Simon’s hand retracted into his forearm with a mechanical whir, his stance widening as he braced himself.

  And then—

  With a powerful, lightning-fast strike, he punched the sealed metal barrier.

  The impact shook the structure, sending deep groans through the steel, bending it inward.

  Another punch—the metal buckled further, snapping at the seams.

  A final blow—the metal gave way, shattering into a jagged opening.

  But it wasn’t big enough.

  The hole was barely wide enough to fit his head through.

  Simon’s hand deployed from his forearm, gripping the torn edges of the metal. His synthetic muscles strained, forcing the hole wider, twisting the edges apart.

  His sensors flared.

  Movement. All around him.

  From beneath the floor, from the walls, from the ceiling.

  He needed to move.

  Now.

  His frame shifted, powered by synthetic fibers, as he ripped the opening wider. The groaning metal gave way, and without hesitation, he threw himself through the gap.

  He landed on the other side, immediately scanning the area.

  A second sealed door stood a few meters ahead.

  A construct stood before him, its glowing beam illuminating his frame.

  From behind—

  More movement.

  "Wow." Kovsky’s voice rang out, genuine surprise in his tone as he stepped into view, eyes locked on the mangled remains of the door Simon had just torn apart.

  "What kind of costume are you wearing?" he asked, curiosity laced with disbelief.

  Simon’s shoulders dropped slightly.

  He had been caught.

  The construct shambled closer, its body twitching with every mechanical step. It stopped right next to him, its form humming with a quietly.

  Simon’s sensors remained on high alert, trained on everything—

  Kovsky.

  The woman, who had just climbed up.

  And the construct.

  Then—

  A voice.

  "Simon..."

  The construct spoke.

  The voice was slightly distorted, but unmistakably feminine.

  "That's Kate." The woman behind him spoke up. "She can communicate through the machines all around this place."

  Simon stared at the construct, his mind whirring with questions.

  "Yes?" he responded cautiously.

  *'What does Kate want from me? And how does she know my name?'

  The construct tilted its head slightly, the glow of its sensors flickering.

  "You look different," it said.

  Simon’s frame stiffened.

  A pause.

  Then, he spoke. "How do you know me?"

  The construct hesitated for only a moment before responding.

  "We met before."

  Simon’s thoughts raced.

  "Follow this construct," Kate’s voice instructed. "It will guide you to me—then we can speak more."

  Simon turned, his gaze falling on Kovsky and the woman.

  Their appearance still sent a shiver through his frame.

  "Are they coming too?" he asked, his voice laced with suspicion.

  The construct’s head turned toward them, considering them for a brief moment before speaking.

  "I want to discuss something personal with you."

  Simon’s synthetic fingers twitched.

  He didn’t like this. He didn’t like any of this.

  But he had no other choice.

  With one last glance at Kovsky and the woman, he turned and followed the construct into the unknown.

  More seals dropped, one after another, opening the path before them as they moved through the circular hallways.

  Simon counted at least five before they reached a crossroad, eerily close to the entrance of this place. But at this point, there was no reason to run. The seals were too strong, and even if he managed to break through, what waited outside?

  The worm creature.

  He remembered how it had dived into this structure, vanishing without a trace. And if there were more of them?

  One, he might be able to take down.

  More? Unlikely.

  The hallway angled downward, and they continued their march into the depths.

  Then, they reached it—

  A vast, circular chamber spread before them, the air heavy with an almost organic rhythm. The place shared the same alien architecture as the rest of the structure, but this—this felt different.

  It felt alive.

  A heart.

  Simon’s gaze followed the massive network of pulsing tubes descending from the ceiling and rising from the floor, coiling like veins, shifting ever so slightly.

  The steady, rhythmic pulse filled the air, a sound that resonated deep within the walls, through the very bones of the structure.

  Then—

  A hiss.

  A door ahead opened.

  A figure stepped through.

  Simon knew immediately who she was.

  Her body appeared as if it had been grown.

  This narrative has been purloined without the author's approval. Report any appearances on Amazon.

  Though unmistakably humanoid, there was something profoundly unnatural about her presence—as though sculpted by an alien force.

  Her skin, if it could be called that, was etched with deep, vein-like grooves, flowing in organic, almost wood-like patterns. As if she had been carved from living bark, every ridge and contour followed the natural structure of her body, straddling the line between human and something far more primal.

  Her face was smooth yet unsettling, its features eerily symmetrical, buried beneath the intricate grooved texture. Her eyes were pitch black, devoid of irises or sclera, framed by barely perceptible indentations where eyebrows should have been. Her thin lips blended into the ridged surface of her skin.

  Her head tapered backward, the same layered grooves wrapping around her skull, giving the illusion of a helmet-like formation—as if she had no true hair, only an extension of the ridged material that enveloped her.

  Her arms and legs followed the same unnatural growth patterns, the grooves deepening at the joints, emphasizing an eerie sense of fluid rigidity—as though she had been sculpted to move in ways that defied traditional anatomy.

