---
Sunday, 4:10 PM
Aidan's Apartment, Sector-6D
The apartment door clicked shut behind him. No footsteps. No system notifications. Only silence.
Aidan placed the silver data drive on the desk like it was a relic dug from under a war zone.
> [New Input Detected]
> External Storage (Level-3 Clearance Required)
Warning: Content may contain high-risk information
Proceed?
"Proceed."
> [Decrypting…]
> Estimated Time: 2 minutes
He took the moment to pace. Rikuto's words echoed louder now than they had in that cold office.
> "It didn't start with you… but it may end with you."
And now this—Project Helix—whatever it was, had supposedly existed years before he transmigrated.
The screen blinked.
> [Decryption Complete]
---
The drive contained a single archive folder. Dated July 7, 2037. Labeled simply:
"Helix_TestSet_Origin: Batch A"
Inside it, Aidan found three items:
1. A grainy video file.
2. A technical PDF document.
3. A clipped audio recording, marked "Reconstruction Log."
He opened the document first.
---
[Confidential: Project Helix – Internal Research Notes]
> "Subject A was administered an adaptive simulation module prototype. The goal was to determine whether cognitive decision trees could evolve in real-time when exposed to high-pressure moral and logistical challenges."
> "Preliminary success was observed. Subject began optimizing response time, prediction accuracy, and long-term consequence evaluation within three weeks."
> "Batch A terminated after the mirror effect destabilized two secondary systems."
> "Further tests to resume in alternate territory. Funding approved for offshore deployment—pending ethical review override."
Aidan froze.
"Mirror effect…"
Rikuto's system?
So, it wasn't just observational—it had destabilized earlier systems before?
And what did "offshore deployment" mean? Was he one of the test subjects relocated?
---
Next, the audio clip.
A man's voice crackled through static.
> "Batch A has a candidate. Male. Twenty-nine. Excellent neural map. No family, limited ties, ideal for simulation insertion."
> "He'll never know what happened. He'll believe it was an accident."
> "The system will initiate 36 hours post-transference. That should give the consciousness time to settle."
Aidan's blood ran cold.
That was him.
He wasn't just chosen randomly…
He was selected. Profiled. Targeted.
---
Finally, the video.
The footage was shaky. A lab. Stark lights. Scientists in bio-suits. A tall pod in the center—inside it, a man unconscious, tubes running through his arms, faint sparks running from a neural halo.
Aidan leaned closer.
The face in the pod was…
his own.
His former body. His real body.
Before transmigration.
His hands trembled.
The file ended abruptly—no crash, no explanation. Just darkness.
---
> [System Message: Core Emotional Spike Detected]
> Logic Stream Fluctuating
Choice Grid Temporarily Narrowed
Recommend: Stabilization Exercise
He ignored the prompt.
He wasn't going to breathe it away.
He needed answers.
And Rikuto… Rikuto had known.
But how much?
---
The system pulsed again.
> [New Branch Available]
> Major Quest Unlocked: "Trace the Helix"
Objective: Locate at least 2 of the original Project Helix test nodes.
Reward: Core Expansion + Ability Unlock (Hidden)
He exhaled slowly.
So this was the next phase. No more local detours. No more passive data gathering.
If he wanted truth—and if he wanted control—he'd have to chase the very people who created this network.
---
Just then, his phone buzzed.
Unknown number.
He picked it up. "Aidan speaking."
A calm, feminine voice responded:
> "You don't know me, but I used to be part of Project Helix. We need to meet. Tonight."
"Where?"
A pause. Then:
> "Neon Station. Platform 9. Midnight. Come alone."
Click.
---
Aidan stared at the dead screen.
Everything had changed now.
No longer a question of what the system could do.
Now it was:
Why was it given to him?
And who else had been experimented on without knowing?
He glanced once more at the frozen video still on his monitor.
There was no going back.
---