Pianist_Frea

They told her she was just another orphan. Another runaway. Another nobody.

They lied.

When Ember is captured during a high-stakes escape, the Regime’s system scans her—and does something impossible. It lets her in.

The machines obey her. The code bends to her will. And a voice inside her head whispers secrets she was never meant to remember.

She isn’t just part of the system.

She is the system.

Now, both the Regime and the rebels want her—one to control her, the other to destroy her. But Ember has her own plan: BURN IT DOWN.

If the world made her a weapon, it’s about time she started acting like one.

Echoes of the System

Ember lay on the tattered mattress, staring at the cracked ceiling. Her mind refused to shut off, replaying every detail from earlier—the voice, the system recognizing her, the girl on the screen.

"You're not supposed to be alive."

She pressed a hand against her chest, feeling the steady rhythm of her heartbeat. Real. She was real. But if that was true, then why did it feel like her own existence was a glitch in the system?

She turned onto her side, eyes trailing to Kai. He was asleep, breaths even, his arm draped over his torso like he was still expecting pain. The GENESIS PROTOCOL had healed him completely, but his body still held onto the memory of the wound.

Lucky him. At least he had memories to hold onto.

A dull ache throbbed behind her temples.

Her past had always been a void. No childhood stories, no scattered recollections—just a black hole before the age of nine. She had told herself it didn't matter. That she was better off not knowing.

A flicker of movement caught her eye.

At first, she thought she was imagining it. A glitch of exhaustion. But then—there, just beyond the shattered window—a shadow moved.

She sat up instantly. Not a drone. Not Regime soldiers. This was something else.

Her pulse spiked. She reached for her knife and slipped out of bed, moving quietly. The others didn't stir. Rhea had wedged a chair against the door before sleeping, but that wouldn't stop someone determined.

Ember pressed against the wall, peering outside.

Nothing. Just empty streets, abandoned buildings, and flickering neon signs. But she felt it.

A whisper of static buzzed in her ears.

But the voice had been inside her head.

The whisper in her head faded, leaving behind an eerie silence. Ember's heart pounded as she stood frozen in the dark.

She had spent years honing her instincts, learning the difference between paranoia and real danger. And this? This was real.

Slowly, she lowered her knife but didn't relax.

She glanced back at Kai and Rhea. Still asleep. Still oblivious. Whatever was happening, it was only happening to her.

Ember forced herself to breathe, to focus. If the Regime had found them, they wouldn't be whispering. They'd be kicking down the door. So who—or what—was this?

She turned back toward the window, scanning the streets below. Empty. But that feeling of being watched still lingered.

She reached for the data chip, gripping it tightly in her palm. If this was connected to her, if the Regime's technology recognized her, then maybe—

Then, for the second time that night—

It wasn't a whisper this time. The voice was closer. More clear.

And it came from inside her own mind.

But before she could even begin to process it, something flashed across her vision.

A fragmented image—like a corrupted file trying to load.

A sterile white room. Wires. Cold metal against her skin. And a single, blurred face staring down at her.

Ember staggered back, slamming into the wall. The vision vanished, but the sick feeling in her gut didn't.

This wasn't just technology. It was inside her.

Chapter Thirteen