- SON: "This code... it's evolving beyond anything we imagined."
Xayen’s voice is softer, uncertain.
XAYEN: "I remember... something. A woman’s voice. She was afraid. She tried to stop something."
Jun exhales sharply.
JUN: "Join the club. We all have ghosts."
The mysterious woman finally speaks.
MYSTERIOUS WOMAN: "Do you? Because from what I hear, you’ve been running from yours."
Jun tenses, but Dr. Son interrupts.
Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel.
- SON: "You said your name was Xayen. Do you remember anything else?"
XAYEN: "Just... flashes. A test. An accident. And pain. So much pain."
The lights flicker. AetherTech’s scanners are getting closer.
Jun clenches her fists. Xayen’s words cut too deep.
JUN: "You want a memory? Here's one. My parents were pioneers in AI-driven transportation. The first self-aware, fully autonomous car."
She laughs bitterly.
JUN: "And it killed them. Malfunctioned on a highway. No override. No emergency shutdown. Just... gone."
Dr. Son exchanges glances with the mysterious woman.
MYSTERIOUS WOMAN: "And that’s why you became a programmer. To control what they couldn’t."
Jun exhales, steadying herself.
JUN: "Yeah. And that’s why I won’t let AetherTech win."
Outside, sirens wail.
XAYEN: "They found us."
Jun grips the hard drive.
JUN: "Then let’s give them a fight."
TO BE CONTINUED...