The autograph line snaked around the building.
Lina sat behind a white-clothed table, signing photo cards and posters with a practiced grace. Her long black hair was tied into a low ponytail today, her lips a subtle rose-petal hue. The glow around her wasn't just beauty—it was presence.
People whispered as they stepped forward.
"She's so graceful in real life…"
"She looks like she walked out of a painting…"
No one saw the fatigue hiding beneath her smile, the tension in her shoulders. Not even the security beside her noticed how tightly she gripped the pen every time a flashbulb went off.
She signed another name. Smiled. Next.
Then he stepped forward.
Mid-twenties, average build. Round glasses. Nervous fingers.
But his eyes—too calm.
"Hi," he said. "I'm Elias. I've been following your work since before it was cool."
Lina smiled. "Thank you. That means a lot."
He leaned in slightly. "Must be nice… having a system guide you."
---
[System Alert: Threat Detected]
[Unknown Subject Breached Key Privacy Layer]
[AI Companion: Initiating Counter-Protocol…]
[WAIT]
---
Lina froze for half a heartbeat.
She didn't blink.
"You said…?" she asked, tone light.
He shrugged. "Your decisions. Your rise. It's too fast. Too precise. Not human." His voice lowered. "But you're not a machine. Which means you have help."
---
[System Options:]
1. Neutralize – Memory Wipe Trigger
2. Engage – Ask Questions
3. Observe – Let Him Speak
4. Blacklist – Disappear Him
[Timer: 00:57]
---
Lina's hand clenched under the table.
> "Engage," she thought silently.
---
She leaned forward, smile still perfect. "You must be a writer. That's an interesting theory."
"I'm something," he replied. "They call it… Echo-sensitive. Sometimes I hear things I shouldn't. Signals. Whispers. I think your 'guide' isn't from here, is it?"
Her pulse skipped.
"I also think you don't know the full truth of what you're linked to."
The line behind him shifted impatiently.
She signed a card and passed it to him.
"Thank you, Elias," she said clearly. "That was a very interesting conversation."
---
[System Action: Selected – OBSERVE]
[Echo-Sensitive Profile Flagged – Watchlist Updated]
[No action taken. Future movement will be tracked.]
[AI Companion: He's not lying. But he doesn't know enough—yet.]
---
That night, Lina sat in her apartment, lights off, phone screen glowing.
She rewatched the livestream of the event.
Paused on Elias's face.
"Who are you really?" she murmured.
The AI answered quietly.
> "Someone we must either recruit... or erase."
Lina didn't flinch.
She simply whispered, "Then we wait."
---
System Log: Lina Vale
Threat Flag: Elias – Echo-Sensitive
AI Trust: Heightened
System Integrity: Stable
Public Exposure Risk: 3.5%
Task Status: Passive Monitoring
Emotion Status: Mild Anxiety
---
End of Chapter 28
---