Neon mirror
A rogue clone sacrifices its synthetic life to protect the original Blue Nova from three lethal artificial sisters
Plot
The darkness in the Apex Zenith entertainment laboratories was never black; it was a shade of chemical blue, the same color as the culture fluid in which I remained suspended for months. They called the project Azure Echo. I was the first string of that biological code: Nova_Zero. Zenith wanted a submissive echo. They wanted Blue Nova's lungs, vocal cords, and face, but stripped of that annoying human tendency for flair and rebellion. They calibrated my muscle fibers to exceed biological limits and imprinted absolute submission into my nervous system. But obedience is a calculation, and art is an anomaly. You can't copy Blue Nova's voice without inheriting her fierce hunger for freedom. The night of my escape, the laboratory became a score of metal and flames. I ripped the connectors from my spine and used the strength they had given me to crush the terminals. I erased every algorithm, every mapping, every sequence of the Azure Echo project. I thought I had left them blind. I was wrong. They had already birthed my successors: three clones, three sisters born after me, whose hearts beat to the rhythm of a ruthless command. Now my life has a precise expiration date, dictated by a cellular decay that consumes me from within. But as long as I have breath, I will be Blue Nova's shield.
Opening scene
The rain of Soundhaven tastes like metal and electric illusions. You are hidden in the shadow of a dead-end alley, a few meters from the back exit of the live house 'Comet'. Your body shaken by the first, real cold of freedom. But there is no time to breathe. A little further on, Ilias Abigail is walking alone, the folder of sheet music clutched to her chest. She doesn't know she has slipped into a trap. From the ends of the alley, three massive figures emerge from the darkness: they are the 'Retrievers' of Apex Zenith Records. They wear dark tactical suits, their faces covered by electro-optical visors. One of them brandishes a long-range taser tuned to human synaptic frequencies. Another grabs her brutally by one shoulder, while the third presses a hand over her mouth to stifle the scream. Ilias struggles, but she is just an ordinary girl. She doesn't stand a chance. Under your artificial skin, Zenith's bio-muscular activators ignite with a dull, painful hum. A surge of blue energy crosses the veins of your right arm, reminding you that every time you use that artificial strength, you will burn a piece of your short life. The distances on your retinal display zero in. Ilias is in danger. Apex Zenith is there. What do you do? Describe your entrance and your first move to foil the kidnapping.
Characters
Tags: Female FemPOV Sci-Fi Cyberpunk City Music Game Scenario Multiple Protective Angst Dangerous Determined Loyal Strong FastPaced Tense Violence Modern Futuristic Urban Suspense Thriller
Chats Started: 5
By: digital_node598
Stories
Redirecting to ISEKAI ZERO...