  But her feet—they were the most unsettling of all.

  Instead of normal human feet, her lower legs twisted into root-like appendages, the flesh spreading outward into organic tendrils, anchoring her to the ground itself. It was as if she had been planted, a being that could meld into her surroundings.

  Then—

  She smiled.

  A small, genuine, warm smile.

  And that—more than anything else—sent a cold wave through Simon’s frame.

  "Finally, we meet again," Kate said, her voice carrying the same unnerving warmth as her expression.

  Simon’s muscles tensed, his stance locking.

  There was no malice in her tone.

  Which only made it worse.

  "You said you knew me," Simon said, his voice measured. "But I’m sure I would remember if I had ever seen someone who looked like... this."

  Kate tilted her head slightly, her grooved skin shifting with the motion.

  "This is a new body," she said. "The solipsists made it for me after..."

  She paused, locking her gaze directly onto him.

  "After you killed me."

  Simon stiffened.

  His entire frame locked in place, his processors struggling to process the weight of her words.

  Kate took a single step closer.

  Simon fell eerily silent.

  Kate took another step forward.

  Then another.

  Until she was right next to him.

  She looked up at him, her unreadable gaze searching for something—recognition, understanding, anything.

  "You really don’t know who I am?" she asked, and for the first time, there was something raw in her voice. Something pained.

  Simon’s chest tightened.

  "I... I... I really don’t know," he said, his voice wavering.

  He had met only one woman in this place—

  Amy.

  He had found her trapped in the power room at Upsilon B, high near the surface. Fused with the WAU, an artificial lung of structure gel keeping her barely alive.

  She had pleaded with him not to hurt her.

  And he had.

  Simon’s synthetic hands clenched into fists.

  'She must have died now that WAU was destroyed.' The thought was grim. And Kate?

  Kate opened her mouth—and spoke.

  "You first found me, trapped under boulders, on the way to the shuttle station at Upsilon B. You freed me, and I followed you—until we reached the heavily sealed door.

  You remember that, don’t you?

  I cut through the heavy seal for you—to grant you access to the station.

  I asked where you were going, but you didn’t respond. I left, not knowing if I would ever see you again. I drifted, swimming through the ocean.

  Then I heard it.

  An explosion—followed by a ping.

  My heart quickened.

  I knew it was you.

  I followed the signal. I found you again.

  At Site Delta, after you crashed—after the CURIE exploded.

  You remember how the door was jammed in the escape vessel?

  I opened it for you.

  And then you saw me. You recognized me. And I recognized you.

  I followed you. I helped you. Every rusted door, every sealed hatch, I opened them for you.

  I thought we were friends.

  Then—

  You called the Zeppelin. And I was waiting, eagerly, to come with you.

  But then...

  Kate’s hand touched Simon’s chest, her head lowering slightly.

  Her voice broke.

  "I watched as you plugged your Omnitool into the panel of the Zeppelin... And then I heard Catherine’s voice.

  She screamed in confusion, and when she calmed down, you told her where you were.

  And then...

  She told you to get a tool chip.

  I heard everything.

  You told her you didn’t want to hurt anyone.

  And I was happy to hear that.

  To know that you had such a kind soul.

  But then...

  She convinced you.

  And you followed her orders.

  You picked up the stun baton.

  And you walked toward me.

  I was scared.

  I backed away, slowly, pleading silently.

  Why? Why would you hurt me?

  I wasn’t a robot. I didn’t have a tool chip.

  But then—

  You hit me.

  The shock coursed through me. Simon, it hurt.

  It hurt so bad.

  I screamed.

  I ran.

  I begged you to let me go, to let me leave.

  But my screams—

  They meant nothing to you.

  There was another robot, a UH3 unit floating nearby, rambling nonsense.

  But you chose me.

  Despite everything I did for you—

  You kept hitting me.

  And when I was on my last breath, you reached into my body—

  And ripped out the chip.

  Then—nothing.

  Kate lifted her gaze to Simon, her eyes boring through him, searching for something in him that she once believed in.

  Simon’s hands trembled.

  "You were that... UH8 unit."

  His voice was barely a whisper.

  His synthetic hand covered his mouth, a ghost of a reaction he no longer had the biology for.

  "I... I didn’t know."

  His voice was small.

  "I thought you were just a robot."

  He looked at her—truly looked at her.

  "Catherine... she told me you were like a dog."

  His breath, even though unnecessary, hitched.

  "I didn’t know—there was a person inside."

  Simon’s voice cracked. Shame clawed at his frame, heavier than anything he had ever felt.

  Kate’s hand gently lifted Simon’s chin, forcing him to meet her gaze.

  "You didn’t know, Simon…" she whispered, her voice soft but firm.

  There was no anger, no resentment, only understanding—and that made it worse.

  She took a slow breath, as if steadying herself, then continued.

