RISE OF THE FALLEN HEIR

CHAPTER 1: The Fall of a Genius

They called me a genius once.

 Now they call me a thief.

The irony tastes bitter on my tongue as I stand beneath the blinding lights of Zenith Corporation’s grand auditorium, surrounded by the people who once cheered my name. Cameras flash from every angle, hungry for a story. Reporters whisper like vultures circling a dying man.

On the massive holographic screen behind me, is my creation NeuroLink floats in brilliant blue light. My life’s work. The first neural interface capable of linking the human mind directly with artificial intelligence. Years of sleepless nights, failures, and stubborn faith all built for this moment.

It was supposed to be my triumph moment, my legacy.

“Ladies and gentlemen,” says the silver-haired CEO, Richard Voss, smiling with poison behind his perfect teeth, “before we continue this presentation, we have some distressing news.”

I frown. This wasn’t in the script.

“An internal investigation has revealed embezzlement of company funds and data theft all traced to one of our lead developers.”

The crowd murmurs. My heart thuds once, then twice and then my name flashes across the screen.

ETHAN CROSS LEAD ENGINEER, ZENITH CORPORATION.

CHARGED: DATA THEFT, SABOTAGE, CORPORATE FRAUD.

The words hit me like a fist.

“What the hell is this?” I step forward, my voice shaking. “There’s a mistake some where—”

Security guards move closer. The audience gasps. Reporters surge forward like bloodhounds that smell scandal.

Richard keeps talking, calm and rehearsed. “We trusted him, he betrayed that trust. Evidence suggests he sold proprietary designs to rival firms. We have witnesses and proof.”

My pulse pounds in my ears. “That’s a lie! I built NeuroLink with my own hands! Every code, every line—”

“Enough!”

 The voice cuts through the noise a voice I know too well I turn.

 Damien Holt. My best friend and partner in every late-night experiment. The man who once said we can change the world together. He stands beside the CEO, looking sharp in his tailored suit, his expression unreadable. “Ethan,” he says coldly, “we found your access code in the leaked files. Don’t make this harder than it needs to be.”

I stare at him, disbelief and rage mixing in my chest. “You set me up.”

His lips twitch into a faint smile. You shouldn’t have been so easy to outsmart. And then the final blow.A familiar voice echoes through the microphone. 

“I’m sorry, Ethan,” says Lena Ward my fiancée. My everything. “I saw him he transferred the files himself. I didn’t want to believe it, but the footage—”

Her voice cracks.

 My world collapses.

“No…” I whisper. “Lena, don’t do this.”

Tears glisten in her eyes, but she doesn’t meet my gaze. Damien rests a hand on her shoulder gentle, possessive. My chest tightens. Betrayal burns hotter than fire.

Security grabs my arms. Cameras flash like lightning. Every shout, every whisper feels miles away.

I don’t fight them. I just stare at Lena, the woman who once swore she loved me. The woman now standing beside the man who ruined me.

“Take him away,” Richard orders.

They drag me out.

 Through the crowd.

 Through the ruin of my reputation.

Every step feels heavier, every breath colder.

By the time I reach the rain-soaked streets outside Zenith Tower, the world feels like a cruel simulation. Thunder cracks above. My reflection stares back from a puddle — soaked, shaking, broken.

The genius who dreamed of changing humanity turned to a headline News.

I wander through the city for hours.

 Neon lights blur past. My shoes splash through filthy water. My mind replays the moment over and over again. Damien’s smug grin, Lena’s trembling voice, the lies, the applause that turned into jeers.

Everything I built was gone in one day. By midnight, the rain had turned into a storm. I find myself in an alley behind an abandoned arcade. My breath fogs in the cold air. My fingers tremble as I pull out the last thing I own a microchip pendant I designed for Lena. A piece of NeuroLink’s prototype, shaped like a teardrop.

I stare at it. “You betrayed me too, huh?”

My laugh sounds hollow, broken.

I sink to my knees, water soaking through my clothes. I can’t feel my hands. Can’t feel anything except the raw, choking emptiness where hope used to live.

The thunder roars. My head throbs.

 And then,

A sound.

 Metallic. Hollow. Inside my skull.

[System initializing…]

I freeze. My eyes dart around the alley. Nothing.

[Neural pattern detected. Host compatibility: 99.8%.]

“What—?” I whisper. My voice shakes. “Who’s there?”

[Designation: Ethan Cross. Status: Disgraced Creator.]

The voice is calm, mechanical almost female.My heart slams against my ribs.

[Mission Directive: Retake everything they stole.]

I press my palms to my ears. “I’m hallucinating. I’ve finally lost it.”

[Neural signature stable. Implant synchronization commencing…]

Pain lances through my skull. White light floods my vision. I collapse onto the wet pavement, gasping as streams of data flash before my eyes numbers, symbols, images of Zenith, Damien, Lena.

The voice grows louder.

 Sharper.

 Almost alive.

[Warning: Emotional instability detected. Recalibrating host parameters.]

“What are you?” I choke out.

[I am the Omega Protocol. Code-name: The System of Vengeance.]

 For a moment, I swear time itself stops.

In the corner of my vision, a glowing blue interface materializes, lines of text hovering in midair. My name, my vitals and one single mission line blinking red.

Mission: RECLAIM. REBUILD. REVENGE.

Lightning splits the sky. My pulse thunders with it.

I push myself up, drenched, trembling, but suddenly awake.

The voice continues, cold and sure:

[System of Vengeance fully activated. Scanning surroundings for potential threats.]

A glowing grid sweeps across the alley, painting everything in blue light.

Garbage cans. Rusted pipes. The puddles shimmer like liquid glass.

 My vision sharpens I can see digital outlines moving through the rain.

Footsteps echo from behind me.

 Zenith security uniforms. Two of them. Searching.

[Target threat level: Low. Recommended action: Retaliate.]

The corner of my lips twitch. For the first time tonight I almost smile.

I raise my head slowly, eyes blazing blue with reflected code.

“Let’s begin,” I whisper.

[Command acknowledged. Initializing retaliation protocol.]

And then the darkness hums.

 The system awakens fully.

 Everything I was is gone.

 Everything I’m about to become has just begun.