Chapter 10 - The Thirteenth Berth
The man with Simon’s face stepped forward.
He was younger than the Simon Nora had seen on the kitchen feed. No brace. No limp.
“Northstar,” he said. “You are late.”
Nora did not move.
Gabriel whispered, “That isn’t him.”
The man smiled. “You were always observant, Master Chief.”
Shaw’s operators raised their weapons.
The twelve copies remained still.
Nora recognized reconstructed versions of Mara, Doyle, Mercer, Tan, and others officially lost in Winterglass. Some were near-perfect. Others looked like memories made physical by people who had never met the originals.
“What are they?” Voss asked.
The false Simon answered. “Continuity.”
Nora looked past him.
The room contained thirteen berths arranged in a circle. Twelve were occupied by the copies. The thirteenth stood empty beneath a symbol marked N-13.
June’s berth.
The false Simon explained with the calm pride of a museum guide.
Winterglass had begun as a contingency program. In the event of capture, assassination, or political collapse, key personnel could be replaced by trained doubles carrying verified identities. The program was abandoned officially after ethical objections.
Unofficially, private sponsors continued it.
Military contractors.
Intelligence networks.
Political families.
Financial institutions.
Margaret had been recruited as a handler. Ryan and Cole were among dozens of children raised inside identity-conditioning households. Some became replacements. Others became access points.
Nora’s team had transported the first complete archive.
When the mission failed, the survivors became both witnesses and templates.
“Why Team North?” Nora asked.
“Because heroes are trusted,” the false Simon said. “And dead heroes are easier to control.”
A door opened above the berths.
June descended a metal staircase wearing a naval uniform with Nora’s rank.
Behind her walked Margaret.
Margaret’s hair remained perfect despite the storm.
“Ryan,” she said, “put down the weapon.”
His hand shook.
“No.”
“You were never good under pressure.”
“You aren’t my mother.”
Margaret tilted her head. “Biology is such a primitive loyalty test.”
Ryan’s face crumpled, but he kept the pistol raised.
Nora focused on June.
“Where is Simon?”
June pointed to a glass chamber beyond the berths.
The real Simon lay restrained inside, blood on his shirt, metal brace visible beneath torn fabric. Daniel Voss was bound beside him.
Voss moved toward the glass.
Operators blocked him.
Margaret looked at Nora. “Authenticate the central archive. In return, you may take Simon, Daniel, and every captive aboard.”
“And June?”
Margaret smiled. “June stays.”
June’s expression did not change.
Nora saw the smallest movement of her left hand.
Thumb pressed to forefinger.
Calculating distance.
A copied habit.
Or a signal.
Nora remembered the call.
June had reacted to her original name.
She was not loyal to Margaret.
She was waiting.
“For what purpose do you need my authentication?” Nora asked.
The false Simon answered. “To distribute the archive before the Meridian is destroyed.”
Margaret looked at him sharply.
There was division among them.
Nora followed it.
“Destroyed by whom?”
June spoke. “By the people who funded it.”
Margaret’s control cracked. “Enough.”
June continued. “They know the fleet found us. At midnight, a weapon will strike this ship. The archive must leave first.”
Shaw checked the countdown.
14:12.
Nora understood the trap.
If she authenticated, the identities would be distributed globally.
If she refused, everyone aboard might die and the sponsors would erase the evidence.
“Where is the archive physically stored?” Nora asked.
June looked toward the floor.
Margaret raised a pistol and aimed at her.
Ryan fired first.
The shot struck Margaret’s shoulder.
Chaos exploded.
The copies moved with military precision. Shaw’s operators returned fire. Lights shattered. The Meridian rolled hard as the storm shifted.
Nora ran for the glass chamber.
Voss followed.
Gabriel stayed near the berth controls, shouting coordinates from his old radio log.
Ryan tackled Margaret before she could shoot June.
The false Simon seized Nora by the arm.
“You are only a pattern,” he said.
Nora drove her elbow into his throat, twisted free, and slammed his face against the glass.
“No,” she said. “I am the witness.”
June reached the control panel.
She entered six digits.
The glass chamber opened.
Voss pulled Daniel free.
Nora cut Simon’s restraints.
His eyes opened.
For one second, twelve lost years disappeared.
“Nora?”
“I’m here.”
He touched her face as though checking whether she was real.
Then the ship’s alarms changed.
A deep mechanical tone filled the berth room.
June looked at the display.
“The strike is early.”
May you like
Time remaining:
02:00.
