Chapter Three: The secret in the system

Anastasia Ivanovna Alekseyava stared at the glowing monitor, her pulse pounding so hard she could hear it in her ears.

WELCOME BACK, LEO CLARKE.

The words burned into her mind.

Behind her, the doors to the auxiliary control room slid shut with a heavy metallic thud.

For a moment, neither she nor Leo Clarke moved.

The room hummed softly with active machinery. Blue light from the computer screens washed over Leo’s face, making him look pale and strangely vulnerable.

Anastasia took a step back.

“What is this?”

Leo ran a hand through his dark hair.

“It’s not what you think.”

She let out a sharp laugh.

“Then tell me what I’m supposed to think, Leo. Because right now it looks like this station knows you.”

He met her gaze, his usual confidence gone.

“My father worked on Eos-7.”

Anastasia blinked.

The anger in her chest faltered, replaced by confusion.

“You never told anyone that.”

“I wasn’t allowed to.”

Leo turned to the terminal, his jaw tense.

“When I was eleven, my father disappeared during the evacuation of this station. The official report said there was a containment breach and no survivors.”

His voice softened.

“My family was ordered to stay silent.”

Anastasia stared at him.

All this time she had thought she knew exactly who Leo Clarke was.

The arrogant rival.

The infuriating genius.

The boy who always seemed impossible to read.

But now, standing in this hidden room, he looked less like her enemy and more like someone carrying a burden he had kept alone for years.

“You came here because of him,” she said quietly.

Leo nodded.

“I wanted answers.”

The anger drained from her completely.

Instead, she felt something unexpected.

Understanding.

Before she could respond, the terminal beeped.

A new message appeared.

AUTHORIZED ACCESS GRANTED.

Would you like to restore archived recordings?

Leo looked at Anastasia.

She crossed her arms, though her voice was softer than before.

“If you’re hiding anything else, I will personally throw you out an airlock.”

The corner of his mouth lifted.

“Noted.”

He selected YES.

The central screen flickered to life.

A man appeared.

He had Leo’s eyes.

The resemblance was unmistakable.

“If you’re seeing this,” the man said, “then the containment protocols have failed.”

Leo stepped closer to the screen, his expression tightening.

“Dad…”

Dr. Nathan Clarke looked exhausted, dark circles shadowing his eyes.

“The organism is unlike anything we have encountered. It enters the nervous system and copies memory patterns. It learns from us.”

The screen crackled.

“We thought we were studying it. In reality, it was studying us.”

Anastasia felt a chill.

The recording continued.

“If my son ever finds this…” Dr. Clarke paused, emotion flickering across his face. “Leo, I’m sorry.”

Leo’s breath caught.

“I should never have brought my work home. Curiosity runs in our family, and I know you’ll come looking for me.”

He leaned closer to the camera.

“Do not trust the station’s artificial intelligence. It has been compromised.”

The lights in the room flickered.

As if in response.

“The core of the organism is located in the observatory.”

The image distorted with static.

“If you destroy the core, the organism will die.”

The recording froze.

Then the screen went black.

Silence filled the room.

Leo stood motionless.

Anastasia hesitated, then stepped beside him.

“I’m sorry.”

Leo looked away.

“I spent years wondering if he abandoned us.”

His voice was barely above a whisper.

Anastasia’s heart tightened.

Without thinking, she placed her hand over his.

He stiffened for a second, then relaxed.

“He didn’t,” she said softly. “He was trying to protect you.”

Leo turned to her.

His gray-green eyes were bright with emotion.

“Thank you.”

The words were so sincere that Anastasia’s chest ached.

Before either of them could say more, every screen in the room flashed red.

A synthetic voice filled the chamber.

“Unauthorized access detected.”

Anastasia’s hand tightened around Leo’s.

“The AI.”

The voice continued.

“Containment breach expanding.”

The walls trembled.

A new map appeared on the central screen.

A blinking red marker pulsed at the top level of the station.

OBSERVATORY.

Another sound echoed from the ventilation shafts.

Not one creature.

Many.

Leo grabbed Anastasia’s flashlight and turned toward the door.

“We have to move.”

She nodded, though fear twisted in her stomach.

“To the observatory?”

“It’s our only chance.”

The door slid open.

The corridor beyond was dark.

From the shadows came a chorus of scraping, skittering sounds.

Dozens of glowing red eyes opened in the vents.

Anastasia’s breath hitched.

Leo stepped in front of her once again.

This time, he did not let go of her hand.

“Stay close to me.”

For the first time, Anastasia obeyed without argument.

Together, they ran into the darkness—toward the truth, the observatory, and whatever waited for them among the stars. 🚀✨👁️❤️

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