The elevator chimed softly as it reached the top floor of the Alvarez penthouse. Jake Foreman’s reflection stared back at him in the mirrored doors, tired eyes, loosened tie, the faint trace of a man who’d spent another day trying to prove he was worth something to people who never cared.He exhaled, forcing a smile. Maybe tonight would be different. Daniela had said she wanted to talk. No mockery, no tension, just talk. The elevator doors slid open.From the hallway, laughter drifted, low, intimate, a sound that didn’t belong to him. Jake froze. That was Daniela’s voice, light and teasing… and a man’s reply, deeper, smug.He moved quietly, his heartbeat echoing louder than his footsteps. The door to their bedroom was half-open. Light spilled through the crack, along with the soft rhythm of music.“Daniela,” he called softly, hoping, praying he was wrong.Her voice came through, breathless. “Don’t stop… he’ll be home soon.”Jake’s breath shattered. For a second, the world tilted. He p

The morning air over Foreman Tower was thick with tension. Glass and steel soared above the skyline, glinting in the rising sun like a blade poised over the city.Jake Foreman stood at the base of it all, suit crisp, eyes cold. He looked nothing like the man who’d walked out of Daniela’s penthouse the night before. The valet opened the door. “Welcome back, Mr. Foreman.”Jake nodded once and stepped inside. Inside the lobby, whispers trailed him. Executives, assistants, even security guards stole glances, some curious, others fearful. His face was familiar from old photographs, but his name was legend.The elevator doors closed. A woman’s voice filled the air. “Floor fifty-seven, Board of Directors.”Jake exhaled slowly. “Let’s end this.”The boardroom was a theater of wealth, mahogany table, panoramic city view, twelve directors seated like judges at an inquisition. Lawrence Foreman sat at the head, cane resting across his lap.“Gentlemen,” Lawrence said, “and ladies. Meet your new he

The elevator didn’t stop at the boardroom floor. It kept descending. Jake watched the numbers flash past zero, then blink into red: B7. “I didn’t know the tower had that many sub-levels,” Elena murmured.The man in gray didn’t answer. He only tapped a keycard against the panel. The air grew colder as the elevator slowed, a hum deepening beneath their feet. “Where are you taking us?” Jake asked.“You’ll see soon enough, Mr. Foreman.”Daniela pressed a hand against the mirrored wall. “This isn’t part of the public architecture.”“It’s not meant to be,” the man said.The doors slid open. Fluorescent lights buzzed overhead, white and sterile. The corridor beyond looked nothing like Foreman Tower, no polished marble, no art.Just concrete, security cameras, and steel doors marked AUTHORIZED PERSONNEL ONLY.Elena’s voice was low. “This feels like a lab.”“Because it is,” the man replied. “Project Ascendant began here.”Jake stopped cold. “You know about it.”The man turned. “Everyone who wa

The tower trembled as if alive.Alarms screamed through every floor. Smoke rolled down the glass corridors, curling around fallen lights. The building’s automated voice repeated, “Security lockdown in effect. Evacuate immediately.”But no one was leaving. Not with the clone in control. Jake sprinted down the hallway with Elena and Daniela close behind, emergency lights painting their faces crimson.“He’s inside the system,” Elena shouted over the alarms. “Every door, every elevator, he’s got them!”“Then we find one he doesn’t,” Jake said.“There isn’t one!”They rounded a corner, and froze. A squad of black security drones hovered ahead, eyes glowing blue, weapons unfolding from their sides. “He’s using them like puppets,” Daniela breathed. “Not for long.”Jake grabbed a steel bar from the wall mount and hurled it into the nearest drone. Sparks burst; the others turned, targeting him instantly. Elena dove for a terminal, fingers flying. “Give me thirty seconds!”“You’ve got ten!”Bul

The city above was dead, silent except for the hum of drones moving through the fog like vultures.Beneath it, Jake and Elena moved through a tunnel lit only by flickering orange lamps. Daniela limped behind them, her face streaked with soot. The air smelled of metal and fear. “Where are we?” Daniela whispered.“Under the old subway lines,” Elena said. “The grid didn’t reach this deep. That’s why they call it the Ghost Sector.”Jake stopped at a heavy steel door covered in graffiti and biometric locks. He pressed his hand to the panel. Nothing. “They locked it from the inside,” Elena said.“Or they don’t trust us yet,” Jake muttered.A voice crackled from an intercom above them. “State your name and clearance code.”“Elena Voss,” she said. “Clearance 4C–Alpha, former Ascendant systems analyst.” Silence. Then a click. The door slid open.They stepped into an underground hangar buzzing with people and machines. Dozens of survivors, technicians, hackers, soldiers, worked around jury-rigg