2026-10-15 10:20:40Adrain
Dr. Mercer stared at me for a moment before looking at Dr. Elias. He gave a small shake of his head, meaning they weren’t going to answer me.
I looked at the countdown 02:59:18
Three hours; that was all they were giving me before before they erase me.
I stepped away from them “You’re really going to do this?”
Dr. Elias took a step closer “Adrain, the extraction is necessary.”
I looked around the chamber. I really needed to act fast, I needed to get out of this place. Think Adrian, think… my eyes moved fast from the cameras, to the scanner, to the control panel, and to the transparent wall separating me from the other scientists.
Then I turned toward the scanner. My eyes stolled over the cables, the control interface and neural feedback system. Then I noticed something; the scanner wasn’t connected directly to the main network, but has its own isolated diagnostic chamber
I smiled, turning back at them "You said you need my research.”
“Yes.”
“And you’re going to extract it from me.”
They didn’t answer
I laughed under my breath, then called out to the younger scientist from earlier.
“My guy… they’re really going to erase me in three hours!”
He looked up from the tablet the woman beside him was showing him. He glanced toward the glass chamber, gave me a faint smile, then returned his attention to the screen.
“I’m certainly going to let you use my head like some storage device and delete me when you’re done.”
I noticed Dr. Elias’s expression hardened.
“No, seriously.” I raised my hands innocently as I casually moved toward the control panel.
Dr. Elias stepped forward. “Adrian, don’t touch that.”
I stopped. “Why?”
Before he could answer, I reached for the control panel. The moment my fingers touched it, the screen flashed:
ACCESS DENIED
I tried again. Another message appeared:
UNAUTHORIZED NEUTRAL ACCESS
I studied the screen and something about the architecture of the system bothered me. I had seen similar configuration in my own work, not this exact system, but the logic behind it
“Adrian”
“Mmh?” I turned toward them, then my eyes automatically drifted to the countdown and my heart skipped a beat
02:54:19
I immediately looked back at the screen. There was a small diagnostic option hidden beneath the maintenance port. My fingers moved across it before I could realize what I was doing.
The screen flickered; MANUAL OVERRIDE AVAILABLE
Both of them rushed forward behind me “Adrian stop!”
I pressed it. The lights went out, the door unlocked. For half a second, nobody moved. Then alarms screamed through the laboratory.
I bolted
“Stop him!”
Scientists scattered as I pushed through the corridor. I absolutely had no idea where I was going. I didn’t know the layout of the facility or where any exit was, I just kept moving.
Security drones dropped from the ceiling behind me “Adrian Vale, stop immediately!”
“Yeah, no” I ducked beneath it and turned down the first corridor I saw…the drone followed. Ahead, a red door appeared. I slammed my palm against it, it opened. I stumbled inside at once, the door sealed behind me.
Silence
I leaned against the wall, breathing heavily before I looking around. It was a server room, rows of machines stretched into the darkness. My chest tightened as something about the place felt familiar.
I walked between the servers and a small terminal blinked near the wall.
I touched it. The screen came alive.
EXTERNAL NETWORK ACCESS: LIMITED
I stared at the message for a second before tapping CONNECT.. The connection was weak and heavily restricted, but it was enough.
I searched my own name and thousands of results appeared; News reports, research publications, obituaries.
My stomach dropped as I opened the first article.
ADRIAN VALE, NEURAL COMPUTING SCIENTIST, DEAD AT 34.
I stared at the headline, then at the date and my fingers went cold. “Nineteen days ago." I opened another article, then another. They all said the same thing; I was dead.
One name appeared beside mine; DANIEL REED.
My eyes stopped on it. I knew that name. The memory came instantly; a man laughing, a blue mug in his hand.
“Daniel…my best friend.”
I opened a secure communication channel, my fingers hovered over the screen. “What am I supposed to say? Hi, I’m alive.”
I opened the connection. The landline rang...once, twice, three times and nobody answered.
I was about to disconnect when the phone was picked up.
A little boy’s voice came through. “Hello?”
I froze. “Uh… hi.”
“Who is this?”
I hesitated. “Is your dad there?”
“No.”
“Can you give him the phone?”
“Who are you?”
I rubbed my forehead. “Just give your dad the phone, Max.”
There was silence.
Then, “How do you know my name?”
“Because your dad has probably complained about you at least a hundred times.”
The boy gasped. “That’s rude.”
