Kiera sat stiffly on the edge of a crate, fingers drumming against the metal as Aerin's words settled in the air like dust refusing to fall.
She could feel Rhys and Marek watching her, waiting for her reaction. But what was she supposed to say?
That she had always felt like something was missing? That every time she closed her eyes, she saw glimpses of a life she couldn't remember? That she had spent years trying to convince herself she was only what the Architects had made her, while some part of her refused to believe it?
Instead, she asked, "How do I know you're telling the truth?"
Aerin gave her a long, measured look before reaching into their coat.
Kiera tensed, but instead of a weapon, Aerin pulled out a small device—a battered, palm-sized disk. They pressed a button, and a flickering hologram emerged.
Kiera's breath hitched.
It was her.
But not the version she knew.
This wasn't the sharp, engineered soldier the Architects had crafted. This was a girl with softer edges, a different look in her eyes. She was standing beside Aerin, laughing. Laughing.
She didn't look like someone built for war.
She looked free.
Kiera's chest tightened painfully.
Aerin watched her carefully. "You were one of us, Kiera. We fought the Architects together. And when they captured you, they didn't kill you." Their voice darkened. "They rewrote you."
Kiera couldn't breathe.
Marek's jaw clenched. "That tech shouldn't even be possible."
Aerin gave him a sharp look. "With the Architects, anything is possible."
Rhys stepped forward. "Why would they rewrite her instead of just killing her?"
Aerin hesitated, then spoke carefully.
"Because Kiera wasn't just any rebel." They turned back to her. "You were the key to something. A secret the Architects buried so deep, they couldn't risk you remembering it."
Kiera's hands curled into fists.
A secret.
A past stolen from her.
A life she had been forced to forget.
She met Aerin's gaze. "Tell me everything."
Aerin nodded. "I will. But first—"
A sudden thud echoed from above.
Rhys' head snapped up. "They found us."
Aerin was already moving. "Then we don't have much time."
Kiera stood, pulse steady, resolve burning.
They wanted to take her again.
But this time, she wouldn't run.
This time, she would fight.
And this time, she would remember.