2025-12-30 11:29:42
Previous Chapter
Latest Chapter
CHAPTER 25
THE KEYSTONE BREAKS[72 HOURS AFTER THE SIEGE]The Congressional hearing room was different this time.No cameras. No press. Just fifteen senators, Marcus, and a classified designation that meant everything discussed here would never see public light.Senator Harrison looked older than he had a week ago. Tired. Like he'd seen something that kept him awake at night. "Mr. Chen. We meet again under even more extraordinary circumstances."Marcus sat alone. His team had been separated. "Questioned individually," they'd called it. He knew what it really was. Divide and assess. See if stories aligned. Look for weaknesses."Six Warden hosts attacked a federal facility," Harrison continued. "A thirteen-year-old girl was found with illegal neural modifications. And you—our most valuable asset—destroyed your own Warden System to save her. Care to explain that decision?""She's thirteen, sir. Nobody should be a weapon at thirteen.""Noble sentiment. Terrible tactics. You rendered yourself obsolet
CHAPTER 24
HUMAN WEAPONS[10 HOURS UNTIL CONVERGENCE]Marcus stood in the command center, leaning on a crutch because his legs still didn't work right without the system compensating for damage.His team surrounded him. Aria, already planning defensive positions. Leon, mapping network traffic to predict the Wardens' approach vectors. Danny, coordinating with military units Rhodes had quietly mobilized. Thomas, checking weapons with the efficiency of someone who'd done this too many times.And in the corner, silent and watching, was Maya. Awake. Aware. Terrified."The network is using me," she said quietly. "I can feel them. Six minds connected to mine. They know where we are. What we're planning. Everything I know, they know.""Then we don't tell you the plan," Marcus said. It sounded harsh. Was harsh. But necessary. "You stay in isolation. Sedated if needed. We cut the information flow.""They'll still come. They don't need me anymore. I already led them here." Maya's hands shook. "I'm sorry. I
CHAPTER 23
THE GIRL WHO SHOULDN'T EXIST[36 HOURS LATER]Marcus woke to the sound of breaking glass.Not in the warehouse. Inside his head.The system screamed. [CRITICAL ALERT: UNAUTHORIZED WARDEN SIGNATURE DETECTED. PROXIMITY: 200 METERS. POWER LEVEL: UNPRECEDENTED. THREAT ASSESSMENT: UNKNOWN.]He rolled out of bed, weapon in hand before his eyes fully opened. The system had been quiet since Mission Seven. Dormant. This was different. This was panic.[WARNING: SIGNATURE DOES NOT MATCH ANY KNOWN WARDEN PROFILE. INTEGRATION PATTERN: IMPOSSIBLE. HOST AGE: ESTIMATED 12-14 YEARS OLD.]Marcus froze. A child? With a Warden System?He grabbed his comm. "Aria. We have a situation."Static. Then her voice, groggy. "It's 0400 hours. What kind of—""Warden signature. Close. Moving closer. It's a kid."Aria was instantly alert. "That's impossible. Integration requires adult neural development. A child's brain couldn't handle—"The warehouse door exploded inward.Not from explosives. From force. Pure kineti
CHAPTER 22
NEW DAWN, OLD SHADOWS[7 DAYS LATER]The Congressional hearing room was packed.Marcus sat at the witness table, flanked by lawyers he didn't want and didn't trust. Behind him, his team occupied the gallery. Aria in business formal that looked wrong on her. Leon taking notes compulsively. Danny looking like he'd rather be anywhere else. Dr. Reeves reviewing documents. His father beside his aunt Patricia, both looking concerned.At the elevated bench, fifteen senators stared down at him. Some sympathetic. Most hostile. All of them trying to understand how an eighteen-year-old cadet had stopped seven simultaneous terrorist attacks, exposed a decades-old conspiracy, and revealed technology that was supposed to remain classified forever.Senator William Harrison—chair of the Armed Services Committee—shuffled papers. "Mr. Chen. Or should I say Cadet Chen? Your rank is currently... unclear.""Marcus is fine, sir.""Marcus, then." Harrison leaned forward. "You've had quite the eventful four
CHAPTER 21
THE PRICE OF KNOWING[30 DAYS LATER]Marcus stood in the training room at 0400 hours, drenched in sweat.The heavy bag swayed from his latest combination. Left hook. Right cross. Elbow. Knee. His body moved with mechanical precision. The system wasn't enhancing him—didn't need to. This was muscle memory. Therapy disguised as violence.Because he couldn't sleep anymore.Every time he closed his eyes, he saw the countdown. [MISSION SEVEN: ACTIVATION UNKNOWN.] Thirty days since Jefferson High. Thirty days of waiting for the final disaster. Thirty days of the system refusing to give him anything beyond fragments.[THREAT LEVEL: CATASTROPHIC.][ESTIMATED CASUALTIES: VARIABLE.][PROBABILITY OF HOST SURVIVAL: CALCULATING...]That last one never finished. Just kept calculating. Like the system itself didn't know if Marcus would survive the final mission."You're up early." Dr. Reeves entered, carrying her ever-present tablet. "Or you never slept. Based on your vitals, I'm guessing the latter.
CHAPTER 20
FIRE AND RESOLVE Marcus crashed through the science fair like a storm given human form. Students scattered. Parents screamed. Display boards toppled. The system painted his vision with overlays—heat signatures, structural weaknesses, threat vectors. Too much information. Not enough time. [EXPLOSIVES: GYMNASIUM - 2 DEVICES. AUDITORIUM - 3 DEVICES. CAFETERIA - 2 DEVICES.] [CHEMICAL AGENT: VENTILATION ROOM, BASEMENT LEVEL.] [HOSTILE WARDENS: DISPERSED THROUGHOUT BUILDING.] [TIME TO DETONATION: 14 MINUTES, 12 SECONDS.] Aria's voice crackled in his earpiece. "I've got the ventilation room. Danny's with me. We'll stop the chemical agent." "Thomas, take the gymnasium," Marcus commanded, still running. "Leon, you're on evacuation. Get as many people out as possible. Prioritize the main exits." "What about the auditorium?" Thomas asked. "Three devices there." "I've got it. Just move!" Marcus hit the stairwell at full sprint. Third floor. The auditorium was a converted thea
You may also like
Reincarnated as a Computer Malware
Young Master Jay7.4K viewsLong Run
Lazy Writes2.9K viewsApocalypse Theory Of The Abandoned World
Yuuko Tsukiyama2.4K viewsAltered Cosmos
Unaware Ovie Emmanuel6.9K viewsEternal Verdure: The Father Who Fed the End
Siriana56 viewsReign of Sins
IceFontana181.9K viewsCopy anomalies in the XCP association
Beashark160 viewsWhich World is Real?
Edward van Vuuren 1.6K views