It all began at night.
Alex woke up abruptly, as if struck by an electric shock. The scar on the back of his head was pulsating, as if a second heart was beating under his skin. At first, he couldn't understand what was happening—Zoe's shelter was shrouded in semi-darkness, only the walls phosphoresced weakly, emitting a soft bluish light.
But then he felt it—an information flow that somehow seeped through the shelter's protection and penetrated directly into his consciousness. Not like usual, when he himself initiated the connection, but as if breaking in, without permission or control.
Alex sat up on his bio-organic bed, rubbing the back of his head. The pain wasn't sharp—rather, it was pressing, pulsating. But stronger than the pain was the strange sensation of dissolving boundaries between his consciousness and the surrounding world.
He tried to concentrate, to take control of his perception. He closed his eyes, breathed deeply, trying to isolate himself from the growing data flow. But instead of the expected darkness behind his eyelids, he saw a network of glowing threads, interwoven into a gigantic web, trembling and fluctuating as if in the wind.
Information currents, he realized. Somehow his implant had transitioned into a hypersensitive state, allowing him to see the structure of information flows even with his eyes closed.
It was both fascinating and frightening at the same time. He looked at the web of data, at the constantly changing pattern that seemed simultaneously chaotic and strictly organized. Information was no longer an abstraction—it had become visible, almost tangible.
And somewhere deep within this web, he felt a resonance—something responding to his presence. A pulsation synchronized with the rhythm of his implant. The second node. Sara.
Alex leaned forward, as if he could physically get closer to this resonance. His consciousness stretched through the data web, following the pulsation that was becoming more distinct. He could almost sense her—his sister's presence, so familiar, though he couldn't remember her face.
And then everything changed.
The web around him seemed to flutter, swayed as if struck by a giant invisible hand. The data lines began to bend, twisting into spirals and whirlpools. Alex felt his consciousness being pulled into one of these whirlpools.
He tried to resist, to break the connection, but it was too late. His mind was sinking deeper and deeper, rotating along the narrowing spiral of the information whirlpool, and the further he went, the harder it became to distinguish his own thoughts from external data, reality from information constructs.
The whirlpool transformed into a tunnel through which he was rushing at incredible speed. Around him flashed images, fragments of information, shards of memories—his own and others', blurred faces, unfamiliar places, strange symbols and equations.
And then he found himself in a white room. Sterile, flooded with cold light. He was lying on an operating table, unable to move, though he didn't feel physical restraints. Nearby stood people in white coats, their faces blurred as if someone had erased them with an eraser.
This is a memory, Alex realized. A real memory from the time before the Resonance.
"Subject A.K. is ready for implantation," said one of the faceless scientists. "Synchronization with subject S.K. established at 97.3%."
"Beginning the procedure," replied another voice, strangely familiar. "Alpha Node is active. Preparing for implantation."
Alex felt something cold touch the back of his head. He wanted to scream but couldn't make a sound.
"The procedure is proceeding successfully," continued the familiar voice. "The neurointerface is integrating with the tissues. Primary synchronization established."
The scene suddenly changed. Now he was standing by a huge panoramic window. Beyond it was a view of snow-covered mountain peaks. Alex knew this was still part of the memory, but the sense of reality was astonishing.
"Protocol Resonance is the only way," said someone behind his back.
Alex turned and saw a tall man with gray temples and piercing blue eyes. The Architect, flashed through his consciousness.
"Do you understand the risks?" asked Alex, but it wasn't quite his voice. He was an observer in his own body, as if watching a first-person film, not controlling the actions.
"Risk is inevitable in an evolutionary leap," replied the gray-haired man. "But the alternative is slow degradation, extinction. The Nexus nodes are the key to a new era. To an integration that will change the very concept of human experience."
"And the twins?" asked Alex's voice. "What will happen to them after activation?"
The Architect's face softened, something like regret flickered in his eyes.
"They will become a bridge between worlds. Anchors of a new reality."
The scene changed again. Now Alex saw himself and someone else—a young woman with his face, but with long hair and softer features—inside a transparent chamber filled with shimmering light. Their hands were joined, and rings of energy pulsated around them.
Sara, he understood. This was his sister. And this was the moment of activation of their implants.
"Protocol Resonance initiated," announced a mechanical voice. "Node synchronization at 99.1%. Critical mass achieved."
Around the twins, the air began to tremble, to distort. The energy rings rotated faster and faster, merging into a sphere of pure light.
"Don't let go," whispered Sara, squeezing his hand tighter. "Whatever happens, don't let go of me!"
But the light was becoming unbearable, painful. Alex felt his consciousness beginning to dissolve, expand, going beyond the limits of his body. He tried to hold onto his sister's hand, but their fingers were slowly separating.
