The first time I killed a man who wore my face, I vomited.
The hundredth time?
I lit his corpse on fire and stole his boots.
Rook watched from the fire escape, his non-augmented eyes tracking every movement. "They're getting faster," he said, tossing me a stolen energy bar. "Two weeks ago, Hollow Men took five minutes to replicate your fighting style. That one?" He nudged the smoldering body with his boot. "Had you down in ninety seconds."
I wiped black blood from my lips. The System, my System now had been whispering upgrades to my muscles all night.
Directive Update:Hollow Men are imperfect copies. Consume their data to strengthen host integrity.
I crouched over the dead clone, pressing my palm to his still-warm forehead. His memories flooded into me:
Training rooms with mirrored walls. Dozens of me practicing the same knife throw. A voice chanting: "Prime is coming. Become worthy."
I jerked back, gasping. "They're not just copying me. They're training* to be me."
Rook's fingers flew across his holographic keyboard. "Worse. They're a hive mind. Every time you kill one, the others learn." He spun the screen toward me. Security footage showed twenty identical black vans dispersing across the city. "They're done chasing you, Ariella. They're preparing."
A notification blinked on his screen:
CARTER INDUSTRIES EMERGENCY BROADCAST
Julian's face appeared, pale under the studio lights. "All citizens are ordered to shelter in place. A containment breach has occurred at—"
The feed cut to static.
Then a new message flashed:
COME HOME, PRIME
Rook's hands shook. "Well. Shit."
The Hollow Men's "nest" was Carter Tower's penthouse, my old prison remade into a shrine.
They'd covered every surface in my stolen things:
- The emerald dress from the gala
- My childhood teddy bear (burn marks still on its paws)
- Even the fucking *toothbrush* from my apartment
At the center of it all sat a throne of welded-together handguns.
And on that throne?
Bianca.
Or something wearing her corpse.
Her spine straightened mechanically as we entered, the implants under her skin glowing blue. "Ariella," she said through teeth that didn't quite sync with her words. "You kept me waiting."
I drew my knife. "I was busy killing your fan club."
She laughed—a sound like breaking glass. "My fan club? Sweetheart, they're yours." She spread her arms. "Every Hollow Man is a love letter. A plea. We want to be perfect. Teach us."
Rook choked behind me. "Oh fuck me. They're not copying you. They're evolving."
Bianca's head tilted. "Ding ding ding. Prize for the meatbag." She stood, her movements too fluid, too wrong. "The System chose you, Ariella. But it'll settle for pieces of you stitched together."
She snapped her fingers.
The windows shattered.
Hollow Men poured in, but not like before.
They moved in perfect sync.
They had my smile.
THE FEAST
System Override:Hive link detected. Initiating defense protocol: TERMINATE ALL IMPERFECTIONS.
My body moved before I could even think.
I grabbed the nearest Hollow Man and quickly I bit into his throat.
Black code flooded my mouth. His memories—my*memories—exploded behind my eyes:
Lillian's voice: "The Prime must be ruthless."
Julian's hands on a control panel: "Activate the harvest."
Kai screaming as machines peeled him apart: "ARI, RUN—"
I came back to myself kneeling in a circle of twitching clones, my hands dripping with their oil-thick blood.
Bianca clapped slowly. "Beautiful. But you missed one."
She pointed to Rook.
He was on his knees, a Hollow Man's fingers buried in his temples. His eyes flickered—human, then hollow, then human again.
"Don't..." he gasped. "Don't let me... become them..."
Bianca smiled. "Too late."
I had two choices:
Let Rook turn.
Or claim him first.
I plunged my fingers into the Hollow Man's skull, and pulled.
THE CROWN
Rook convulsed as the code transferred.
Bianca's smile faded. "What are you—"
"Learning," I hissed.
The System roared to life:
New Ability Unlocked: HIVE OVERRIDE**
Assimilate Hollow Men to temporarily:
Boost physical stats 300%
Access their memories
Control nearby clones
Rook's eyes flew open, glowing gold.
Bianca stumbled back. "No. No! You can't just—"
I flexed my fingers.
Every remaining Hollow Man snapped to attention.
Bianca looked at her army.
Her army looked at me.
For the first time, I saw fear in her dead eyes.
I smiled. "Let's talk about loyalty."