“Don’t let her move.” Adrian’s voice cut through the sudden mechanical lockdown like a blade, sharp and immediate. But the system didn’t listen. The doors stayed sealed. The lights stabilized into a cold, clinical white that made everything feel stripped down to truth. No shadows left to hide in. No comfort left to lean on.
Just exposure. Aiden didn’t move. Neither did the second figure beside him.
And that was the part that made my stomach tighten.
Because they weren’t reacting like people trapped. They were reacting like people waiting. “Origin protocol,” I repeated under my breath. The words didn’t feel like mine. They felt inserted.
Adrian turned to me instantly. “What does it mean?” I didn’t answer right away because something inside me was shifting, not fear, not confusion, but r
