CHAPTER 7: The Commander Who Never Existed
The emergency lights flickered back to life.
The entire underground facility fell silent.
Then every monitor in the building displayed the same message.
COMMAND AUTHORITY VERIFIED
WELCOME, COMMANDER EMMA CARTER
Every reinforced door unlocked.
Every surveillance camera turned toward Emma.
Every armed security drone powered down.
Richard Carter's face drained of color.
"No..." he whispered.
"That protocol was destroyed."
Emma stared at the screens.
"I've never seen this place before."
A calm artificial voice echoed through the complex.
"Memory suppression detected."
"Commander authorization confirmed."
Victoria gasped.
"They erased your memories..."
Richard clenched his jaw.
"I had no choice."
Emma turned to him, fury burning in her eyes.
"You knew?"
Richard lowered his head.
"Everything."
He slowly removed a military dog tag from around his neck.
"I never lied about one thing."
"I did save your life."
He tossed the tag onto the floor.
"You were six years old when Operation Phoenix was attacked."
"The laboratory was burning."
"The scientists had one chance to save the project."
Emma's heartbeat pounded in her ears.
"What project?"
Richard looked directly into her eyes.
"You."
Silence.
"You weren't recruited into Operation Phoenix..."
"You were created by it."
Victoria shouted, "Don't listen to him!"
But Richard continued.
"The military wasn't trying to build the perfect weapon."
"They were trying to create the perfect protector."
"A child with extraordinary reflexes, memory, and combat instincts."
Emma staggered backward.
"No..."
"They implanted classified combat training while you slept."
"They altered your nervous system."
"Every move you've ever made..."
"Every fight you've ever won..."
"...was programmed before you turned seven."
Emma felt sick.
Her greatest strength...
Was never truly hers.
Suddenly, the AI spoke again.
Commander... hidden files unlocked.
A secret elevator slowly rose from beneath the arena floor.
Inside stood a transparent chamber.
A little girl slept peacefully inside.
She looked exactly like Emma.
Same eyes.
Same scar above her eyebrow.
Same face.
Only younger.
Victoria burst into tears.
"Oh my God..."
Emma whispered,
"Who... is she?"
The AI answered without emotion.
Designation: Phoenix-02.
Status: Active.
Relationship: Genetic Clone of Commander Emma Carter.
Before anyone could move, the little girl's eyes suddenly opened.
She looked directly at Emma...
smiled...
and softly said,
May you like
"I've been waiting for you, big sister."
The elevator doors slowly slid open...
