Chapter 14 Breaking Through the Walls
ARIA'S POV
The alarms screamed in my ears as I ran.
Guards shouted behind me. Heavy boots pounded against metal floors. Someone fired a weapon—the sound made my heart nearly explode from my chest.
I'd escaped the locked room by picking the electronic collar's lock with a bent paperclip I'd hidden in my sock. Mom always said I was too curious about how things worked. Right now, I was grateful for every video I'd watched about breaking out of restraints.
But escaping was only step one. Finding Kael was step two. Getting us both out alive? That was step three, and I had no plan for it yet.
The mate bond pulled me forward like an invisible rope tied around my heart. Left turn. Down the stairs. Through a hallway that smelled like chemicals and fear. My Omega instincts screamed that this place was wrong—that death lived in these walls.
I burst through a door marked "Training Room Three" and stopped so fast I nearly fell.
Kael was fighting someone.
No—not someone. Asher.
My brother. Alive. Moving. Breathing.
"Asher!" I screamed.
They both froze. Kael's eyes went wide with panic. But Asher—my twin, my other half, the person who knew me better than anyone—looked at me like I was a stranger.
"Target identified," Asher said in a flat, emotionless voice that wasn't his. "Female Omega. Escaped subject O-Prime."
He moved toward me. Not like my brother. Like a predator stalking prey.
"Asher, it's me!" My voice cracked. "It's Aria. Your sister. Remember? We used to—we used to switch places to fool Mom. You hate strawberry ice cream but pretend to like it because it's my favorite. You—"
"I don't have a sister," Asher interrupted. His eyes were empty. Dead. Like someone had reached inside his head and scooped out everything that made him Asher. "I am Subject A-1. Enhanced Alpha Prime."
Tears burned my eyes. This couldn't be happening. I'd found him. He was alive. But the person wearing his face wasn't my brother anymore.
Kael stepped between us. "Aria, run. Now."
"I'm not leaving you—"
"He's programmed to capture you!" Kael grabbed my shoulders. Blood dripped from his split lip. His hands shook. "They erased his memories. Turned him into a weapon. If he catches you—"
Asher's fist came out of nowhere. It caught Kael in the ribs, sending him flying across the room. He hit the wall hard enough to leave a dent in the concrete.
"Kael!" I tried to run to him, but Asher blocked my path.
"Subject O-Prime will be returned to Dr. Kane," Asher announced. "Resistance is futile."
He reached for me. I ducked under his arm, using moves I'd learned in self-defense class. But Asher was enhanced now—faster and stronger than any normal person. His hand caught my wrist in a grip that made my bones grind together.
"Let go!" I kicked at his knee. Nothing. It was like kicking a steel beam.
"Asher!" Kael's voice rang out. He'd gotten up somehow, despite the hit he'd taken. Blood stained his shirt. "Think about what you're doing. This is your sister. Your twin. You loved her more than anything."
"I don't feel love," Asher said. But his grip on my wrist loosened slightly. "That emotion was removed. It interfered with optimal performance."
"Then remember facts," Kael pressed, limping closer. "She has the same DNA as you. The same birthday. The same blood type. You two shared a womb before you were born. That's not emotion—that's science. And science says you're hurting family right now."
Asher's eyes flickered. Just for a second. Confusion crossed his face.
"Asher, please." I looked up at my brother—my twin, my best friend, the person who used to braid my hair when I was scared. "I know you're in there. I know they tried to erase you, but you're stronger than their programming. You always were the strong one. Remember that time we were seven and I fell through the ice at Miller's Pond? You pulled me out even though you were terrified of deep water. You saved me."
"Miller's Pond," Asher repeated slowly. His forehead wrinkled like he was trying to solve an impossible math problem. "I... there's water. Cold. Someone screaming—"
"Me. I was screaming," I said. Hope exploded in my chest. "You saved me, Asher. You've always saved me. Now I'm trying to save you."
Asher's hand dropped from my wrist. He staggered backward, pressing his palms against his head. "No. These aren't my memories. They gave me different memories. I was born in a laboratory. I was created to—"
"You were born two minutes before me," I interrupted. "Mom says you came out screaming bloody murder because you were mad they made you wait nine months. You've been impatient your whole life."
"Aria." My name came out like a gasp. Like someone drowning who'd just reached the surface. "You're... my sister. I remember. I remember everything—"
The door exploded open.
Dr. Kane marched in with six armed guards. Her smile was sharp as broken glass. "How touching. The twins reunited. But A-1, you were given orders. Why haven't you secured the escaped subject?"
Asher's face went blank again. The brief spark of recognition died. "Apologies, Dr. Kane. I was... confused. It won't happen again."
"See that it doesn't." Kane gestured to the guards. "Secure O-Prime. And someone get Professor Cross. Tell him we need to accelerate the timeline. Begin memory modification on both Kael and A-1 immediately. And prep O-Prime for the breeding protocol—"
"No!" Kael lunged at the guards.
What happened next was chaos. Guards shouted. Weapons fired. Kael fought like a demon, taking down three men before they overwhelmed him with sheer numbers. I tried to help, but someone grabbed me from behind.
Through it all, Asher stood perfectly still. Watching. Not helping anyone.
Kane laughed. "This is why emotional attachments are weakness. A-1 feels nothing as his best friend and sister are captured. He's perfect."
"Asher, please!" I begged as they dragged me toward the door. "Fight it! I know you're still in there!"
For one heartbeat, Asher's eyes met mine. And I saw it—a flicker of pain. Of recognition. Of the brother I knew.
Then Dr. Kane pulled out a remote and pressed a button.
Asher collapsed, screaming.