The Bigshot's Superstar Wife

Athena traced her name on the wall, her fingertips hovering over the deep grooves carved into the cold metal. A strange chill ran down her spine. This place, this facility—it wasn't just a random research center. It was connected to her, to her past.

Her mind raced with fragmented images, flashes of cold surgical tables, needles piercing skin, and voices whispering in hushed urgency. Yet, no matter how much she tried to grasp onto the details, they slipped through her fingers like sand.

Xavier stopped ahead, his eyes flickering back to her. "What is it?" he asked, his voice unreadable.

She hesitated. Could she trust him with this? Could she trust herself?

"I think…" Her voice faltered as she ran her fingers over the letters again. "I think I was here before."

Xavier's expression remained still, but his gaze sharpened. "You're remembering?"

"Not clearly," she admitted. "It's like trying to hold onto a dream. But my name is here. Someone put it here for a reason."

Xavier approached, examining the engraving with a critical eye. He remained silent for a long moment before finally saying, "Then we dig deeper."

They continued down the corridor, each step heavier than the last. The deeper they went, the colder the air became, until Athena could see her own breath. The silence was oppressive, broken only by the hum of malfunctioning lights and the faint echo of their footsteps.

Then, they reached a large, reinforced door. Unlike the others, this one looked pristine—almost untouched by time. Xavier tested the control panel, but the screen was shattered.

"We're not getting in that way," he muttered.

Athena stepped forward, a strange familiarity settling over her. She raised her hand, pressing her palm against the biometric scanner.

A mechanical beep echoed through the hall.

Then—click.

The locks disengaged.

Xavier shot her a look, but she was just as surprised as he was.

The doors hissed open, revealing a room unlike any other they had seen in the facility. The walls were lined with sleek white panels, glowing with faint blue energy. Large cylindrical tanks filled with a thick, greenish fluid lined the far end, their contents obscured by condensation. The air smelled of antiseptic and something else—something old, like memories buried under layers of dust.

Athena stepped inside cautiously. The floor was pristine, untouched by the chaos that had consumed the rest of the world. This room had been sealed for a reason.

Xavier followed, his sharp eyes scanning every detail. He walked toward the nearest tank, wiping away the condensation. His body stiffened.

Athena approached, her stomach twisting.

Inside the tank was a woman.

Her own reflection stared back at her.

Her breath hitched. The woman inside the tube was identical to her—same face, same height, same everything. The only difference was that this woman's eyes were closed, her body suspended in the green liquid.

"What the hell…" Xavier whispered.

Athena felt a sudden wave of dizziness. She stumbled back, clutching her head as flashes of memory surged through her mind.

Cold steel against her skin.

A voice saying, "You are the prototype."

A mission. A target. A promise of something beyond her comprehension.

She gritted her teeth, forcing herself to breathe. "I… I don't understand."

Xavier turned to her, his jaw tight. "You were part of something bigger than you realized."

She shook her head. "No. This—this doesn't make sense."

Xavier's expression darkened as he turned back to the tank. He pressed a hand against it, staring at the suspended figure.

"This means you weren't the only one."

The weight of his words sank in. If there was another her here, that meant…

She wasn't unique.

She wasn't just Athena.

She was part of an experiment.

A replication.

A weapon.

Her stomach twisted. "Then who am I?" she whispered.

Xavier didn't answer immediately. When he finally spoke, his voice was quiet, but firm.

"You are whoever you choose to be."

Athena swallowed hard, her hands curling into fists. She wasn't sure if that was comforting or terrifying.

Before she could respond, a sudden noise filled the air. A low, mechanical hum vibrated through the room.

The tanks began to drain.

Xavier swore, pulling his gun.

Athena stepped back, her heart hammering. The other her—the clone—her double—was waking up.

And she had no idea what would happen next.

Athena's breath hitched as the greenish fluid drained from the tank, revealing more details of the woman inside. Her identical features, the way her dark hair floated in the liquid, and the eerie stillness of her form sent a shiver down Athena's spine.

Then, with a sudden jolt, the figure's eyes snapped open.

A deep, golden glow radiated from within them, unlike Athena's own. The body inside convulsed slightly, adjusting to its awakening. Tubes detached themselves from her arms, and the glass barrier began to lift with a slow hiss.

Xavier raised his gun, his stance tense. "Be ready."

Athena clenched her fists, her mind racing. This wasn't just a body in a tube. This was her. A part of her past. A piece of the mystery she was desperate to solve.

The woman inside took her first breath, chest rising sharply as her gaze locked onto Athena. For a moment, silence stretched between them. Then, she stepped forward, her movements fluid but unnatural—too precise, too controlled.

She parted her lips, and her voice, soft yet mechanical, filled the room.

"Designation: Athena."

Athena swallowed hard. "That's my name."

The clone tilted her head slightly. Then, she said something that sent a chill down Athena's spine.

"Correction. Prototype Athena."

Xavier's grip on his gun tightened, but Athena was frozen in place.

Prototype? Did that mean she wasn't the original? That she was just another test subject, another failed attempt?

Before she could process it, the clone took another step forward.

"You are not the first," she whispered. "And you will not be the last."

Athena's heartbeat pounded in her ears as she tried to process the clone's words. Not the first? Not the last? A deep unease settled in her chest.

The clone reached out, her fingers stopping just inches from Athena's face. "Your existence is an anomaly," she murmured, her golden eyes narrowing. "You deviated from the mission."

Xavier suddenly moved between them, his gun aimed directly at the clone's forehead. "Back off."

But the clone only smiled—eerily, knowingly. "It doesn't matter," she whispered. "The real Athena is still out there."

Athena's breath caught. The real Athena?