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 pressed her back against the cold wall, struggling to steady her breathing. The room spun for a second before settling, the image of the white lab still burned into her mind.

She clenched her fists, digging her nails into her palms. If she let herself spiral, she'd never get a grip. Focus. She needed to focus.

But how the hell was she supposed to focus when there was a voice inside her head?

Whoever—or whatever—this was, it wasn't trying to kill her. Yet. It had called her by name. It had shown her something. That meant it wanted her to see.

She glanced toward Kai and Rhea. Still asleep. If she woke them now, what would she even say? That she was hearing things? Seeing things?

No. Not yet. Not until she had more answers.

She had spent her entire life surviving on instinct, and right now, her instinct was screaming at her to listen.

She swallowed. If this was some kind of cybernetic connection—if whatever was inside her was tied to the Regime's tech—then maybe it needed something to trigger a response.

She reached into her pocket and pulled out the data chip.

The moment her fingers brushed against it—

Her knees buckled, her mind splitting open as the voice returned.

Her breath hitched. The voice was clearer now—no longer distorted, no longer distant.

A sharp pain burned behind her eyes as another fragment of memory surfaced—

Screaming. Metal restraints. A scientist's voice, cold and clinical:

"She's unstable. The protocol is rejecting her."

The vision shattered. Ember gasped, hands trembling as she ripped herself away from the data chip, heart slamming against her ribs.

She wasn't a glitch in the system.

Ember's breathing was uneven as she forced herself to stand. The echoes of the memory—her memory—still burned behind her eyes.

The words rang in her head, twisting around her thoughts like a noose. This wasn't just some coincidence. The Regime had done something to her, built something inside her.

She shoved the data chip back into her pocket, clenching her fists to stop her hands from shaking. If she wasn't careful, she'd spiral, and there wasn't time for that. Right now, they were still being hunted.

She turned back toward the room. The others were still asleep, but Ember wasn't naïve enough to think that peace would last. They needed to move before the Regime found them.

But before she could take another step—

Not like before, not a memory—a warning.

A map flashed across her mind, a bright red marker pulsing at the edge of the city. A checkpoint. Soldiers. Drones.

She stumbled back, her pulse hammering. This wasn't possible. She had no implant, no link to the Regime's network—and yet, she could see their movements as if she were one of them.

A sickening realization settled over her.

She wasn't just running from the system.

Chapter Fourteen