Friday – 9:00 A.M. | Downtown Metro City – Hollow Bridge Public Plaza
The plaza was packed. Reporters, civilians, government personnel, all gathered under holographic billboards projecting one face: Rick Fyer — or at least someone who looked like him.
Cameras zoomed in as "Rick" stepped onto the stage beside Director Widow.
His voice was smooth, calm, carefully rehearsed.
> "I apologize for the confusion, the damage, and the danger caused by… my clone. I am the real Rick Fyer. I have returned to fix what was broken."
The crowd applauded.
Ava watched the broadcast from a hidden cafe miles away. Her coffee went untouched.
"He talks like you. He even moves like you."
The real Rick sat beside her, expression unreadable.
"That's not me."
Underground Transit – En Route to Safehouse
Kael adjusted his glasses while reviewing movement patterns of the "New Rick."
"He has your physicality, but not your logic patterns. The clone's personality markers are… smoother. Like someone edited out the parts that hurt."
Rick stared at the data.
"They made a version of me who never cried over his mother."
Ava looked over.
"The world already believes he's real. That we're the terrorists."
"Then we break the illusion." Rick replied.
10:15 A.M. | Hollownet – Secret Network Hub
Kael tapped into HollowNet, Hollow Bridge's internal system, using fragments from Echo's drives.
Inside, they found raw surveillance from the cloning labs.
One file: "REVERB_0.9 Initial Conditioning"
They watched.
The clone stood in a sterile room. Screens showed Rick's old footage — fights, conversations, breakdowns. Each scene was followed by corrections:
"Eliminate stutter."
"Delete emotional hesitation."
"Reinforce absolute loyalty to Widow."
Rick turned away.
"They erased my trauma. Made him a polished lie."
Aftenoon – Abandoned Warehouse
Ava trained with Rick. Hand-to-hand. Fast, efficient movements.
She ducked, rolled, struck.
Rick blocked, countered, paused.
"You're hesitating."
"I'm thinking."
"In a real fight, hesitation's death."
She punched him in the chest.
"In a real fight, you taught me to feel first."
He stopped, surprised.
Ava lowered her fists.
"Don't become like him just to beat him."
Evening Broadcast – Split Realities
Widow aired a staged interview with Clone Rick. He smiled for the camera.
> "We've eliminated the traitors. Ava and Kael were misled. If they return peacefully, we can restore them."
Rick turned off the screen.
Kael entered the room, holding a small drive.
"I decrypted a private log. Widow made seventeen clones before him. He's the only one who didn't go insane."
Ava paled.
"What happened to the others?"
"Most of them… tried to become Rick. And broke themselves trying."
Final Scene – Hidden Broadcast Prep Room
Rick sat before a camera, old tech Kael had rebuilt.
Ava stood behind the lens.
"You sure you want to do this? Once it's out, there's no going back."
Rick nodded.
"Let's remind the world who I am."
Kael hit record.
> "I'm Rick Fyer. Not perfect. Not programmed. Just human