I almost laughed. “Max, give your dad the phone.”
“You still haven’t told me who you are.”
I sighed. “Adrian.”
There was silence for a moment, then the boy burst out laughing. “Nice try.”
“Max.”
“Uncle Adrian is dead.”
My smile disappeared. “I know.”
The boy went quiet. Then, footsteps thundered in the background.
“Dad! Dad! Uncle Adrian ghost is on the phone!”
The phone slammed onto the table. The boy screamed again. “GHOST!”
I stared at the screen. “What the hell?”
I heard Max still running. “GHOST! GHOST! GHOST!”
Someone shouted his name. “Max!”
I heard footsteps approaching, then a man’s voice came through. “Hello?”
I swallowed. “Daniel?”
There was a long silence. “Who is this?”
“It’s me.”
“Who?”
My voice cracked. “It’s Adrian.”
He stayed completely quiet, then I heard him breathe sharply. “No.”
“Daniel.”
“No. That’s not possible. Adrian died weeks ago.”
“I know.”
Another silence.
“How are you calling me?”
I looked at the terminal. “I don’t know.” It was the most honest answer I had.
Daniel didn’t speak. I heard him move away from the others. “Where are you?”
“I don’t know.”
“What do you mean you don’t know?”
“I woke up somewhere. They told me I’m a reconstruction.”
His breathing changed. “A reconstruction?”
“They copied my consciousness.”
Silence. Then, quietly—“Who?”
“I don’t know yet.”
I looked at the terminal and a warning appeared.
EXTERNAL CONNECTION DETECTED.
My stomach tightened. “Daniel, I need you to listen to me.”
“What?”
“They’re tracking this call.”
“Who?”
“I don’t know.”
The warning changed to SECURITY TRACE: 61%
“Daniel, don’t tell anyone I called.”
“Adrian—”
The screen flashed...CONNECTION TERMINATION IMMINENT.
“I have to go.”
“Wait!”
The line went dead.
I stared at the blank screen, then another message appeared.
UNAUTHORIZED EXTERNAL ACCESS DETECTED.
I stepped away from the terminal and a new notification appeared; INCOMING TRANSMISSION
I hesitated before opening it. A black screen appeared, followed by a Venyom Continuity insignia. My stomach tightened when a message appeared beneath it; ADRIAN VALE, YOU ARE COMPANY PROPERTY.
I stared at the words. “Company property?”
Another message appeared;,SURRENDER YOURSELF.
I scoffed. “Yeah, that’s not happening.”
The screen changed; CONTACT: DANIEL REED
My smile disappeared.
_____
Across the facility, alarms blared inside the security control room.
“Unauthorized connection!” a technician shouted.
“Where?”
“Restricted network!”
Several security officers immediately gathered around the main console.
“Can you trace it?”
The analyst’s fingers moved rapidly across the holographic keyboard.
“Trying.”
Screens filled with maps, system logs, and shifting data.
“Got a location?”
“Not yet. The network is isolated.”
Dr. Elias stepped closer. “Then isolate it completely.”
“We can’t. He’s already inside.”
One officer slammed his hand against the console. “Find Adrian Vale. I don’t care how you do it.”
Another technician suddenly looked up. “Wait.”
Everyone turned.
“I found an external connection.”
“Where does it lead?”
The technician pulled up Adrian’s personal records.
A name appeared; DANIEL REED.
The room went silent for half a second, then... “Contact him. Now.”
Daniel’s phone rang. He stared at the unfamiliar number before answering. “Hello?”
“This is Venyom Continuity.”
Daniel frowned. “Yes?”
“We’re looking for Adrian Vale.”
His expression changed. “Why are you calling me?”
“We know he contacted you.”
Daniel said nothing.
“We can offer you five million dollars for your cooperation.”
His grip tightened around the phone.
