Echoes of the System

The alarms screamed first—shrill, piercing, vibrating throughout Ember's skull like the wail of something dying.

Then the gunfire started

Kai yanked her behind an overturned metal table as bullets ricocheted off the walls, sparks flying like angry fireflies. Rhea was already returning fire, her movements sharp and efficient, like she'd done this a thousand times before.

But Ember couldn't move.

Her eyes were still glued to the screen, the words project E.M.B.E.R burned into her brain, searing hotter than the heat of the explosions above.

A hand gripped her arm—kai's. His face was inches away from hers, dark eyes blazing.

"Ember. Focus." His voice was steady, but there was an edge to it now, like even he wasn't sure they'd make it out alive.

She blinked, her breath coming in shallow bursts, "I'm not—I'm not real."

Kai's grip tightened. "You're real enough to bleed. Real enough to fight. That's all that matters right now.

But it wasn't. It wasn't enough.

She wasn't supposed to be a project. She was supposed to be a person. A girl with a past, a family. Not some experiment. Not...this.

Another explosion rocked the ground. The ceiling raining test.

Rhea's voice snapped through chaos... "We've got to MOVE!"

Kai didn't give Ember a choice. He dragged her up, shoving a pulse pistol into her hands.

Cold, Heavy, Too real...

But so was the Enforcer bursting through the door.

Instinct took over.

Ember raised the weapon, her finger pulling the trigger before she even registered what she was doing. The blast hit the Enforcer square in the chest, sending him sprawling.

Her heart thundered in her ears.

"I did that.."

No time to think. No time to feel.

They moved like shadows, darting through the labyrinth of corridors beneath the station. Kai covered their escape with precision, every shots he fired finding it's mark. Rhea was a blur, ruthless and efficient, leaving bodies in her wake.

And Ember—she just tried to survive.

Her mind raced faster than her feet, fragments of memories—or maybe programmed flashes—swirling In her head. A woman's face she didn't recognize. A voice saying her name—not Ember, but something else, something she couldn't hold onto.

Who am I?

They burst into an underground loading bay, the exist in sight

But the regime was already there.

A squad of Enforcers blocked the way, their leader stepping forward. His armor was sleeker than the others', black with a red insignia—a flame wrapped in chains.

Ember's symbol...

The man removed his helmet, revealing a face that made her blood run cold.

Sharp features. Piercing gray eyes. A scar running down his cheek like a crack in porcelain.

And a smile that didn't match his eyes

"Hello, Ember," he said, his voice smooth and deadly. "Or should I say Subject Zero?"

Rhea cursed under her breath

Kai stepped in front of Ember , protective without hesitation. "We're not going back."

The man laughed softly.. "oh I'm not here to take you back. I'm here to terminate you."

Ember's heart clenched.

She wasn't valuable to them... She was a threat.

Before anyone could react, the man raised his hand—and the Enforcers opened fire.

Everything became a blur.

Ember's body moved on autopilot, diving behind cover, returning fire without thinking. She was faster now, sharper.

Her reflexes felt unnatural —too perfect...

Not human...

Kai was hit—a sharp cry of pain, but he stayed on his feet, blood soaking through his shirt.

Rhea screamed something, but Ember couldn't hear it over the road in her head.

Are didn't think, she acted.

Charging forward, she dodged bullets with impossible precision,her pulse pistol a natural extension of her hand.

She reached the leader in seconds, slamming him to the ground, with strength she didn't know she had.

His eyes widened, just for a second, before she pulled the trigger.

The blast echoed through the bay and then—

Silence.

Her chest heaved, sweat mixing with blood on her skin.

Kai staggered to her side, pressing a hand to his wound. "You okay?"

Ember didn't answer.

She wasn't sure.

All she knew was that she was still standing.

And maybe that was enough....For now.