Chapter 6: The Father I Buried Twice
The command room remained silent after General Cross said the words.
“Your father.””
Two words.
But they carried more weight than any weapon I had ever held.
I stared at him.
“No.””
Cross didn’t look away.
“Daniel—”
“No.””
My voice became sharper.
“My father died.””
“I know.””
“I was there.””
The room seemed to shrink.
I remembered the funeral.
The black suit that didn’t fit properly.
My mother’s hands shaking as she held mine.
The cold rain falling onto the cemetery.
The folded flag.
The empty feeling of watching the world continue after someone important disappeared from it.
That memory had been one of the strongest things in my life.
A foundation.
A fact.
But now everything had become a question.
Cross spoke quietly.
“The man buried that day was not your father.””
My fist slammed against the table.
“Don’t.””
Captain Ward stepped closer.
“Sergeant—”
“No.””
I looked at Cross.
“You don’t get to stand there and rewrite my entire life.””
The general accepted my anger.
Maybe because he knew I deserved it.
Maybe because he had no defense.
“Your father was involved in Project Mirror from the beginning.””
I laughed bitterly.
“My father was a mechanic.””
Cross shook his head.
“That is what he wanted people to believe.””
A memory flashed.
My father sitting in the garage.
Oil on his hands.
A quiet smile.
Always fixing things.
Always telling me:
“Machines break because people stop paying attention.””
I had never understood what he meant.
Not until now.
“He built the foundation of the program,” Cross continued.
“Identity transfer. Memory reconstruction. Behavioral replication.””
I stared at him.
“My father created copies?””
“Yes.””
The word made me sick.
“Why?””
Cross looked at the floor.
“Because he believed soldiers should never be lost.””
Captain Ward frowned.
“That doesn’t explain creating replacements.””
“No.””
Cross looked at the screen where my father’s face had appeared.
“Because eventually, he stopped believing replacements were tools.””
“What did he believe?””
The general hesitated.
Then said:
“That people could be preserved.””
Nobody spoke.
I understood what he meant.
And that terrified me more.
My father wasn’t trying to create copies.
He was trying to defeat death.
The lockdown continued.
Every door on the base was sealed.
Every communication line was restricted.
Someone had trapped us inside.
And whoever did it had access higher than General Cross.
That was impossible.
Unless Cross was lying.
Which was still possible.
I looked at him.
“Where is my father?””
Cross’s expression changed.
“I don’t know.””
“Convenient.””
“It’s the truth.””
“Then why did he activate containment?””
“He didn’t.””
I pointed at the phone.
“The system said Subject Zero.””
Cross nodded.
“Because only he has that authorization.””
Captain Ward looked at the security panel.
“Then how is he activating it?””
Nobody answered.
Because the answer was obvious.
Someone had taken his identity too.
The thought made my stomach turn.
The person behind all of this wasn’t just creating copies.
They were stealing authority.
One person at a time.
Daniel Ross suddenly spoke.
“General.””
Cross looked at him.
“What?””
“If Subject Zero is your father’s designation…”
“Yes?””
“Then who was Subject One?””
Cross went completely still.
That reaction was enough.
I turned toward him.
“You know.””
The general didn’t respond.
“Who was Subject One?””
His silence became unbearable.
Finally, he said:
“Your brother.””
My breathing stopped.
Ethan.
The man who had worn my face.
The man who knew things about me I never told anyone.
The man who said I wasn’t the original.
“You created him first.””
Cross nodded.
“Ethan was the first successful replica.””
I felt anger rise.
“You made my brother into an experiment.””
“No.””
Cross looked at me.
“Your brother volunteered.””
That stopped me.
“No.””
“He did.””
“You’re lying.””
“I’m not.””
Cross opened another file.
A recording appeared.
A young Ethan.
Older than I remembered.
Wearing a military uniform.
Sitting in an interview room.
A researcher asked:
“Why do you want to participate?””
Ethan answered without hesitation.
“Because my brother is going to die.””
I froze.
The recording continued.
The researcher asked:
“Explain.””
Ethan looked directly at the camera.
“Daniel has a condition. He won’t survive past his twenties.””
My mind went blank.
A condition?
I had never been sick.
Never.
The recording continued.
“So you want to replace him?””
Ethan shook his head.
“No.””
He smiled sadly.
“I want to save him.””
The screen went black.
I couldn’t move.
Captain Ward looked at me.
“Daniel?””
I whispered:
“I don’t remember.””
And that was the worst part.
Not knowing.
Not remembering.
Knowing someone had taken pieces of my own life and hidden them from me.
Cross spoke quietly.
“Your memories were altered.””
“Why?””
“Because the truth would destroy the experiment.””
“What truth?””
The general looked at me.
“You were never meant to know you were a replica.””
The words hurt more than I expected.
I had spent my entire life believing I was one person.
Now I was being told I was someone else’s creation.
“Who was the original me?””
Cross didn’t answer.
He opened another file.
A photograph appeared.
A child.
A little boy.
My face.
But younger.
The name underneath:
*Daniel Cole — Original Subject.*
The date:
Twenty-seven years ago.
My hands started shaking.
“I was a child?””
“Yes.””
“Then what am I?””
Cross looked at me.
“The first complete memory transfer.””
The room went quiet.
“You aren’t a copy of Daniel Cole.””
He paused.
“You are Daniel Cole.””
I stared at him.
“I don’t understand.””
“You are the same person.””
He pointed to the image.
“Your body was failing. Your father developed a way to preserve your memories and personality.””
I looked at the file.
“The replica body.””
“Yes.””
“So I’m…”
“Alive.””
The word echoed.
Not a copy.
Not exactly.
A continuation.
A second chance.
But then another thought appeared.
“Then why did someone try to replace me?””
Nobody answered.
Until the command room speakers activated.
A voice filled the room.
My voice.
The voice of the man wearing my face.
“Because you were never supposed to survive.””
Everyone looked upward.
The speaker crackled.
“You were supposed to be the final test.””
Cross stepped toward the control panel.
“Who are you?””
A laugh came through.
“You know exactly who I am.””
The screen turned on.
The fake soldier appeared.
Behind him was a laboratory.
Old equipment.
Files.
Thousands of them.
And standing beside him was another person.
A woman.
An older woman.
Someone I recognized from my childhood photographs.
My mother.
But she was alive.
The fake soldier looked at me.
“Your father saved you.””
He pointed toward the woman.
“She helped him.””
My mother looked directly into the camera.
Her eyes filled with sadness.
“Daniel…”
I couldn’t breathe.
The fake soldier continued.
“But they made one mistake.””
“What?”” I whispered.
He smiled.
“They saved the wrong son.””
The feed cut.
At that exact moment, the lockdown doors opened.
Every screen in the command room displayed one message.
*PROJECT MIRROR: FINAL PHASE ACTIVATED.*
Captain Ward looked at me.
“Daniel.””
I turned.
“What?””
She pointed toward the hallway.
A group of soldiers stood outside.
May you like
Every single one wearing the same uniform.
Every single one looking exactly like me.
