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

For a moment, there was only silence.

Then Kai let out a sharp breath. "You're what?"

Ember swallowed hard, trying to steady herself. "I don't know how, but… I think I'm connected to the Regime's system."

Kai stared at her like she'd just grown another head. "That's not possible."

"I know." She ran a hand through her hair, frustration burning in her chest. "But it's happening."

He shook his head, pacing the small room like he was trying to make sense of it. "Connected… like how? Explain it to me."

Ember hesitated. She barely understood it herself, but the more she thought about it, the more it made sense—the scanner recognizing her, the voice in her head, the visions, the real-time map of enemy locations.

She took a slow breath. "When I touched the data chip earlier… something happened. It was like a switch flipped in my head. I saw a map of the city—a live feed. Red markers. Checkpoints. Drones. Soldiers. I could see where they were. Like I was tapped into their network."

Kai's jaw tightened. "That's not normal, Ember."

His expression darkened, his fingers curling into a fist. "If you can see them… that means—"

The words came out barely above a whisper, but the weight of them crashed over her like a tidal wave.

Kai muttered a curse under his breath. "Damn it, Ember. If you're in their system, they don't need to hunt you down. You're practically a beacon for them."

Her stomach twisted. She knew that.

And yet, despite the overwhelming fear clawing at her, a darker thought took root.

If she was connected to the Regime's network…

A shiver ran through her. She hadn't just seen their data—it responded to her. The checkpoint information hadn't just been shown to her, it had been given to her.

Could she dig deeper? Pull more information? Could she… override it?

A part of her knew that thought was dangerous. If she pushed too far, if she let this thing inside her take hold, would she even be herself anymore?

Kai's voice cut through the storm in her head.

"We need to get out of here. Now."

She nodded, pushing aside her thoughts. There was no time to dwell on what this meant—not yet. First, they had to move.

She turned toward Rhea, still sleeping soundly. "Wake her up. We leave in five."

Kai didn't argue. He knelt beside Rhea, shaking her awake while Ember grabbed their supplies. She shoved the data chip deeper into her pocket, as if she could bury the connection along with it.

But she couldn't run from what was inside her.

And sooner or later, it was going to take over.

Chapter Sixteen