The sound of approaching vehicles grows louder, more urgent. The hairs on the back of my neck stand on end, a primal instinct kicking in. I'm being hunted.
Cass doesn’t hesitate. She pulls me into a narrow passage between two buildings, the air thick with the smell of dust and decay. “We need to get to the extraction point,” she says, voice low but urgent. “The program is tied to something bigger, something in the system.”
I follow her, heart racing. “What system?”
“The organization you worked for,” Cass replies, glancing back over her shoulder. “They had a facility. It’s the only place where the program can be fully deactivated.”
“And where is it?” I press, trying to keep up.
Cass hesitates, looking at the dark alley ahead, the streets empty except for the faint echo of our footsteps. “A place called The Vault. It’s a secure compound, buried deep under the city.”
I feel a chill run through me at the mention of the name. The Vault. It sounds like a tomb—something meant to hold secrets, to lock them away.
“We can’t go there.” I stop. “That’s where everything went wrong. The mission—I led us into the trap.”
Cass stops too, turning to face me. “You didn’t lead anyone into a trap, Rowan. You did what you were told. And now, you have to finish it.”
My eyes widen. “Finish what? What did they want from me?”
Cass takes a breath, her expression hardening as she lowers her voice. “They want the key. The key to controlling the program. And it’s locked inside you. It’s why they need you alive.”
The ground shakes again, a sign of how close the vehicles are. The decision is made for us.
“We need to move,” Cass urges.
I nods, the gravity of the situation pressing down on me. I'm not just running from my past anymore—I'm running toward it. The Vault. It’s where it all started. Where I could unlock the truth, or destroy the program before it destroys me.
As we make their way toward the extraction point, I can’t help but feel the pull of my own history, a darkness I was never meant to remember. The Vault is the key to everything, but will it be my salvation—or my doom?
YOU ARE READING
The Fractured Code: System Crash
Teen FictionBOOK 1: In a world where every thought, action, and memory is controlled by the Program, true freedom is nothing more than a myth. Society operates under the illusion of choice, but behind the scenes, an omnipresent system dictates every outcome. Ro...
