Error Detected
395 Words
Chapter 7: Error Detected
Nova took a slow step backward.
A low rumble vibrated beneath her feet—subtle, like a distant growl from the earth itself. The plaza was supposed to be abandoned, but now shadows moved in patterns that felt… deliberate. Her fingers hovered near the hilt of the rusted blade strapped to her thigh.
“System, scan perimeter,” she whispered.
[System Alert: Environmental scan failed. Reason: Unknown interference.]
Her jaw tightened. That was the third time the scan had failed in the last ten minutes.
“Define: Unknown interference,” she demanded, trying to keep her voice steady.
[Definition not available. Suspected cause: External override or corrupted terrain data.]
Corrupted data again.
She glanced at the sky—overcast, no drones, no satellites visible. But something was off. The silence wasn’t normal. No wind, no animal sounds, not even the faint buzzing of mutant gnats. Just dead, crushing stillness.
Suddenly, a faint hum echoed from behind an overturned transit pod. Nova spun, crouching low. Her hand gripped the blade’s hilt, steady but tense.
Nothing.
“System, do I have visual tracking tools enabled?”
[Confirming: Thermal and Motion Detection Modules - ACTIVATED.]
A new screen slid into view before her eyes, overlaying heat signatures in her vision. At first, it showed nothing. Then—two blips. Small. Fast.
They moved in unison.
Nova didn’t wait. She darted left, then rolled behind a fractured support beam. Her thermal display flickered.
Then—gone.
“Where did they go?” she muttered.
[Targets lost. Interference recalibrating.]
[WARNING: System stability at 74%. Glitch detected in synchronization protocol.]
“Synchronization with what?”
No answer.
Her screen flashed again—red this time.
[ERROR: System anomaly detected in host memory core.]
[Recommendation: Immediate rest cycle or reboot.]
“You want me to rest now?” Nova hissed, stepping back into the open. “In the middle of a corrupted zone?”
But the system didn’t reply. Instead, a quiet pop sounded—like static—inside her skull.
And suddenly, she was back.
Three days before the end.
Standing in her bedroom. Rain against the window. The scent of antiseptic and lavender. Her brother’s voice on the intercom.
“Nova, are you okay? You didn’t eat dinner.”
Her knees buckled.
“No,” she whispered. “This isn’t real…”
[Memory playback error. Rebooting…]
- Writer
