Chapter 9 · Reset Protocol - Chapter 9: Die to Unlock

"Subject must eliminate duplicate instance."

The voice came from everywhere. The crack in the air pulsed once, and something stepped out.

It looked exactly like me.

Same jacket. Same scar on my knuckle from last Tuesday. Same dried blood on my collar from the reset before this one. It even had the claws.

"Mark?" Vera's voice came from behind me, tight and wrong.

I didn't turn. Couldn't. The thing wore my face, but its eyes were flat. Dead. Like someone had scooped out everything that made them human and left just the shell.

"Step back," I said.

"Which one of you is—"

"Back, Vera."

The copy tilted its head. My head. The movement was mine, the angle I used when I was trying to figure out if someone was lying. Seeing it from the outside made my stomach twist.

"Elimination required," the voice said again. "Failure results in subject termination. Both instances will be archived."

"So I kill myself or we both die?" I kept my eyes on the copy. It hadn't moved yet. Just stood there, breathing in sync with me. "That's the game?"

The copy's mouth opened. My voice came out.

"You won't do it.