Chapter 4: The Man Wearing My Face
For three seconds, nobody moved.
The soldier on the monitor stood perfectly still.
My uniform.
My height.
My build.
Even the way he held his shoulders looked familiar.
Like watching myself from a distance.
But there was one thing that made my blood run cold.
He was smiling.
Not a normal smile.
A smile from someone who knew he had already won.
Daniel slowly stepped away from the screen.
“Sergeant…”
I didn’t answer.
My eyes stayed locked on the camera feed.
The hallway outside the security office was empty except for him.
The man wearing my uniform.
The man wearing my identity.
Captain Ward reached for the communication panel.
“Security, this is Captain Ward. Lock down east corridor immediately.””
Static answered.
Then a voice came through.
A voice that sounded exactly like mine.
“Captain, there’s no need.””
Everyone froze.
The voice came from the hallway speaker.
My voice.
Clear.
Calm.
Almost amused.
The fake soldier on the monitor lifted his head slightly.
“You already know who I am.””
Daniel looked at me.
I saw the fear in his eyes.
Not fear of the person outside.
Fear of what was happening to the entire base.
Because this was no longer about a stolen key.
This was about someone who could walk into any room wearing any face.
Captain Ward grabbed her sidearm.
“Stay here.””
I shook my head.
“No.””
She looked at me.
“Sergeant, you are not cleared for this.””
“That person outside is using my identity.””
“That is exactly why you stay behind.””
I looked at the monitor.
“He wants me to stay behind.””
The fake soldier moved closer to the camera.
As if he could hear us.
Then he raised a small piece of paper.
A message.
He pressed it against the lens.
Three words.
*COME ALONE, COLE.*
Daniel whispered.
“He knows you’ll go.””
I stared at the screen.
“Yes.””
Captain Ward stepped between me and the door.
“No.””
I looked at her.
“You know what happens if I don’t?””
“He gets what he wants.””
“No.””
I pointed toward the monitor.
“He already got what he wanted.””
The room became silent.
“He wanted everyone to see me as the enemy. He wanted the entire base to doubt me.””
I looked at the fake soldier.
“But now he wants something else.””
“What?”” Ward asked.
I watched him carefully.
“To make me disappear.””
We moved through the hallway together.
Captain Ward refused to let me go alone.
Daniel followed behind us despite my orders to stay back.
The lights flickered above us.
Every shadow looked like a person.
Every reflection looked suspicious.
That was the terrifying part.
The enemy didn’t need to hide anymore.
He had made us afraid of everyone.
We reached the east corridor.
The camera feed showed the soldier standing there.
But when we arrived…
He was gone.
Only the paper remained.
Captain Ward picked it up.
Her expression changed.
“What?””
She handed it to me.
It wasn’t just a message.
It was a copy of my military record.
Every assignment.
Every mission.
Every evaluation.
Everything.
Someone had printed my entire history.
On the back was another sentence.
*YOU DON’T EVEN KNOW YOURSELF.*
I folded the paper.
“Find the cameras.””
Ward looked at me.
“What?””
“Find every camera covering this hallway.””
She understood immediately.
If the person disappeared, he had to move somewhere.
Unless…
“He disabled the cameras,” Daniel said.
I looked at him.
“No.””
“Why not?””
“Because someone like this doesn’t destroy evidence.””
I looked at the blank monitor above us.
“He creates evidence.””
Captain Ward pulled up the camera system.
The hallway footage loaded.
There he was.
The fake soldier.
Walking away from us.
But something was wrong.
I leaned closer.
“Stop.””
The footage froze.
“What is it?”” Ward asked.
I pointed.
“He never turned.””
Daniel frowned.
“What?””
“The hallway has two exits.””
“Yes.””
“He only used one.””
“So?””
“So he knew exactly where the camera was facing.””
I looked at the footage.
“He wasn’t escaping.””
My voice lowered.
“He was leading us.””
The camera feed switched automatically.
Another hallway.
Another angle.
The fake soldier appeared again.
Then another camera.
Then another.
Always ahead of us.
Always visible.
Always waiting.
Like he wanted us to follow.
Captain Ward suddenly stopped.
“We’re not chasing him.””
I looked at her.
“What?””
She stared at the screen.
“He’s controlling the cameras.””
The realization hit.
This person wasn’t just an impersonator.
He had access to the entire security system.
The entire base.
“He’s not inside the system,” Ward whispered.
“He is the system.””
We followed the trail to the old training facility.
The building had been closed for years.
No active cameras.
No regular patrols.
A perfect hiding place.
The door was already open.
Inside, the air smelled like dust and old metal.
The lights turned on one by one.
Someone had prepared for us.
At the center of the room was a table.
On it were photographs.
Dozens of them.
Soldiers.
Officers.
Command staff.
Every photograph had notes attached.
Skills.
Habits.
Voice patterns.
Personal weaknesses.
Daniel picked one up.
His face went pale.
“These are…”
“Copies,” Captain Ward finished.
I walked closer.
The photographs were not random.
They were people with access.
People who could influence decisions.
People whose identities mattered.
The person behind this wasn’t just copying soldiers.
They were building replacements.
A sound came from the back of the room.
Clapping.
Slow.
Deliberate.
Everyone turned.
The fake soldier stepped from the shadows.
He removed his helmet.
And for the first time, I saw his face clearly.
Mine.
Not similar.
Not close.
Mine.
The same scar.
The same eyes.
The same expression.
Daniel took a step backward.
“Impossible.””
The man smiled.
“No.””
He looked at me.
“Necessary.””
I felt like I was looking into a mirror that hated me.
“Who are you?””
He tilted his head.
“You already know.””
“No.””
“Yes.””
He touched his face.
“Your brother told you about me.””
My chest tightened.
“My brother?””
The man smiled wider.
“Ethan never told you everything.””
Captain Ward immediately raised her weapon.
“Identify yourself.””
The man ignored her.
His eyes stayed on me.
“Your entire life, you thought you were the original.””
I stared at him.
“What are you talking about?””
He walked toward the table.
Picked up one of the files.
Then threw it at me.
I caught it.
The first page had my name.
Sergeant Daniel Cole.
But below it was something I had never seen before.
A classification code.
A project number.
And a date.
A date from before I was born.
My hands tightened around the paper.
“What is this?””
The man wearing my face looked at me.
“The truth.””
I opened the file.
The first sentence destroyed everything I believed.
*Subject: Cole, Daniel.*
*Status: Replica Unit 07.*
The room went completely silent.
I looked up slowly.
“No.””
The man smiled sadly.
“You finally understand.””
I shook my head.
“That’s impossible.””
“Is it?””
He stepped closer.
“You noticed the footage because the person looked exactly like you.””
My breathing became heavier.
“You thought someone copied you.””
He pointed at my chest.
“But what if you were the copy first?””
I couldn’t speak.
Every memory.
Every childhood moment.
Every photograph.
Everything I knew about myself suddenly felt uncertain.
Captain Ward looked at me.
“Sergeant…”
I backed away.
“No.””
The man continued.
“They created us because real soldiers could fail.””
My voice came out broken.
“Who created you?””
He didn’t answer.
Instead, he looked toward the ceiling camera.
Then back at me.
“The same person who is watching us right now.””
The lights suddenly shut off.
A gunshot exploded.
When emergency lights came back on, the man was gone.
And on the floor beside me was a final message.
May you like
Written in my own handwriting.
*ASK GENERAL CROSS WHO YOU REALLY ARE.*
