Episode 21
Iris couldn't sleep.
Even after hours of silence in Red Widow's secure hideout, her mind kept replaying the fight with Zero—the clone who wore her face but not her soul. Every punch, every word, had echoed like a challenge from the past she tried to escape.
She stood by the window, staring at the stars above the city skyline, her fingers gripping a locket Dorian had recovered during the lab raid. Inside it was a photo. Of her. And Elara.
She didn't remember taking it. But Elara was smiling. Genuinely. Back then, Iris had probably smiled too.
Now her lips rarely knew how.
Behind her, Red Widow's voice cut through the silence. "Can't sleep?"
"I'm scared that if I close my eyes, I'll wake up in one of Alec's dream machines again. That all this… will be a simulation."
Red stepped closer, offering a glass of water. "This is real. You're free. But freedom is hard when you've never had it."
Iris sipped, her fingers trembling. "He made a clone of me, Red. He replaced me."
Red nodded. "Then don't let him erase you. Because the Iris I know? She's more dangerous than anything Alec can create."
Iris gave a faint smile. "Let's make him remember that."
---
Elsewhere: The Resurrection Chamber
Dr. Kira Langston's lab was bathed in a sterile blue light. In the center, a tube-like pod stood sealed, condensation fogging its surface. Inside, a female figure floated in suspended animation—pale skin, chestnut curls, and an unmistakable face.
Elara.
But not the Elara Iris once knew. This one… had modifications. Neural implants, memory reshapers, cybernetic vision modules.
Project Beta was complete.
"She's beautiful," Alec whispered, watching as the pod opened with a hiss.
Elara opened her eyes slowly. They were not the same warm hazel Iris had remembered.
These were cold. Scanning. Calculated.
"Subject Beta," Kira said carefully. "Do you remember who you are?"
"Yes," Elara said. Her voice was calm but mechanical. "I am Elara Vale. Sister to Iris Vale. Daughter of Project Black Rose. Soldier of the Draven Order."
"And your mission?"
"Retrieve the prototype. Terminate resistance. And bring Iris home."
Alec smiled. "Welcome back, Elara."
---
At the Hideout: Preparing for War
The tension in the base was thick.
Red Widow, Dorian, and Iris were seated around a tactical table.
Dorian projected a hologram. "We've decrypted part of Alec's data logs. He's not just cloning people—he's replicating memories. That means…"
"He could have a version of Elara," Iris finished.
Red nodded. "If he's bringing her back, it's not for nostalgia. It's for leverage."
Iris stood, trembling.
"I watched her die. I felt her heart stop. If he's using her DNA—twisting her into something else—I'll never forgive him."
"That's what he's counting on," Red said quietly. "Your guilt. Your hesitation."
Iris clenched her jaw. "Then I won't hesitate. Not again."
---
Later That Night: A Shadow in the Hallway
Iris was walking alone toward the training room when she heard it.
A whisper.
"Iris…"
She froze.
Her heart thumped painfully.
"Who's there?" she called out.
No answer.
The hallway light flickered once—then again.
She stepped forward slowly, her hand reaching for the knife tucked into her waistband.
A figure stepped from the shadows.
Iris's blood turned to ice.
"Elara?"
The girl in front of her had Elara's face. Her posture. Her soft voice.
"I missed you," the clone whispered.
Iris shook her head. "No. You're not her. You can't be."
The clone stepped closer. "Why didn't you save me, Iris? Why did you let him kill me?"
"I tried! I begged you to run!" Iris shouted, tears blurring her vision.
But the clone's expression remained blank. "Lies. You left me. Now I've come to bring you home."
Suddenly, the lights burst.
Everything went dark.
---
The Fight Within
Red Widow burst into the hallway seconds later, flashlight drawn and weapon ready.
She found Iris slumped against the wall, panting.
"She… she was here," Iris whispered. "Elara. But it wasn't her. It was like… a ghost made of wires and poison."
Red cursed. "She breached our firewall. Only someone with full biometric clearance could've gotten in."
Iris looked up. "Then Alec still has access. He built me. He built her. We need to end this."
Dorian's voice buzzed through the intercom. "We tracked the clone's exit path. She didn't come to kill Iris. She came to plant something."
Red's eyes narrowed. "What did she leave?"
The floor under them trembled slightly.
A soft beeping sound.
"MOVE!" Red shouted, grabbing Iris's arm.
They barely jumped clear as a low-impact explosive tore through the corridor, collapsing half the hallway.
Iris shielded her head as debris rained.
"She didn't come to fight," she muttered. "She came to warn us."
Red frowned. "Warn you?"
Iris stood slowly, realization dawning in her eyes.
"She said she was bringing me home. That means Alec's planning something bigger. He wants me back. Alive."
"Why?" Red asked.
Iris turned to her.
"Because I'm the key. The first perfect prototype. If he controls me, he controls everything."
---
Draven Tower: The Awakening
Alec stood at the center of the observation deck as Dr. Kira approached.
"We've received reports. Iris survived the breach."
Alec smirked. "Of course she did."
"Beta performed within expected parameters. No memory corruption. No emotional lag. But…"
"But?" Alec turned.
"She hesitated."
Alec frowned. "Why?"
"I believe Elara's neural foundation is interfering. Emotional echoes. Memories that survived the wipe."
Alec stepped toward the observation tank again, watching as Elara sat in meditation.
"I knew Elara would be a risk," he whispered. "But that's why she's perfect. She'll make Iris question herself."
He turned to Kira. "Deploy the final phase."
"The mind trap?" Kira asked. "You'll destroy her."
Alec's voice was cold. "Good. Because if I can't have her—no one can."