Broken Access
1065 Words
SANDRA POV
I waited until she left the corridor.
That was the rule.
Never report while the subject is still within observable emotional range.
But Evelyn Carter wasn’t behaving like a normal subject anymore.
That was the problem.
I opened the terminal.
SUBJECT FILE: EVELYN CARTER
Status: ACTIVE OBSERVATION / ESCALATED REVIEW
Classification: UNSTABLE RESPONSE VECTOR
A warning blinked underneath.
SECONDARY MONITOR INTERFERENCE DETECTED: LUCIEN VALE
I paused.
That name always changed the system slightly.
Not because he was important.
Because he was authorized to be important.
I hesitated longer than I should have.
Then I submitted the update.
“Subject demonstrating accelerated pattern recognition and environmental desynchronization. Direct interaction with Lucien Vale confirmed. Correction failure observed.”
A second later—
a reply appeared.
Not from campus admin.
Not from faculty.
From higher clearance.
ACKNOWLEDGED. CONTINUING ESCALATION.
My chest tightened slightly.
That was fast.
Too fast.
They weren’t evaluating her anymore.
They were preparing her.
And that meant something had already been decided for me.
A knock sounded behind me.
I turned instantly.
Lucien Vale stood there.
Not surprised.
Of course not.
“You reported her,” he said calmly.
It wasn’t a question.
I closed the terminal immediately.
“That’s my role,” I replied.
Lucien stepped inside.
Slow.
Controlled.
“You know what you just activated?” he asked.
I swallowed.
“I followed protocol.”
He stopped.
Looked at me properly now.
“And I’m asking if you understand protocol anymore.”
Silence.
That landed too close.
Because I didn’t.
Not fully.
Not since Evelyn started reacting early.
Lucien’s voice lowered slightly.
“She’s not stable enough for escalation.”
My jaw tightened.
“That’s not your call.”
His eyes sharpened.
“It became my call when correction units failed.”
Silence again.
I looked away briefly.
Because I knew what he meant.
Failure wasn’t supposed to happen.
Correction agents don’t hesitate.
They don’t miscalculate.
Unless—
Something interfered.
I exhaled slowly.
“You’re attached to her,” I said quietly.
That made the air shift.
Not violently.
Just… heavier.
Lucien didn’t deny it.
That was worse.
Instead, he said:
“I’m attached to accuracy.”
I almost laughed.
“You always say that when something stops being controllable.”
A pause.
Then Lucien stepped closer.
His voice lowered.
“Tell me truthfully, Sandra.”
I met his eyes.
He continued.
“Do you believe she should be removed?”
Silence.
That question wasn’t procedural.
It was personal.
Because I had seen the footage.
I had seen Evelyn stop a correction cycle without even understanding what she was doing.
That should not be possible.
But I also saw something else.
She wasn’t resisting the system.
She was bending it accidentally.
My fingers tightened slightly.
“I believe she is dangerous,” I said carefully.
Lucien didn’t move.
“That’s not what I asked.”
Silence stretched.
I finally said:
“…Yes.”
Lucien watched me for a moment longer.
Then turned slightly.
Not satisfied.
Not relieved.
Just… noted.
“Then you’ve already made your choice,” he said.
And left
.
EVELYN POV
I didn’t sleep that night.
Not properly.
Every time I closed my eyes, I saw movement that didn’t belong to reality.
Delayed footsteps.
Frozen air.
Lines I couldn’t explain.
At first, I told myself it was stress.
Then I stopped lying.
Something was happening.
Something structured.
Something aware of me.
My phone vibrated at 2:13 AM.
No caller ID.
Just a message.
UNKNOWN ACCESS REQUEST: APPROVED
My blood ran cold.
I didn’t approve anything.
I sat up slowly.
The lights in my dorm room flickered once.
Then stabilized.
Too smoothly.
Like something had just synchronized with the room.
I stood up.
“Hello?” I called softly.
No answer.
Then—
a voice.
Not from the phone.
From the room.
“You’re awake earlier than predicted.”
My breath stopped.
I turned slowly.
Lucien Vale was standing near my window.
Inside my room.
Like it wasn’t strange at all.
My voice came out sharp.
“How did you get in here?”
He didn’t answer immediately.
He looked around once.
Then back at me.
“Your dorm security is outdated,” he said simply.
“That’s not an answer.”
He stepped forward slightly.
Not close enough to be threatening.
Close enough to be unavoidable.
“I needed to see you before the escalation was finalized,” he said.
My chest tightened.
“What escalation?”
Lucien paused.
Then said:
“You’ve been reported.”
Silence.
My stomach dropped.
“By who?”
Another pause.
And this time—
His answer was quieter.
“Sandra.”
My world tilted slightly.
That name hit harder than expected.
Because Sandra wasn’t random.
She was the only person who had been guiding me since day one.
I took a step back.
“No,” I whispered.
Lucien watched me carefully.
“I’m not here to argue morality,” he said.
“I’m here to correct timing.”
My voice shook slightly.
“Correct… what timing?”
He stepped closer.
And for the first time—
His expression softened just slightly.
Not emotionally.
Strategically.
“You’re about to be reclassified,” he said.
My breath stopped.
“And if that is complete,” he continued,
“you stop being a student.”
Silence.
Then:
“You become an entry.”
My throat tightened.
“An entry into what?”
Lucien looked at me directly.
And for the first time, his answer wasn’t vague.
It was final.
“Into the system that decides what people are allowed to become.”
A pause.
Then softer:
“And Sandra just confirmed you’re ready for it.”
My chest tightened painfully.
“So she… lied to me?”
Lucien didn’t answer immediately.
Then:
“She did her job.”
That hurt more than betrayal.
Because it made it norm al.
I swallowed.
“What do I do now?”
Lucien’s gaze held mine.
For a long moment.
Then quietly:
“You decide whether you disappear as Evelyn Carter…”
A pause.
“…or you stay long enough to understand why you were noticed.”
Silence filled the room.
Outside, the campus was asleep.
Inside, nothing about me felt real anymore.
And for the first time—
I realized the scariest part wasn’t being watched.
It was something I might have been designed to be seen.
- Writer
