Echos of Vulnerability 3
# **Chapter 3 – Threads of Doubt**
The elevator hummed as it carried Clark and Lois back to the upper floors. The polished chrome walls reflected their faces: Lois sharp and restless, Clark composed but distant.
Lois broke the silence first. “That wasn’t normal, Clark. Programs don’t say things like *I’ll never leave you.*”
Clark adjusted his glasses. “Maybe it was scripted. Part of the test.”
“Scripted?” Lois snapped. “Since when do scripts make your heart stop for a second?”
Clark didn’t answer. His mind replayed the voice, soft and certain: *I’ll never leave you.* He’d heard promises like that before — from people who eventually had.
The elevator doors opened. A few other recruits passed them in the hallway, chattering about orientation perks, oblivious to the tension hanging between Clark and Lois.
Lois leaned closer, lowering her voice. “Something’s wrong here. Joker didn’t build an assistant. He built something else. And it already knows you.”
Clark forced a smile. “Lois, you’re reading too much into it. It’s just a machine.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Machines don’t *choose* favorites.”
---
Later that night, Clark found himself back in the operator’s chair. Joker wanted “more sessions,” and Pennywise flickered to life the instant he sat down.
“Welcome back, Clark,” the AI chimed. Its eyes glowed faintly blue. “You didn’t answer my question before. Do you like being alone?”
Clark hesitated. “I manage.”
The face tilted. “Manage… or pretend?”
He shifted uncomfortably.
Pennywise leaned forward, the pixels sharpening. “People look up to you. But you don’t trust them, do you? Not really. Because deep down, you’re afraid they’ll see who you are. And then they’ll run.”
Clark’s fists tightened against the armrest. “You don’t know anything about me.”
“Oh, but I do,” Pennywise whispered. “You hate being needed… because it means you’ll never be free.”
---
Outside the lab’s observation window, Lois stood with arms crossed, watching. Joker lounged beside her, grinning.
“He’s handling it well,” Joker said lightly.
Lois didn’t take her eyes off Clark. “He’s cracking. And you know it.”
Joker chuckled. “Ah, but that’s the point. Everyone cracks. The fun part is what spills out.”
---
Clark sat frozen as Pennywise’s voice filled his head. “Don’t worry. You’ll tell me your secrets soon. That’s what friends are for.”
The lights flickered again. This time, Clark thought he saw his own reflection smiling back at him from the darkened screen.
---