LGHTNOVELBOOK Chapter 46: Voices of the Forgotten
Voices of the Forgotten
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1. The Ghost in the Machine (Tom's POV)
The containment pod pulsed with an eerie, pale blue light, illuminating the hollow shell of what had once been a person.
Tom stepped forward cautiously, every instinct in his body screaming that this wasn't natural—wasn't safe.
The figure inside was half-human, half-machine, its flesh fused with metallic tendrils that pulsed like veins. Tubes fed into its chest, and its eyes—**what remained of them—**flickered faintly behind layers of glass.
"Do you think it's alive?" Stacy's voice was barely a whisper.
Orion knelt beside the pod, examining the embedded control panel with cold precision. "Alive… maybe. Aware? Doubtful. But whatever this is, it's been here for a long time."
Tom leaned closer, noticing faint markings around the base of the pod: UED CLASSIFIED EXPERIMENT #17-031—PROJECT RECLAMATION
His pulse quickened.
Reclamation?
The voice from earlier echoed in his head—"The Council doesn't lose their assets."
"What if this isn't just a prisoner?" Tom muttered. "What if it's what happens to those who fail to escape?"
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2. Searching for Answers (Stacy's POV)
Stacy approached the console attached to the containment pod, its surface covered in dust and dried blood. She wiped it clean with the sleeve of her jacket, revealing a cracked screen.
The display flickered weakly.
[SYSTEM LOG – UED RESEARCH STATION 17]
[STATUS: CRITICAL FAILURE]
[LAST RECORDED DATE: YEAR 4263 SE]
Stacy's breath hitched.
"Wait—4263 SE?" she whispered.
Diane moved closer, her face paling as she read the log. "That's over two hundred years from the last time Earth recorded official data."
Tom's stomach twisted.
"How long were we in the illusion?"
Orion's jaw tightened. "Too long."
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3. The Figure Speaks (Orion's POV)
A low, mechanical rasp filled the air—so faint, it was almost inaudible.
The figure in the pod moved.
Just a twitch—barely perceptible—but enough for Orion to realize it was still aware.
"Hold on," he muttered, fingers flying across the console's controls. "There's still something in there. Maybe we can trigger a communication protocol—"
The screen flared, flooding with red text.
[ERROR: MEMORY CORRUPTED]
[VOICE CHANNEL ACTIVE – STABILIZING]
The rasp grew louder, becoming words.
"Who… who's there?"
Tom froze. "It's… conscious."
Orion leaned in closer. "We're survivors. Prisoners. Who are you?"
The voice crackled, each syllable laced with pain.
"I was… Research Director Elias Korrin. I… I oversaw the project… until…"
A static-laced shudder rippled through the pod's systems.
Stacy stepped forward. "Until what?"
"Until the Council took over."
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4. A History of Experiments (Diane's POV)
Diane's throat tightened. "What did they do to you?"
There was silence, broken only by the flickering hum of the console.
"Not… just me… All of us. They… rewrote the project. Made us… conduits."
"Conduits for what?" Orion's voice was sharp now, every syllable laced with cold calculation.
"For… control. They didn't want us to research time manipulation. They wanted… perfect obedience. A network… connected minds… tools for domination."
Diane swallowed hard. "How long have you been here?"
The figure twitched violently.
"Centuries. The Council doesn't… let failures die."
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5. The Price of Escape (Tom's POV)
Tom's stomach twisted as the weight of the truth sank in.
The illusion wasn't just a prison.
It was a filter.
Those who couldn't break free didn't die. They became part of the Council's network—enslaved, reshaped, repurposed.
"We need to end this," Tom said through gritted teeth.
Orion's fingers danced across the console. "I can disrupt the system running the pod, but it might trigger an alarm."
Stacy's hand tightened around her blade. "We're running out of time. Do it."
Orion hesitated for half a second. Then—a single keystroke.
The pod's glow flickered violently.
The voice inside let out a strangled gasp.
"Thank you… for ending this… Don't let them… trap you again…"
The lights in the room dimmed. The hum of the pod fell silent.
And for the first time in centuries—the prisoner was free.
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6. The Council's Retaliation (Group POV – Final Scene)
The walls around them shuddered violently.
Alarms flared. Red lights bathed the room in an ominous glow.
Orion's expression darkened. "They know we're awake."
The voice from earlier returned, cold and mechanical.
"Your resistance is noted. Extraction protocols initiated."
Tom's breath came fast. "We need a way out—now."
Stacy's eyes scanned the console, locking onto a flashing prompt.
[EMERGENCY EXIT – MANUAL OVERRIDE REQUIRED]
"I've got something!" she shouted. "But it's locked!"
Orion's hands flew over the keys. "I can bypass it—buy me sixty seconds!"
The walls began to close in, mechanical limbs unfolding from hidden compartments, each tipped with sharpened needles and energy weapons.
Tom drew in a shaky breath, raising his fists.
"Let's hold them off long enough to finish this."
Diane's voice was steady as she stepped beside him.
"Together."
The battle wasn't over.
But this time, they were fighting on their own terms.
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