CHAPTER 82 — THE ANCHOR BODY
Olivia touched her stomach.
The baby inside her moved.
Yet an identical infant floated in the tank.
Rebecca examined the system.
“It is a biological simulation grown from fetal data.”
Nathan disagreed.
“It is a transfer destination.”
Silas took control of Sarah again.
He stared at the infant with hunger.
“My new beginning.”
Rose and Iris restrained Sarah.
Claire approached the tank bearing her face.
The woman inside opened her eyes.
She looked directly at Lily.
“Daughter.”
Lily hid behind Claire.
Mason examined the labels.
The bodies were designed to receive Council members after death.
Silas planned to transfer himself into the infant because a newborn brain could grow around his consciousness.
Olivia raised a metal tool.
“I’ll destroy it.”
Nathan stopped her.
“Breaking the tank may trigger the transfer into your actual child.”
The system treated both infants as connected vessels.
Daniel reached the central console.
“It needs seven Key votes to shut down.”
Only Nathan and Daniel carried Key access.
The five collapsed Daniel copies were needed.
They had left them in the Council chamber.
The timer showed five minutes remaining.
Sarah fought Silas inside her.
“Use me.”
Claire looked at her.
“How?”
“Transfer him into one of the empty adult bodies.”
“And trap him?”
“For a few seconds.”
Lily stepped forward.
“The body with my mommy’s face.”
Claire refused.
Sarah explained that Silas would be disoriented by Claire’s maternal identity architecture.
It might give them time to disconnect the infants.
Rose and Iris connected Sarah to the transfer chair.
Claire held her hand.
“You come back.”
Sarah gave a tired smile.
“I came back once.”
The transfer began.
Sarah screamed.
The Claire body inside the tank opened its eyes.
Silas now looked through Claire’s copied face.
Sarah collapsed, free of him.
The glass tank shattered.
The copied Claire stepped onto the floor.
She moved too quickly.
She seized Lily.
“Now,” Nathan shouted.
Daniel initiated the shutdown.
The five Daniel copies entered the room behind them.
But they were no longer unconscious.
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The Council controlled them.
Each raised a weapon.
