The screen kept flickering.
The figure on it didn't move.
Didn't blink.
Just watched them.
Like it had been waiting for this exact moment.
"Ω-2…"
Dmitri repeated the designation quietly.
His fingers moved over the console.
Searching.
Decrypting.
Finding nothing.
"That's impossible."
Roman's eyes narrowed.
"Explain."
Dmitri looked at the data.
"There were only two confirmed subjects."
A pause.
"Ω-0 and Ω-1."
The figure on the screen smiled.
A small, unsettling movement.
"Confirmed?"
The voice echoed through the facility.
"You always loved pretending you knew everything."
Artyom stared at the screen.
"You know who we are."
Not a question.
A fact.
Ω-2 tilted its head.
"I know everything about you."
The words were calm.
Too calm.
"Your blood. Your memories. Your reactions."
A pause.
"Your weaknesses."
Viktor stepped forward.
His presence changed the room.
"Turn off the transmission."
Dmitri tried.
The system rejected him.
"Someone has full control."
Nikola's eyes narrowed.
"From inside?"
Dmitri looked around.
"No."
A pause.
"From somewhere else."
Ω-1 stepped closer to Artyom.
For the first time since they found it—
It looked afraid.
"Don't listen."
Artyom glanced at them.
"You know them?"
Ω-1 didn't answer.
That was answer enough.
Ω-2 smiled.
"You're still scared."
The words were directed at Ω-1.
"You always were."
Ω-1's hands tightened.
"I survived."
A long silence.
Then—
Ω-2 laughed softly.
Not happily.
Almost sadly.
"No."
"You escaped."
The room became colder.
Artyom looked between them.
"You were together."
Ω-2's eyes moved to him.
"Yes."
A pause.
"We were all together."
A new file appeared on the screen.
ORIGIN PROJECT — SUBJECT HISTORY
The screen filled with names.
Not numbers.
Names.
Ω-0 — Artyom Sokolov
Ω-1 — Unknown
Ω-2 — Unknown
Then—
A fourth line.
Ω-3 — STATUS: LOST
Yelena's expression changed.
"Lost?"
Dmitri frowned.
"That doesn't mean dead."
Ω-2 spoke again.
"Ω-3 was the first failure."
The room stilled.
"The one who couldn't adapt."
Artyom's voice lowered.
"What happened?"
For the first time—
Ω-2's expression changed.
Not amusement.
Not confidence.
Something darker.
"They became exactly what the creators wanted."
Silence.
Roman stepped closer.
"Who controls you?"
Ω-2 looked at him.
And smiled.
"You still think there is only one person behind this."
A pause.
"That's your mistake."
Suddenly—
Every screen in the facility turned on.
Hundreds of files.
Hundreds of names.
Not just experiments.
Families.
Bloodlines.
Empires.
Valentin went still.
Because one file had opened.
VOLKOV BLOODLINE ANALYSIS
Roman's face changed.
Barely.
But Artyom noticed.
Viktor noticed too.
"What is that?"
No answer.
Another file opened.
SOKOLOV CONTRIBUTION RECORDS
Then—
MOROZOV RESEARCH NOTES
The three empires.
All connected.
All guilty.
Artyom's voice became quiet.
"You all knew."
His eyes moved from Roman…
To Viktor…
To the empty screen where Andrei had once appeared.
"You all knew about this."
No one spoke.
Because the truth was finally standing in the room.
Not hidden.
Not buried.
Alive.
Then—
The facility shook.
A deep vibration moved through the floor.
Dmitri checked the readings.
His expression changed.
"Something is activating."
Nikola looked toward the lower levels.
"What?"
Dmitri's voice dropped.
"The containment chambers."
Ω-2 smiled.
For the first time—
It looked excited.
"They're waking up."
The lights turned red.
One by one—
The empty chambers started filling with light.
Ω-1 stepped back.
"No…"
Artyom looked around.
"How many?"
Ω-2 answered.
Softly.
"Enough."
Outside the facility—
A hidden door opened.
A person stepped out of the snow.
Silver hair.
Cold eyes.
Andrei Morozov.
He looked at the building.
And whispered:
"They found the beginning."
Inside—
The first chamber unlocked.
Then the second.
Then the third.
And the entire facility came alive.