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 staggered back, gripping the edge of the windowsill as the wave of data flooded her mind.

Coordinates. Patrol routes. Enemy positions.

It was like seeing through the Regime's own eyes. Information flowed too fast, too sharp, like a live feed directly into her brain.

She clenched her teeth, forcing herself to breathe through the dizzying sensation.

She needed to understand this before it overwhelmed her.

The red marker on the map pulsed—just outside the city's eastern district. Soldiers. Drones. A checkpoint.

And then, just as quickly as it appeared, the map blinked out of her vision.

Her knees buckled, but she caught herself before she fell. The pounding in her skull felt like it was trying to split her open, but the worst part wasn't the pain.

She was linked to the Regime's system.

That was how the scanner had recognized her back at the checkpoint. It wasn't just identifying her—it was activating something inside her.

And if she had access to their network…

Her stomach turned. She had spent her entire life running from the Regime, staying in the shadows, slipping through their cracks. But now—now they didn't need to find her.

A sharp creak snapped her attention back to the present.

He stood at the doorway, arms crossed, his expression unreadable.

"How long have you been standing there?" she asked, trying to keep her voice steady.

"Long enough." His sharp blue eyes flickered over her face, taking in the tension in her stance. "What the hell is going on with you, Ember?"

She hesitated. She could lie. Say it was nothing. But Kai wasn't stupid. And after what just happened, she wasn't sure lying was even an option anymore.

So instead, she exhaled and said, "I think I'm connected to the Regime."

For a second, he just stared at her. Then—

Chapter Fifteen