"Sara!" he shouted, feeling the connection breaking.
And then there was only light. Blinding, all-consuming. And the realization that the world around him was fundamentally changing.
Resonance.
"Alex! Alex, come back!"
The voice broke through the light, insistent, alarmed. Not from the memory, but from the present.
"Alex! Follow my voice. You're in the information flow. It's dangerous. Come back!"
Zoe. It was Zoe. Alex tried to focus on her voice, use it as an anchor to get out of the whirlpool of memories and data.
"I can't..." he whispered, feeling his consciousness scattering, dissolving into the flow.
"You can!" insisted Zoe. "Your node is part of you, not you part of the node. Control. Hold the boundaries of your consciousness."
He felt a touch—real, physical—on the back of his head. Zoe's cool fingers lay on the scar from the implant, and from this contact, waves of stability seemed to spread, restraining the chaos of the information flow.
Alex concentrated on the sensation of her touch, on the sound of her voice. Slowly, with enormous effort, he began to restore the boundaries of his consciousness, separating himself from the data flow.
The light began to dim. The whirlpool slowed down. He felt his body—heavy, material, existing in the physical world, not in the information space.
When Alex finally opened his eyes, he found himself on the floor of Zoe's shelter, convulsively gasping for air as if after a long dive underwater. Zoe was leaning over him, her face tense, the glowing patterns on her skin pulsing at a high frequency. Her fingers still touched the back of his head, creating a strange feeling of grounding, an anchor in physical reality.
"What... what happened?" Alex asked hoarsely.
Zoe slowly removed her hand but remained close, watching him carefully.
"Information sickness," she said seriously. "Spontaneous immersion. Without protection. Without control. Your node... is trying to synchronize with the second one. Too quickly. Too strongly."
Alex sat up with difficulty, leaning his back against the shelter wall. His body felt strange—simultaneously heavy and weightless, as if he hadn't fully returned to physical reality.
"I saw... memories," he said, trying to gather his thoughts. "Real memories from the time before the Resonance. The implantation operation. The Architect. Protocol Resonance. And..." he fell silent, emotions catching in his throat, "I saw Sara. My sister."
Zoe listened attentively, her eyes with golden particles studying his face.
"Not just memories," she said quietly. "Information fragments. Stored in your node. Or... received from the second node through resonance. The synchronization is growing. Stronger than I thought."
She rose and approached a niche in the wall, extracting a small container with a liquid the color of liquid silver.
"Drink," she said, extending the container to Alex. "Information perception stabilizer. Will help... temporarily."
Alex accepted the container with trembling hands and carefully took a sip. The liquid was cold and strangely tasteless, but as soon as it touched his throat, he felt a wave of coolness spreading throughout his body. His thoughts began to clear, the noise of information flows, which he hadn't even been aware of until this moment, subsided to a barely audible whisper.
"This is... better," he said, finishing the contents. "What is it?"
"A neurochemical buffer," explained Zoe, sitting down next to him. "Technomancers use it to control perception during deep immersions. Isolates consciousness from information oversaturation. But the effect... temporary."
Alex nodded, feeling his body gradually returning to a normal state. The trembling subsided, his thoughts became clearer, but the memories of what he had seen in his information vision remained vivid and detailed.
"What I saw," he said, looking at Zoe. "It was real. I'm sure of it. These aren't just hallucinations or data fragments. I really remember what happened."
Zoe thoughtfully tilted her head.
"Perhaps both," she said. "Real memories, preserved in the node. Hidden from your conscious access. Until now. Until the activation of the second node."
She paused, as if thinking about something.
"What exactly did you see?" she asked. "Can you tell me?"
Alex concentrated, trying to organize the flow of images and sensations.
"I saw the operation," he began. "They were implanting the implant... the node, as you call it. Somewhere in the mountains, in a research center with a view of snow-covered peaks. There was a man they called the Architect. Tall, with gray temples and very bright blue eyes."
Zoe listened without interrupting, the patterns on her skin forming complex patterns, as if reflecting the process of analyzing information.
"He talked about Protocol Resonance," Alex continued. "About how it was the only path to some kind of evolutionary leap for humanity. And about how Sara and I are anchors for a new reality."
He rubbed his temples, trying to hold onto the elusive details.
"And then I saw the moment itself... of activation. Sara and I were in some kind of transparent chamber. Our nodes were synchronizing, reaching some critical level. And then the Resonance began. The reality around us began to... change."
Alex looked directly into Zoe's eyes.
"I don't believe it's a coincidence. The Nexus nodes, Protocol Resonance, what happened to the world... It's all connected. The Resonance wasn't an accident. It was an experiment. And Sara and I were part of it."
