Lina didn't remember leaving the building.
One moment—
She was on the floor, shaking, drowning in чужة memories—
And the next—
She was outside.
Walking.
Breathing.
Alive.
Rain hit her face, but she didn't feel it.
Not really.
Something was wrong.
Her steps were unsteady, her movements slightly delayed—like her body wasn't fully hers anymore.
Like something else was trying to… sync.
"Left…"
The voice wasn't hers.
Lina froze.
Her breath caught.
"Who said that?" she whispered.
No answer.
But the feeling remained.
Not alone.
Her heart started racing again.
"No… no no no…"
She grabbed her head tightly.
"I got out… I survived… I'm still me…"
Silence.
Then—
A memory flashed.
A knife.
Blood.
Laughter.
Lina staggered.
"That's not mine…"
Another memory—
A dark room.
Screams echoing.
A voice saying:
"Subject stable after third integration."
Her eyes widened.
"Integration…?"
Her breathing became uneven.
"Experiment…"
The word slipped from her lips before she realized it.
Suddenly—
Her phone buzzed.
Lina slowly pulled it out.
Her hands shaking.
A message.
"How does it feel… sharing?"
Her jaw clenched.
"I'm not sharing anything."
"You are."
Her heart pounded.
"Three minds."
"One body."
"Stop…"
"You're breaking faster than expected."
"I said STOP!"
Lina threw the phone to the ground.
Her chest rising and falling rapidly.
Voices whispered inside her head.
Not loud.
Not clear.
But there.
Constant.
She dropped to her knees.
"Get out of my head…"
But they didn't leave.
Across the street—
Someone was watching.
Noah Hale.
His gaze was fixed on her.
Sharp.
Focused.
Unmoving.
"There you are…" he murmured.
He had followed the ambulance.
Followed the chaos.
Followed the pattern.
And it led him—
To her.
Lina slowly lifted her head.
Her vision blurred.
But something made her look up.
Their eyes met.
Time froze.
Noah didn't move.
Didn't speak.
He simply watched.
Lina's breath stopped.
"He knows…" she whispered.
And this time—
She didn't run.
Noah stepped forward.
Calm.
Careful.
"Lina Voss," he said quietly.
Her body tensed.
"You've been busy."
Silence.
The rain grew heavier.
"I didn't kill them," Lina said.
But her voice…
It didn't sound convincing.
Noah studied her carefully.
"I believe you," he said.
Lina blinked.
"What?"
"I don't think you're a killer," he continued.
"I think…"
A pause.
"You're a weapon."
The word hit her harder than anything else.
"No…" she whispered.
Noah stepped closer.
"What happened in there?" he asked.
Lina shook her head.
"You wouldn't understand."
"Try me."
Silence.
Her mind screamed.
Voices overlapping.
Memories colliding.
"I touched him…" she whispered.
"And then—everything broke."
Noah's expression darkened slightly.
"How many?" he asked.
Lina hesitated.
"…Three."
That was enough.
Noah exhaled slowly.
"Then we're out of time."
Her heart dropped.
"What do you mean?"
He looked directly into her eyes.
"It means whatever is happening to you…"
A pause.
"…is about to get worse."
Suddenly—
Lina's body froze.
Her pupils dilated.
A voice escaped her lips—
But it wasn't hers.
"Subject unstable."
Noah's eyes narrowed instantly.
"What—?"
Lina's head tilted slightly.
Her expression… changed.
Colder.
Empty.
"Third integration confirmed," she said.
Then she smiled.
Not like Lina.
Something else.
Noah stepped back slightly.
"Who are you?" he asked.
The smile widened.
"We've been waiting," the voice said.
Lina's body moved—
But not by her will.
And in that moment—
Noah realized something terrifying.
He wasn't chasing a suspect anymore.
He was facing something…
Far beyond human.
And Lina—
Was losing the fight.