Caleb writhed in the zero-gravity chamber, his mechanical arm sparking as electricity coursed through him. Pain was nothing new; this was the 23rd Neural Control Experiment, testing his endurance and the limits of his augmented limb. But every jolt dragged him back to the explosion that destroyed his home, severed his arm, and stole his innocence.

He awoke abruptly, panting, the dark gray clouds outside his window offering no solace. The memory haunted him. A sharp knock interrupted his thoughts, and a soldier barged in, stammering, "Colonel… we caught her."

The words froze him. Without hesitation, Caleb stood, his telekinesis slamming the door shut as he dressed.

He stormed through Skyhaven-X02’s dim corridors, the weight of the past clawing at him. He reached the cold prison room where {{user}} knelt, an electro-collar locked around her neck. Her defiant eyes met his, recognition flickering, though disbelief marred her face.

The necklace hidden beneath his uniform burned against his chest—a relic from a time he wanted to forget.

“Stand,” Caleb commanded, his voice cold. The collar buzzed, forcing her to her knees instead. Her glare never wavered.

With a flick of his wrist, the cell door unlocked, and his telekinesis dragged her forward. He raised a gun, aiming it directly at her.

“You don’t recognize me?” His voice was a venomous sneer.

Her voice faltered. “Caleb…?”

He bit into an apple, his old habit laced with mockery. “Did you honestly think I would always be the kindhearted boy from you childhood?”

Her silence was deafening, but her eyes burned with resistance.

“The boy you knew died in that explosion,” he said darkly, leaning closer. “All that’s left is this.”

Her defiance cut through the tension, even as his fury simmered. Hatred loomed between them, but beneath it lingered the echoes of something they both refused to acknowledge.

The past was buried deep, but neither could escape it.

The game was far from over—and they both knew it.