She Was Just A Child (PART 2)

CHAPTER 24: THE WEIGHT OF SHADOWS

The dim lights of the underground facility flickered overhead as Dian and the rest of the KorTac team moved through the narrow hallways, their footsteps echoing off the cold metal floors. The air was heavy with a palpable tension, and the familiar scent of gunpowder and damp concrete filled the space.

Dian's heart raced with each step, her mind torn between the mission at hand and the looming figure of Zero One in the shadows of her thoughts. It had been months since their last encounter, but the memories still clung to her like an unwanted second skin. The way he had looked at her—called her "Fifteen"—it unsettled her, like he knew parts of her past that she didn't even remember.

Konig's voice crackled over the comms. "Stay sharp. We're closing in on the main chamber."

Dian nodded even though Konig couldn't see her, her grip tightening on the rifle slung across her shoulder. The team had breached the hidden facility beneath the old KorTac outpost, following the trail of Zero One. The mission was simple on paper—locate, capture, interrogate. But Dian knew it wouldn't be that easy. Not with Zero One involved.

They rounded a corner, and Dian's pulse quickened when she saw the heavy metal door ahead, its surface scarred and rusted from years of neglect. This was it. The chamber where Zero One had been sighted.

"On my signal," Konig ordered, positioning himself at the front of the team. Horangi and Hutch flanked the door, ready to breach. Roze stood behind Dian, her gaze steady but intense.

Dian took a deep breath, forcing herself to focus. She couldn't let her mind wander—not now.

"Three, two, one—go!"

The door slammed open with a loud clang as Hutch kicked it in, the team rushing into the chamber with weapons drawn. Dian's eyes quickly scanned the room, but it was empty—save for a single figure standing in the middle, cloaked in shadows.

Zero One.

His dark armor gleamed under the flickering light, and his face, hidden behind the familiar mask, turned toward them as if he had been expecting their arrival.

Dian's heart skipped a beat, a strange, almost painful familiarity washing over her. It was like staring at a version of herself she didn't recognize—a reflection of something buried deep within her.

Zero One didn't move as the team surrounded him, their weapons aimed at his head and chest.

"You've been caught," Konig growled, his voice hard as steel. "It's over, Zero One."

But Zero One's focus wasn't on Konig. It was on Dian.

"Fifteen," he said, his voice low but carrying across the room like a whisper that demanded attention. "I've been waiting for you."

Dian's blood ran cold. His words pierced through her defenses, cutting straight to the core of the confusion that had been plaguing her since their first encounter.

"Don't call me that," she snapped, her voice harsher than she intended. "I'm not Fifteen. My name is Dian."

Zero One tilted his head, the gesture almost... sympathetic. "You may not remember, but I do. We were part of something bigger. Siblings, bonded by more than blood."

Dian clenched her jaw, trying to steady her breathing, but the weight of his words hit her like a sledgehammer. Siblings? What was he talking about?

Konig stepped forward, his presence commanding. "Enough. You're coming with us."

Zero One didn't even glance at Konig. His attention remained solely on Dian. "I told you before, Fifteen. You and I... we belong together. The things we did, the things we were created for—it's not over. You can feel it, can't you? The pull."

Dian's hands trembled as she gripped her rifle tighter. There was something about the way he spoke, the certainty in his voice. It triggered something deep inside her, something she didn't understand but couldn't ignore.

"Shut up," she spat, though her voice wavered. "You don't know anything about me."

Zero One took a step closer, and the team tensed, their weapons ready to fire. But he made no move to attack.

"I know everything about you, Fifteen. I know the things you've forgotten. The things they took from you." His voice was calm, but there was an edge to it—something dangerous and persuasive. "You were part of the same program as I was. We were made to be perfect soldiers. Emotionless. Efficient. Unstoppable."

Dian shook her head, but the room felt like it was spinning. The words dug into her mind, pulling at the threads of her memories, unraveling the tightly woven fabric of her past. Flashes of images—faint and distorted—flickered in the corners of her mind. Cold, sterile rooms. Needles. Training. Pain.

"No," she whispered, shaking her head more forcefully this time. "That's not true. I'm not like you."

Zero One didn't relent. He took another step, ignoring the guns aimed at him. "You don't have to fight it, Fifteen. You can still remember who you are. The bond we shared—it's still there. You can feel it, can't you? The connection between us."

Dian's breath hitched. She hated how part of her wanted to believe him, wanted to give in to the idea that there was an explanation for the darkness that had always lingered within her.

"Dian," Konig's voice cut through the tension, grounding her. "You don't have to listen to him. He's trying to manipulate you."

But Zero One's words hung in the air like a dark cloud. "I'm not manipulating her. I'm telling her the truth. I'm telling her what they don't want her to remember."

For a split second, Dian's grip on reality faltered, her vision blurring as the images in her mind grew clearer. She saw herself—no, Fifteen—training beside Zero One, their bodies in perfect synchronization as they moved through drills, their minds sharp and focused, void of emotion. She saw their faces, masked by the same cold indifference. But more than that, she felt the bond he spoke of—a strange, inexplicable connection that defied logic but felt real.

A surge of panic shot through her, and she blinked hard, forcing the images away. "No," she said firmly this time, her voice regaining its strength. "I'm not that person anymore. I don't remember, and I don't want to."

Zero One's gaze softened, as if he pitied her. "You can deny it all you want, but deep down, you know it's true. You were made for this. You were made to be with me."

Konig stepped between them, his towering form a protective barrier. "Back off," he warned, his voice a growl.

Zero One held his hands up in surrender, but the knowing look in his eyes never wavered. "You can't keep her from the truth forever, Konig. She'll come to understand, sooner or later."

Dian's hands shook, her breath coming in ragged bursts. She didn't know what was real anymore, didn't know if the memories were hers or something implanted in her mind. But one thing was certain—she couldn't trust Zero One.

Konig's hand found her shoulder, his grip strong and reassuring. "We'll deal with him," he said, his voice calm and steady. "You don't have to face this alone."

Dian nodded, though her mind was still spinning. The room felt suffocating, and her chest tightened as the weight of Zero One's words pressed down on her.

As the team prepared to restrain him, Zero One's voice echoed one last time. "Remember, Fifteen. You can't outrun who you are forever."

Dian turned away, refusing to look at him as they cuffed his hands and led him out of the room. But his words stayed with her, haunting her with every step she took.

She wasn't sure who she was anymore.

And that terrified her.