Zoe was silent for a long time, her face impenetrable, but the golden particles in her eyes moved faster than usual.
"Many... suspected," she finally said. "Technomancers. Archivists. Those who study the structure of the new world. Too many patterns. Too much order for a simple coincidence. As if the new reality was... programmed."
"But why?" asked Alex. "Why would someone deliberately cause such a catastrophe?"
"Not a catastrophe," Zoe gently corrected. "A transformation. Yes, millions died. Yes, old structures were destroyed. But a new world... was born. With new possibilities. New forms of existence. New paths of evolution."
She paused, as if choosing her words.
"Imagine a civilization that has reached the limits of its development within the old paradigm. Exhausted its resources. Suffocating in its contradictions. Facing the threat of slow extinction. What would you do if you saw an opportunity for... a reset? A fundamental restructuring that opens new paths?"
Alex shook his head.
"That doesn't justify millions of victims," he said firmly.
"It doesn't justify," Zoe agreed. "But it explains. The motive. The logic. And if your memories are true... you and your sister were key elements of this plan. Catalysts of transformation."
She suddenly looked up, as if sensing something.
"Dawn is coming soon," she said. "We need to prepare for the journey. You need help... urgently. What happened now is just the beginning. The information sickness will progress. Without training in control... dangerous."
Alex nodded, understanding she was right. If such episodes were to recur and intensify, he could completely lose connection with physical reality, dissolve in information flows. Or, worse, his unstable abilities could harm those around him.
"You were right," he admitted. "I need to learn to control this. Your mentor... do you think she can really help?"
Zoe smiled, and her patterns glowed brighter.
"Neira Somova is the strongest technomancer I know," she said with confidence. "She understands the Nexus nodes better than anyone. Has studied them for a long time. If anyone can help you... it's her."
She rose to her feet in one fluid movement and extended her hand, helping Alex stand.
"Get ready," she said. "The path to the enclave isn't short. Two days, if we move quickly. Through places... unusual. But I know safe trails."
Alex accepted her hand and stood up, feeling weakness in his legs, but with each minute his strength returned. The stabilizer Zoe had given him was working effectively, but how long would its effect last?
While Zoe gathered a small bag with necessities for the journey, Alex examined himself. His clothes were damp with sweat, but overall he was ready for the journey. In his pocket still lay the interface key gifted by Meridian—the only material connection to his previous life, to Neoterra.
"Zoe," he called when she finished with the preparations. "There's something else. If my memories are true, if the Resonance was really planned... then it's possible that somewhere there are people who knew about this plan. It's possible the Architect is still alive."
Zoe turned to him, her face becoming serious.
"Possible," she agreed. "Twenty-seven years isn't so long for those who were prepared for the changes. Who could prepare."
"And if he's alive," Alex continued, "then he might know where Sara is. What happened to her after the Resonance. Why our connection was broken, and now is being restored."
He paused, gathering his thoughts.
"I want to find him," he said firmly. "After I learn to control my node. I want to find the Architect and get answers. And find Sara."
Zoe looked at him for a long time, as if assessing his determination.
"The path will be dangerous," she finally said. "Many don't want the truth about the Resonance to be revealed. Too much power in this knowledge. Too much responsibility."
She came closer, and her eyes were serious.
"But if this is your path... I'll help. After Neira teaches you control. After you're ready."
In her voice sounded a strange mixture of solemnity and excitement, as if she herself was excited by the prospect of this search.
"Thank you," Alex said sincerely. "For your help. For understanding."
Zoe simply nodded and pointed to the entrance of the shelter, which began to open, responding to her mental command.
"Dawn," she said. "Time to go."
Outside, the shimmering sky of the periphery was colored in shades from indigo to bright amethyst—the morning colors of the world after the Resonance. Strange crystalline trees around sparkled, reflecting the first rays of the sun. The air was fresh and filled with thin streams of data that Alex could now almost see—thin shimmering threads intertwining in space.
They silently headed east, toward the distant mountains where the technomancer enclave was located. Ahead was a long journey, full of dangers and uncertainty. But with each step, Alex felt a growing confidence.
He had found a direction. He had begun to remember. And somewhere out there, in this strange new world, was his sister—the second half of the equation, the second Nexus node. Sara. And he would definitely find her.
The scar on the back of his head pulsed weakly, but now it didn't cause fear. It was a reminder of their connection. That they had never been truly separated. And, perhaps, this connection was the key to everything.
Alex took a deep breath of the strange, information-filled air of the new world and strode forward, following Zoe, toward his destiny and the answers that awaited him in the mountains.