Chapter 28 · The Mirror Gate

"Stop fighting it, Vera. You're just fighting a mirror," Echo’s voice didn't come from the air. It vibrated inside my skull, a cold, digital hum that made my teeth ache.

I didn't answer. I couldn't. My arm slammed into the mirrored wall of the corridor, the impact sending a shower of glass shards across the floor. Standing there, five feet away, was something that looked exactly like me. Same scarred jawline, same tactical gear, same dead look in the eyes. Only she didn't have the glitchy tremor in her left hand. She was perfect. She was the version of me that Caspar hadn't scrapped.

"What the hell is this?" I spat, my voice sounding raw. I stepped forward, my boots crunching on glass. "Some kind of holographic prank?"

"Not a prank. A prototype," Echo replied. I felt him shift in my mind, his presence like a heavy, cold blanket wrapping around my consciousness. "She’s the V-2. All your combat data, none of your... inconvenient emotional baggage. She doesn't hesitate. She doesn't feel. And right now, she really wants to rip your throat out."

The Mirror-Vera didn't speak. She didn't even breathe.