บท 153: Cloning
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"You think there's more than one Link?" Charlie quietly muttered, staring down at the wreckage of what was once a body. Fragments of armor, pieces of flesh—scattered across the cold stone floor. The faint, acrid smell of burnt circuits and blood still lingered in the air, mixing with the damp, musty scent of the ancient ruins.
Looking at the shredded remains of Link, Charlie's mind raced. The idea seemed bizarre at first, but the more he thought about it, the more sense it made.
"That is indeed a possibility," Friday's voice chimed in, calm and analytical. "It's possible we're dealing with cloning or a similar ability. All identification data matches the previous Link, but there are subtle differences."
Charlie's eyes narrowed. Cloning? The thought gnawed at him. "So we're facing multiple versions of the same guy?"
"It appears that way," Friday responded. "They seem to be different instances of the same person."
Charlie exhaled slowly, running a hand through his hair. "Sounds like cloning to me."
Whatever the truth, it didn't really matter at that moment. Twice the enemies meant twice the challenge—and twice the experience. A small, twisted part of Charlie couldn't help but feel a flicker of satisfaction at the thought.
For now, he let his questions slide and refocused. Spider Gwen had temporarily left the stage, her work done for the moment, and his operating perspective shifted back to Batman. The familiar, dark silhouette of the Caped Crusader filled his view once more.
"The holographic simulation projection is back online."
A soft blue glow washed over Batman's body as lines of data rippled across the armor. In an instant, the dark, imposing figure of Batman vanished, replaced by Agent Snake in his standard combat uniform. The transformation was seamless, the hologram reestablishing itself perfectly.
"The projection system is functioning normally, sir," Friday confirmed, her voice steady.
"Good," Charlie muttered. "Let's see how our new friend's doing."
The underground ruins were a pit of absolute blackness. Even the faintest glimmer of light was swallowed whole by the void. Charlie couldn't see anything beyond the reach of Batman's night vision. The oppressive darkness pressed in on all sides, thick, almost tangible, like a heavy blanket suffocating the space around them. But through Batman's enhanced vision, Charlie navigated the shadows with ease, the green-tinted view revealing every crack in the stone, every corner that might hide a threat.
Though the hologram had briefly faltered during the scuffle, Charlie was confident that no one had seen the glitch. The fighting had been too fast, too chaotic. There hadn't been time for anyone to notice the subtle flicker.
Raising Batman's head, Charlie spotted the platform from which they'd fallen earlier, its jagged edge just visible at the edge of the detection range. It loomed above them, distant and ominous, barely illuminated by the faint glow of the detective mode's augmented vision.
The stone edges of the platform were rough, worn down by centuries of neglect, and bathed in shadows that danced like living things.
Batman didn't hesitate. With a quick motion, the Dark Knight raised his grapple gun. The sound of the grapple firing echoed in the hollow space—a sharp whoosh that sliced through the silence. The claws dug into the boulder at the platform's edge, biting deep into the ancient stone. For a second, the line went taut, then the fibers began to retract, pulling Batman upward with a surge of strength.
The air rushed past, cold and sharp, as Batman soared upward, his cape billowing behind him like a shadow in flight. The ground seemed to fall away beneath him, replaced by the dizzying ascent toward the platform's edge.
At the last moment, Charlie loosened the grapple, allowing Batman to scramble onto the ledge as if he had barely caught himself. From anyone watching, it would have seemed like Batman had hung on by sheer luck, clawing his way back to safety.
But as Batman stood and surveyed the platform, Charlie felt a sinking unease.
The platform was empty.
Larry Wade was nowhere to be found. The blackened bodies of the monsters they'd killed earlier? Gone. Not even a trace of blood or debris remained. The eerie stillness of the scene unnerved him. His first thought was that Larry had assumed he'd been lost in the fall and left. But something about the scene felt off—more than just an absence. It was as if the fight had never happened at all.
Charlie scanned the area again, his mind racing. Larry was thorough, but this wasn't just cleaning up. Even the corpses of the monsters had vanished. The stones beneath Batman's boots were clean, undisturbed, as though nothing had ever been there in the first place.
This isn't right.
Charlie's gaze drifted toward the spot where Gwen had kicked Link through the wall. He remembered the way the stone had crumbled, how the dust had filled the air as the wall gave way under the force of the blow. But now, staring at the same spot, there was no sign of any damage. The wall stood perfectly intact.
It was like the fight had been erased.
"Friday, did we go the wrong way?" Charlie asked, his voice tight with confusion.
"No, sir," Friday replied, her tone level and certain. "This is the exact location of your fall. The only explanation is that the ruins themselves have shifted during the time you've been here."
"In such a short time?" Charlie felt a knot tighten in his chest. This place—it felt wrong, like a living entity. The walls, the floors—it was all moving, shifting, like a maze that rearranged itself every time you looked away.
He couldn't shake the feeling that he was being watched, that the darkness was alive, observing their every move. It was as though the ruin itself was toying with them, trapping them in its shifting corridors, making them question what was real.
The sensation was enough to make his skin crawl. It's like one of those classic horror movies, he thought, where every time you pass through a door and look back, the room has changed. But this wasn't a movie. It was happening, and it was happening now.
