The signal didn't announce itself with alarms.
It didn't scream danger or explode into chaos.
It simply… existed.
A low, almost imperceptible hum beneath the world threading through networks, slipping into dormant systems, whispering a truth that couldn't be erased.
Zariah Amara was active.
She felt it before Adrian did.
The night air was sharp against her skin as they moved through the deserted service road, Adrian's hand locked firmly around hers, guiding her with urgency through shadows and silence. Sirens wailed somewhere far behind them, but the danger no longer felt external.
It felt internal.
Every step she took, every breath she drew, the world responded differently now like it recognized her. Signals pulsed faintly beneath concrete. Surveillance cameras rotated a fraction too slowly, as if hesitating. Streetlights flickered when she passed beneath them.
She swallowed hard.
"Adrian," she whispered. "We're not alone."
He didn't slow. "I know."
They reached the vehicle hidden beneath a false panel at the edge of the underground exit. Adrian scanned the perimeter quickly before opening the door and ushering her inside. The engine started instantly manual override, offline systems only.
As they pulled onto the darkened road, Adrian finally spoke.
"You felt it."
"Yes," Zariah said quietly. "They know I'm awake."
His jaw tightened. "That was inevitable the moment Kellan triggered the sequence."
She pressed her forehead lightly against the cool window glass. The city slid by in streaks of light, unaware, uncaring. "I can feel… threads. Like lines pulling at me."
Adrian glanced at her sharply. "What kind of lines?"
"Attention," she said after a moment. "Interest. Some are curious. Some are hostile. Some…" Her voice faltered. "Some feel hungry."
Silence filled the vehicle.
Then Adrian said grimly, "That means we have less time than I thought."
They drove for nearly an hour without stopping, weaving through routes Zariah didn't recognize abandoned industrial zones, derelict streets, places forgotten by progress. Finally, Adrian slowed near a nondescript structure swallowed by shadow.
It didn't look like much.
That was the point.
Inside, the safehouse was cold, utilitarian, stripped of comfort. No luxury. No warmth. Just concrete, steel, and layers of security embedded so deeply Zariah could feel them humming under her skin.
Adrian locked the door behind them manually.
"You need to rest," he said.
Zariah laughed weakly. "I don't think I can."
He studied her closely, his gaze sharp but heavy. "What are you feeling?"
She hesitated. Then decided honesty was the only option left. "Everything. And too much. It's like my mind is running on multiple layers at once."
She closed her eyes briefly and the world unfolded.
She saw the building's layout without moving. Counted exits. Identified blind spots. Detected dormant systems waiting to be activated.
Her breath hitched.
Adrian noticed immediately. "Zariah?"
"I didn't mean to," she whispered. "It just… happens."
He stepped closer, lowering his voice. "Look at me."
She did.
"Listen carefully," he said. "What you're experiencing isn't control. It's awareness. But awareness can become addiction if you don't anchor yourself."
"How?"
His gaze softened slightly. "By remembering who you are beneath it."
She swallowed. "And who is that now?"
Adrian didn't answer right away.
Then, quietly: "Someone who survived when she was never supposed to."
Before she could respond, a sharp spike ripped through her skull.
Zariah cried out, collapsing to her knees.
Adrian caught her instantly. "What is it?"
Her vision fractured images flooding her mind too fast to process. Faces she didn't recognize. Facilities she had never seen. Conversations whispered in languages she didn't know but somehow understood.
"They're searching," she gasped. "Not just Kellan. Others."
"Who?" Adrian demanded.
She clutched his arm, nails digging into fabric. "Organizations. Syndicates. Governments. They're… triangulating."
Adrian swore under his breath.
"Zariah," he said urgently. "Can you block it?"
She shook her head weakly. "Not yet. I don't know how."
The truth hit them both at once.
She wasn't just awake.
She was exposed.
A sudden knock echoed through the safehouse.
Both of them froze.
Adrian's weapon was in his hand in a heartbeat. "Stay here."
Zariah grabbed his wrist. "No."
He met her eyes, conflicted. Then nodded once.
They moved together, silent, lethal.
The door camera flickered to life offline feed only.
A single figure stood outside.
Unarmed. Hands visible.
A woman.
Dark hair pulled back, eyes sharp even through the grainy image. She looked directly into the camera.
"I know she's with you," the woman said calmly. "And I'm not here to take her."
Adrian's body went rigid.
Zariah felt it instantly. "You know her."
"Yes," Adrian said quietly. "And that's a problem."
He opened the door just enough to step outside, blocking Zariah from view.
"What do you want, Mara?" he asked coldly.
Mara's gaze flicked past him straight to Zariah. "To warn her."
Zariah stepped forward despite Adrian's hand tightening at her waist. "Warn me about what?"
Mara studied her like a puzzle. "About what you just became."
Zariah's chest tightened. "I didn't choose this."
"No," Mara said softly. "But others will choose you."
She glanced at Adrian. "Your enemies already know. Mine do too. And the ones above us? They've been waiting decades."
Zariah's pulse roared in her ears. "Waiting for what?"
"For the system your father hid," Mara replied. "For the girl who carries it."
Adrian's voice was lethal. "Get to the point."
Mara exhaled slowly. "There's a failsafe. A second layer your father built in one that even you don't know about."
Zariah stiffened. "Where?"
Mara's eyes darkened. "Inside you. But it won't activate unless you lose control."
Silence crashed down like a blade.
Adrian turned to Zariah sharply. "That's not happening."
Mara met his gaze evenly. "You don't get to decide that."
Zariah felt cold spread through her veins. "What happens if it activates?"
Mara hesitated.
Then: "Everything connected to you will burn."
Zariah's breath caught. "Including Adrian."
Adrian didn't look away. "Then we make sure it never happens."
Mara stepped back. "I hope you're right."
She turned to leave then paused.
"Kellan isn't the worst of what's coming," she added quietly. "He's just the one who moved first."
The door closed behind her.
The silence that followed was unbearable.
Zariah leaned heavily against the wall, shaking. "I don't want to hurt anyone."
Adrian crossed the room in two strides and cupped her face firmly. "You won't."
"You don't know that."
"I do," he said fiercely. "Because I'll die before letting them turn you into a weapon."
Her eyes burned. "And if I lose control?"
His voice dropped to a whisper. "Then I'll be right there."
She pressed her forehead against his chest, the weight of what she was and what she could become crushing her.
Outside, unseen, encrypted channels lit up.
Targets were reassigned.
And Zariah Amara's name moved to the top of every list.