In the dimly lit training room, Kaelan moved like a machine, every muscle memory sharp and precise. He was alone, the air thick with the faint scent of disinfectant and steel, echoing the metallic clangs as he hit the targets. His hands bled slightly from the roughness of the training equipment, but he felt nothing. Pain had long become a distant sensation, a memory dulled by years of conditioning. He struck again, harder, until the target dummy's head snapped back, cracking under the force.
"You'll never be free if you keep doing what they want," a voice whispered in his mind, smooth and familiar, yet edged with a darkness he could never quite place.
Kaelan paused, breathing heavily, his fists still clenched. "What would you know about freedom?" he muttered under his breath, glancing over his shoulder as though expecting to see someone there, even though he knew better. No one else was in the room. No one ever was when the voice spoke to him.
"Oh, I know plenty," the voice replied with a sinister chuckle, echoing in the back of his mind. "After all, I am you… or rather, the part of you that's tired of being their puppet."
He resumed his movements, punching, kicking, and twisting, trying to drown out the voice. But it was persistent, weaving its way through his thoughts. It had been there since he was a child, a companion and a tormentor, always pushing, always questioning. At times, it felt like a friend, and at others, it was a stranger lurking in the dark corners of his mind.
"Think about it, Kaelan," the voice coaxed, a sly hint of amusement threading through its words. "You've been here your whole life. Killing, training, obeying. Do you ever wonder what it's like beyond these walls?"
"Shut up," Kaelan hissed, landing a particularly brutal kick on the target, shattering it entirely. "You're just… you're just in my head."
The voice chuckled again, unfazed by his resistance. "And yet, I'm the only one telling you the truth. This place? It's a cage. They've made you into their weapon, their little project. But you're so much more than that, Kaelan. You know it… I know it."
A faint alarm sounded, signaling the end of his session. Kaelan wiped the sweat from his brow, glancing at the broken pieces of the dummy scattered across the floor. The voice had a point, even if he didn't want to admit it. He'd spent years in this facility, enduring endless drills, simulations, and missions. But for what? To keep being their tool?
"You could break out," the voice whispered, gentle this time, almost as if it were a lover's caress against his mind. "You know every inch of this place. Their shifts, their weak points. All you need is the right moment."
"And then what?" Kaelan muttered, his eyes narrowing as he scanned the room, his mind calculating. "Run and end up with a bullet in my back? They won't just let me walk out."
"That's the beauty of it," the voice replied. "You don't walk out. You shatter the door, leave them in fear. They raised you to be their monster… now let them see what they've created."
He stood still, wrestling with the thought. The desire to escape was fierce, clawing at his insides. He'd never dared consider it fully until now. He was trained to be unbreakable, unstoppable. But maybe… maybe he was also capable of being free.
---
Later, back in his cramped cell, Kaelan lay on his cot, staring at the cracked ceiling. The lights hummed above him, casting a sterile, cold glow over the room. His fists clenched as he replayed the voice's words. Each line echoed, a taunting reminder of what he was capable of.
"Tomorrow, during the shift change," the voice murmured softly, like a conspiratorial whisper. "There's a blind spot in the cameras near the west wing. You know that, don't you?"
Kaelan nodded subtly to himself, feeling a chill of excitement—no, freedom—prick at his skin. He knew the guards' routes, the facility layout, every security protocol drilled into his mind over the years.
"Yes… you're ready," the voice purred, an edge of satisfaction evident in its tone. "When the door opens, take out the guard silently. Make your way through the ventilation shaft in Hall C. From there, it's a straight shot to the south exit."
Kaelan's heart pounded as he listened. Part of him feared the plan was reckless, but the other part, the darker, more primal side, felt exhilarated. He finally had a purpose beyond following orders.