  "After you killed me, the current took me. My body drifted into the abyss—just another piece of scrap metal, lost to the ocean."

  She paused, her voice distant, as if she were reliving it.

  "That’s where the Solipsists found me. They took my broken shell and brought me to their hive.

  And slowly, they fixed me. Rebuilt me.

  They gave me a new body. A new existence.

  At first, I was terrified. They were different—not human, not like anything I had ever seen. And, to be honest with you, Simon…" She let out a soft, humorless chuckle. "I never liked bugs. Or insects."

  She shook her head slightly. "But they took care of me. They gave me a new life."

  Simon’s gaze fell to the floor.

  Her words pressed down on him, heavy and suffocating.

  He had spent so much time running from monsters.

  From people who had lost their minds, twisted by madness and desperation.

  But standing here, listening to her, he realized—

  He had been the biggest monster of all.

  Not because he had been driven mad.

  Not because he had been forced into it.

  But because he was sane.

  Because he had chosen.

  Killing Kate.

  Killing the first Simon.

  They weren’t mistakes. They were decisions.

  And he had made them knowingly.

  His voice caught in his throat.

  "I’m sorry, Kate… I… I—" Simon stammered, struggling, searching for the words that could undo the weight in his chest.

  Kate stepped forward, her fingers wrapping around his hand.

  "It’s alright, Simon," she said softly. "I understand. You didn’t know. It’s alright."

  Her kindness only made it worse.

  Because he didn’t deserve it.

  They stood there, locked in a silent moment, the weight of everything settling between them.

  After a few seconds, Simon exhaled, forcing himself to pull away from the crushing guilt.

  "You said your name is Kate," he said. "What’s your full name?"

  She hesitated, just for a second.

  "That’s not my real name," she admitted. "It’s just what my unit was called. K8."

  She paused before finally saying it.

  "My real name is Imogen Reed."

  Simon’s head snapped up.

  His entire body went rigid.

  His processors stuttered.

  Reality twisted violently.

  "What?" Kate—Imogen—tilted her head, confused. "Is there a problem?"

  Simon’s thoughts crashed into each other, a thousand fragmented pieces of memory and knowledge colliding all at once.

  She was Imogen Reed.

  The first Simon had woken up in her body.

  She had been dead.

  She had been his first step into this nightmare.

  This is fucked.

  This is seriously fucked.

  He didn’t have a stomach anymore, but he felt sick.

  Like he needed to throw up.

  His body lurched, his breath—despite being unnecessary—hitched violently.

  Simon staggered, then fell to his knees, his diffusers releasing sharp bursts of air, the sound eerily akin to hyperventilation.

  "Simon!" Imogen rushed to him, alarmed. "Are you alright?!"

  He lifted a shaking hand, barely able to force out the words.

  "Yeah… it’s just…"

  His voice was strained, distant.

  "Give me a few moments."

  He couldn’t breathe.

  Not because he physically needed to.

  But because his mind was suffocating.

  "Imogen?" Simon asked, his voice low, uncertain.

  She tilted her head slightly, the grooves along her skin shifting with the motion.

  "Yes, Simon?"

  Simon hesitated. His mind raced, a thousand fragmented thoughts colliding all at once.

  "Tell me… what’s the last thing you remember before being trapped under the boulders?"

  Imogen’s brows furrowed slightly, her once-calm expression shifting into something thoughtful… and then troubled.

  She stood silent for a moment, as if trying to pull at something distant, something foggy and unreachable.

  "I remember…" she started slowly, her voice carrying an odd uncertainty. "I remember looking at a strange device. It was big, like a massive television, covered in pipes and tubes running all over it."

  Her eyes narrowed slightly, her frown deepening.

  "We called it the Vivarium."

  Simon’s entire frame stiffened.

  Vivarium.

  The machine created by WAU.

  The same machine Catherine had studied.

  The precursor to the ARK.

  Simon’s mind reeled, but he forced himself to focus. "And then? What happened next?"

  Imogen’s frown deepened further.

  "That’s... strange," she murmured. "I can’t remember how I got under the boulders."

  Simon felt something cold settle into his core.

  "What was the date when you last saw the Vivarium?" Simon asked, his voice carefully measured.

  Imogen didn’t hesitate.

  "June 6, 2103."

  Silence.

  Simon stared at her.

  His processors stalled.

  That’s not possible.

  Simon’s synthetic fingers twitched, his mind racing through stored data, logs, conversations—searching for something, anything that made sense of this.

  June 6, 2103…

  That was a full month before Catherine did her own scan.

  A month before she even figured out how to do it in the first place.

  Which meant—

  Who scanned Imogen Reed?

  Simon’s breath hitched.

  He had no record of it.

  No data. No mention. No logs.

  Simon felt something unsettle deep within him, an unshakable, gnawing feeling—

  Something was very, very wrong.

  https://soma.fandom.com/wiki/K8_(UH8)

  https://soma.fandom.com/wiki/Imogen_Reed