hands. "Because I was one of them. But I've seen enough."
"Where's Aidan?!" she demanded.
His eyes darkened. "They've moved him. They're accelerating the experiment. If we don't act now, they'll break him—and you—forever."
Her knees nearly buckled. "Then let's move."
He nodded. "There's a maintenance corridor that leads to the lab. But we have to be careful—they'll be expecting us."
She took a deep breath. "I'm not afraid."
A smile ghosted across his face. "That's why we need you."
The corridor beyond the cell was a labyrinth of pipes and cables. Shadows danced in the flickering lights, casting monstrous shapes on the walls.
Kieran moved ahead, silent as a ghost, his eyes scanning every corner. Lila followed, her heart hammering.
Suddenly, a voice crackled over a hidden speaker.
"Subject 12. You disappoint us."
Lila froze.
"Keep moving," Kieran hissed.
The voice continued. "You cannot escape. We are everywhere. Every wall, every light, every breath."
Her pulse roared in her ears.
"They're trying to scare us," she whispered.
Kieran's jaw tightened. "And they're doing a damn good job."
They reached a door marked Primary Lab Access. Kieran swiped a stolen keycard. The lock clicked.
Inside, the lab was a cathedral of technology—machines humming, wires snaking across the floor. At the center stood a massive console, its screens alive with data.
Lila's gaze snapped to the glass chamber at the far end.
Aidan.
His head lolled, eyes closed. Wires sprouted from his temples like veins.
She ran to the glass, pounding her fists against it. "Aidan! Wake up!"
He didn't move.
Kieran's voice was grim. "They're draining him—his memories, his emotions. They're using him to refine their experiment."
Lila's voice cracked. "Help me get him out."
Kieran's fingers flew over the console. Alarms blared. Red lights flashed.
Aidan's eyes fluttered open. His lips moved. "Lila…"
"Hang on!" she cried. "I'm here!"
The door behind them slammed open.
Voices shouted. Boots thundered on the floor.
Kieran turned, his face hard. "Get him out. I'll hold them off."
"No!" she screamed.
But he was already gone, charging into the darkness.
She slammed the release button. The chamber hissed, and the glass slid open.
Aidan fell into her arms, his body limp.
"Lila…" he whispered. "They know… everything…"
Tears streamed down her face. "I don't care. We're getting out."
She dragged him to his feet. The alarms were deafening now.
"Come on," she urged.
Together, they stumbled toward the exit, a world of danger and darkness waiting beyond.