The first memory came as a flicker of light in the corner of her vision, a streetlamp burning too bright in a city she’d never seen. Dr. Elara Voss blinked, but the image remained—a man in a dark coat, his face blurred, standing beneath the same lamp. She turned, expecting to find him there, but the alley behind her was empty. The lab’s fluorescent hum buzzed in her ears, sharp and relentless. Her fingers curled around the edge of the steel table, its coldness grounding her.\n\n”You’re seeing it again,” Dr. Kessler said, his voice low, almost a whisper. He stood at the far end of the room, his reflection fractured in the glass panels that lined the walls. “The Lattice is stabilizing. Your mind is adapting.”\n\nElara didn’t answer. The memory had felt too real, too vivid, like a thread pulled from some other life. She’d been here before—this lab, this table, this man. But the thought made her stomach twist. She wasn’t sure if she was remembering or imagining.\n\n”You need to focus,” Kessler continued, stepping closer. His eyes were pale, almost too bright, like the lamp in her memory. “The next phase begins in two hours. We’ll map the neural pathways. If the Lattice is working, you’ll be able to navigate the fractures.”\n\n”Fractures?” Elara’s voice was steady, but her hands shook. She’d heard the term before, tossed around like a jargon-laden joke. “You mean the gaps in my mind? The things I don’t remember?”\n\nKessler hesitated. For a moment, his expression softened, and she saw something there—regret, maybe, or fear. Then it was gone. “It’s not about what you remember. It’s about what you become.”\n\nThe door hissed open behind her. A woman in a lab coat entered, her steps deliberate, each one echoing in the sterile air. Elara recognized her instantly—the same face from the memory, but older, wearier. The lamp’s glow was in her eyes.\n\n”Dr. Voss,” the woman said, her voice even. “We need to begin.”\n\nElara nodded, though her body resisted. The chair creaked as she sat, the metal cold against her skin. Electrodes were attached to her temples, their wires snaking across the table. Kessler’s hands hovered over the console, his fingers twitching like a pianist preparing for a difficult piece.\n\n”This won’t hurt,” he said, though the words felt hollow. \n\nThe current surged through her—sharp, electric, and sudden. Elara gasped, her body arching against the chair. The world dissolved into light, a cascade of images and sensations flooding her mind. She was running through a forest, the air thick with the scent of pine and damp earth. A child’s laughter echoed in the distance, followed by the snap of a twig. Her heart pounded, but she didn’t know why.\n\nThen—silence.\n\nShe opened her eyes to find Kessler staring at her, his expression unreadable. The woman in the lab coat stood behind him, her arms crossed. “What did you see?”\n\nElara hesitated. The memory felt too real, too personal. “A forest,” she said finally. “A child. Something… wrong.”\n\nKessler’s lips pressed into a thin line. “The Lattice is more fragile than we thought. You’re slipping through the cracks.”\n\n”Then stop it,” Elara snapped. Her voice was louder than she intended, echoing off the glass panels. “Whatever this is, I didn’t ask for it.”\n\nThe woman stepped forward, her gaze piercing. “You volunteered. You knew what this would do to you.”\n\nElara stared at her, the weight of the words settling in her chest. She had volunteered, yes—but she hadn’t known. She hadn’t known it would unravel her.\n\n”I need to see the logs,” she said, her voice quieter now. “The records of the other subjects.”\n\nKessler’s eyes narrowed. “You don’t understand what you’re asking for.”\n\n”Then explain it to me,” Elara shot back. “Because I’m tired of feeling like I’m losing myself.”\n\nThe woman hesitated, then turned to Kessler. “We should tell her,” she said, her voice barely above a whisper. “Before it’s too late.”\n\nKessler’s jaw tightened. He looked at Elara, and for the first time, she saw something in his eyes—fear. \n\n”The Lattice isn’t just a memory filter,” he said finally. “It’s a gateway. We’re not rewriting your mind, Elara. We’re opening it. And once it’s open, there’s no closing it again.”\n\nElara’s breath caught. The words felt like a blow, like the truth had been pulled from her chest. She thought of the lamp, the man, the forest. All of it had been real—had to be real. But if the Lattice was a gateway, then what else was out there?\n\n”What happens if I don’t stop it?” she asked, her voice trembling.\n\nKessler didn’t answer. The woman stepped closer, her expression softening. “You become something else,” she said. “Something we can’t control.”\n\nElara’s hands trembled as she reached for the console. She needed to see the logs. She needed to understand. But as her fingers brushed the screen, the lights in the lab flickered, and the air grew heavy, charged with something unseen.\n\nThe Lattice was awake.\n\nAnd it was watching.
