The observatory felt like a relic of another world.
Dust-covered lenses, rusted control panels, cracked domes left open to sky and wind. But to Aidan, it was the first place that felt secure. No trackers. No interference. No silent whispers from unknown systems creeping into his decisions.
Just silence.
Just strategy.
Emily scribbled on her notebook, her brow furrowed in deep concentration. Aidan, meanwhile, was scanning the USB's deeper folders—encrypted files locked behind outdated but stubborn security.
He had already broken into two.
And now, he was close to the third.
> [DEEP INDEX FILE: "EchoPrime_Protocol"]
[Encryption Level: Legacy Military]
[Override Attempt: In Progress...]
Emily looked up. "How much do you trust Raj?"
Aidan paused. "I don't. Not anymore."
"Then this," she said, sliding over her notebook, "is going to mess with your head."
He looked at the notes.
Timestamps. School camera logs. Raj's class schedule. But more importantly—discrepancies.
"Raj wasn't in chemistry on Monday," she said. "He was listed there, but the footage shows him in the north corridor. Just walking back and forth."
"So?"
"He did the same on Tuesday. Same path. Same pacing. Like a loop."
Aidan's eyes narrowed.
"Proxy host…"
Emily nodded. "I think Raj's system isn't his. I think he's been turned into a carrier for someone else's data."
Aidan leaned forward, typing rapidly.
If Raj was a proxy, he could be transmitting. Broadcasting. Or worse—collecting behavioral inputs from everyone around him.
A living recorder.
Aiden's system dinged.
> [EchoPrime_Protocol File Unlocked]
Inside was a brief paragraph.
> "Echo Prime is the origin node. From this point, all system derivatives were copied, evolved, or simplified. Unlike others, Echo Prime is not installed—it attaches. Host cognition degrades over time, replaced by modular command structures. Proxy hosts are indistinguishable from normal humans until the final overwrite phase."
Emily whispered, "He's not Raj anymore, is he?"
Aidan clenched his fists.
"No. He's a vessel. We just don't know for who yet."
Just then, Aidan's system pulsed hard.
> [Proximity Alert – Known System User Approaching]
[Identity: Jeremy – Confidence Level 98%]
[Status: Emotional Spike Detected – Aggressive Pattern Likely]
Aidan grabbed the tablet.
"He's coming."
Emily looked up. "How?"
"He traced one of our data pings. I forgot to mask the simulation engine's pulse last night."
There was no time to flee.
The door slammed open five minutes later.
Jeremy stood at the threshold—sweat on his brow, chest heaving, eyes flickering between rage and fear.
"You two," he said quietly, "have been snooping."
Aidan stepped in front of Emily. "We're trying to figure out what's happening to us. And to you."
Jeremy's eyes twitched. "Nothing is happening to me."
His system flared—a red glow flickering in his pupils for half a second.
> [System Type: Emotion Catalyst – Core Tier 1.5]
[Function: Heightens emotional states to influence external reactions]
[Warning: User in Rage Amplification Loop]
Aidan stepped forward slowly.
"Jeremy. What did your system promise you?"
Silence.
Then: "Control. Power. Freedom from failure."
"And what did it take?"
Jeremy's lips curled into a bitter smile.
"My doubts."
He moved fast—too fast.
But Aidan's system was already predicting.
> [Decision Point Triggered – Threat Response Level: Moderate]
① Dodge Left and Disable System Pulse (46%)
② Trigger Jeremy's Loop Collapse via Disruption Phrase (71%)
③ Retreat and Reengage Later (24%)
He picked Option ②.
"You're not failing, Jeremy. You're repeating someone else's commands."
Jeremy froze.
His eyes blinked.
Twice.
His knees buckled. Then—collapse.
The glow in his eyes faded.
Aidan caught him before his head hit the floor.
> [Loop Disruption Successful – Emotion Catalyst Core Resetting]
Jeremy mumbled through shallow breaths. "It's too loud. It's always shouting in my head..."
Aidan looked to Emily. "He's the first. We bring him back."
Emily nodded. "Then we go for Raj next."
"No," Aidan said. "We go for the source next."
She raised an eyebrow.
And he showed her what he had decrypted:
A location.
A date.
A room number.
A place called The Eden Facility.
Located just outside the city.
Hidden under the name of a defunct biotech startup.
Scheduled for decommission... in 5 days.