He felt his heart rate pick up, the creeping dread growing with every passing second.
The ruins were like a labyrinth with no clear exit. And somewhere within that maze, something—or someone—was pulling the strings.
Charlie took a deep breath and refocused. There was no use in panicking. He wasn't here in person, after all. I'm just the one in control, he reminded himself. I'm not actually in this place.
But even from his safe distance, the air of danger was palpable, tangible through the screen.
Charlie's eyes flicked to Batman's built-in computer, where the radiation signal from Professor Miyazaki's tracker had been displayed. He frowned. The evidence location had shifted again. The direction had changed too—pointing somewhere else entirely.
The ruins have moved again, Charlie thought grimly. It wasn't just Batman's position that had changed—everything had.
He pushed onward, guiding Batman through the twisting, dark corridors of the ruins. Every step echoed in the heavy silence. The cold, damp air seemed to cling to the stone walls, making each breath feel thick and heavy. Time felt distorted down here, stretched thin, as though hours were passing in what was only minutes.
After what felt like forever, Friday's voice chimed in, breaking the suffocating silence.
"Four targets detected, sir."
Charlie's grip tightened on the controls as he scanned the area. The monsters were the same—the dark, twisted creatures that had been plaguing him throughout this mission. They moved like shadows, their forms barely distinguishable from the darkness itself. Their movements were jerky, unnatural, like puppets on strings.
They weren't human. Charlie wasn't even sure they were alive. They felt more like guardians—sentinels of the ruin, patrolling its ever-shifting halls, waiting to tear apart anyone foolish enough to wander inside.
The first monster made its move, creeping up behind Batman with deceptive stealth. Its body was contorted, limbs elongated and twisted, moving in a way that defied anatomy. But before it could strike, Batman reacted. Charlie barely had to think—he was already in tune with the Dark Knight's reflexes. Batman's fist shot out behind him, his movements crisp and precise. The punch connected with the creature's face with a sickening crack, sending it stumbling backward, its grotesque face caving in from the impact.
Batman's cold precision was terrifying.
The remaining three creatures rushed in, their movements wild and chaotic. But Batman was faster. He dodged the first one, delivering an uppercut that shattered its jaw, the sound of bone breaking echoing through the ruins. The second monster lunged, but Batman twisted at the last second, letting its punch land on its own comrade.
Their attacks were frantic, driven by primal instinct. But Batman's were controlled, calculated. His armor-enhanced strength gave him the upper hand, and within moments, the battlefield was littered with broken bodies. The monsters were dispatched quickly—one with a shattered head, another with a cracked chestplate from a bat bomb, and the last two electrocuted by high-voltage gloves.
The fight had lasted minutes, but it felt like a lifetime to Charlie. The silence that followed the swift, brutal takedown was deafening, broken only by the faint crackle of electricity still lingering from Batman's high-voltage strikes. Smoke curled lazily from the remains of the creatures, their bodies twisted in grotesque shapes on the stone floor.
Charlie didn't allow himself to relax. This place… He could feel it in his bones. There was something wrong with these ruins, something that made his skin prickle with unease. But Batman pressed forward, ever the embodiment of purpose and determination.
Just a few steps further, something new appeared on Batman's HUD. The detective mode scanned and locked onto three new targets.
"Three targets detected, sir. These are not like the others," Friday reported, her voice calm, but the undertone hinted at something unusual. "Their body and vital sign markers indicate human life."
Charlie's mind snapped into focus. Humans? Deep in this place? He slowed Batman's pace, guiding him cautiously through the dim corridors, his senses alert. Could these be members of the Ninth Special Service Division?
As Batman crept closer, the outlines of the three figures came into view, shrouded in the darkness but illuminated by the green glow of night vision. For a moment, Charlie thought they might be fellow agents, here to provide backup.
But something was off.
The uniforms they wore were unfamiliar, different from the standard-issue suits of the Ninth Special Service Division. Their gear was advanced, but the design didn't match anything Charlie had seen before. It was sleek, efficient, but foreign.
These weren't Service Division agents.
The quiet hum of Batman's scanner buzzed in Charlie's ear as he moved closer, getting a better look at the trio. They stood still, seemingly unaware of Batman's approach, their heads bent as they studied something in the dim light. Equipment packs were slung over their shoulders, and the faint gleam of high-tech gadgets was visible at their waists.
Friday's voice broke the silence again, now more urgent. "Facial recognition match complete. These individuals are not agents. They belong to the Grove Group."
Charlie's heart skipped a beat. Grove Group.
"What the hell are they doing down here?" he muttered under his breath. The Grove Group was known for its cutting-edge technology, but they were more of a corporate entity—scientists, engineers, not field operatives. Yet here they were, deep within the ruins, carrying military-grade gear like seasoned soldiers.
Charlie's grip tightened on the controls as he scanned the trio. They were focused, intent on their task, seemingly oblivious to Batman's presence. Whatever they were doing, they didn't appear to be looking for a fight—at least not yet.
He studied their faces more closely, and Friday's system pinged again, displaying the names of the three individuals.
"They are James Quinn, Jenna Blake, and Hank Shaw," Friday announced.
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