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
A Deal With Veyron
DanielMy phone rang just as I was about to return to the case file.I answered immediately. “Adrian?”“Daniel.” His voice was quieter than usual.“What happened?”“I was about to call you earlier, but I got distracted. I just remembered now, and I need to tell you something.”I straightened in my chair. “What is it?”“I found out that Veyron has started digging into your family.”My expression hardened. “My family?”“Yes. They’ve been looking into your personal life, your family records, and other information that has nothing to do with the court case.”I stood from my chair. “How much do they know?”“I don’t know exactly how much they’ve found. I was about to call you when my wife called me, and I had to deal with something. By the time I was done, it slipped my mind. I only remembered now.”I walked toward the window. “You should have called me immediately.”“I know. That’s why I’m calling now. Daniel, be careful.”“I will.”“No, I mean it. If Veyron has started digging into your f
A Secret Code
DanielI remained beside the desk for a while after my son disappeared upstairs. The house had gone quiet again, but the silence felt different now. I could still hear the faint movement of footsteps above me, followed by the closing of a door.I looked at the relay.A part of me wanted to destroy it and forget the entire situation. If I had never accepted Veyron’s offer, none of this would have happened. Camille would not be frightened, my son would not be listening from the stairs, and I would not be preparing travel documents because I was afraid of what a company might do to my family.But then I remembered what had happened when I connected the device.I remembered the pain.I remembered struggling to breathe while something that was never supposed to be inside my nervous system forced its way through me. Most importantly, I remembered Adrian fighting to break the connection before it killed me.I picked up the relay and turned it over in my hand.Adrian had saved my life.That f
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DanielDaniel walked into the room and immediately noticed Camille sitting there. She had just finished her conversation with Adrian, but the look on her face told him that something had happened.He stopped in front of her, his eyes narrowing slightly. “What did you do?”Camille didn’t answer.Daniel frowned and looked at her carefully. “Camille, were you talking to Adrian?”She remained silent, looking away.“Camille.”She said nothing.Daniel took a slow breath, trying not to lose his patience. “What did you tell him?”She still refused to answer. Instead, she looked up at him, then down at her hands, her expression growing more irritated by the second.Daniel stared at her for a moment before sitting down. He reached for the relay and tried to reconnect with Adrian. The connection took a few seconds before it finally opened.“Adrian?”There was a brief silence before Adrian answered “Daniel.”Daniel leaned forward. “Camille just spoke to you, didn’t she?”“Yes.”His heart sank sli
You Should Have Stayed Dead
Dr. Elias Dr. Elias stood inside the conference room, staring at the large screen in front of him. Daniel Reed’s name was displayed across it while Victor sat at the other end of the table, completely calm. “He filed the injunction,” Elias said. “I know.” “He’s refusing to withdraw it.” Victor leaned back in his chair. “He will.” Elias looked at him. “And if he doesn’t?” Victor’s expression didn’t change. “Then we make sure he understands what refusing us will cost him.” Elias glanced at the files on the table. The legal team had already prepared their response. They would challenge Daniel’s authority, question his claims, and argue that Adrian was corporate property rather than a legal person. But Victor wasn’t interested in stopping there. “You want to destroy his career?” Elias asked. “I want him to become too afraid to continue.” Victor picked up one of the documents and glanced at it. “He really believes the court can protect Adrian.” “He’s a lawyer. That’s wha
A Dangerous Choice
AdrianI had spent the last several minutes studying the relay, trying to understand how much control I actually had over the device. Veyron had built it to track me, but when I broke through their connection, something had changed. Their access was gone, and I could now see parts of the system they had never intended me to reach. I moved through the relay’s interface carefully, following the connections one at a time.I searched through the available channels until I found the one I was looking for. Daniel. I activated it. For several seconds, nothing happened. Then the connection opened.“Daniel?” There was silence. I waited. “Adrian?” His voice came through the relay, and I almost smiled. “Yeah.”A breath escaped him. “Are you okay?”“I’m the one who should be asking you that.”“I’m fine.”“You collapsed.”“I know.”“You had a neural relay attached to your body.”“I know that too.”“And you still sound surprisingly calm.”Daniel gave a tired laugh. “Trust me, I’m not calm.”I lea
Let Them Call Me Crazy
DanielThe chamber fell silent.Dr. Elias stared at the darkened containment units for a moment before turning away. “Secure the chamber.”The security officers moved immediately, locking the doors behind the scientists as they left the containment room.——————————————————————The filing had already been submitted, and several documents were spread across the dining table in front of me. I went through the evidence again, checking the records from the neural relay and the information I had gathered about Veyron.Camille stood across from me, watching without touching any of the papers.“You actually filed it,” she said.I didn’t look up. “Yes.”She let out a frustrated breath. “Daniel, do you understand what you’re doing?”“I do.”“No, I don’t think you do.” She folded her arms. “They offered us five million. Five million, Daniel. And now you’re taking them to court?”“They attacked me.”“And you think they will just sit there and accept that?” she asked. “These are not ordinary peopl
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