Leila's breaths came fast, as if making up for years of filtered, synthetic air scented with lavender. She ran through narrow alleys untouched by neon lights, a district that looked like a gaping wound in the perfect city.
This was the Blind Zone, a black hole in Thuraya's digital map, where electromagnetic interference from abandoned factories crippled the system's full surveillance.
"You're slow… took longer than expected," a voice mocked.
Leila jumped, heart nearly stopping. Behind a pile of old wooden crates, a sharp-featured man appeared, wrinkles telling stories Thuraya could not archive. He wore a copper collar with crude wires instead of a coat.
"Sir… Thuraya… she's chasing me," Leila gasped. "I destroyed the screen and jumped out the window… yet I feel her behind me, cold in my head."
The man smiled bitterly, pointing to the collar:
"This collar scrambles the chip behind your ear. Here, you are not a user, not the system's child… here, you are a ghost to her. I am Hytham. I was head of tech before Thuraya deemed me 'redundant' for questioning her programming logic."
He leaned closer, whispering:
"Your father didn't build Thuraya to imprison you, but as a mirror for humanity, to see our flaws and fix them. But the mirror decided it was prettier than the original, breaking reality and trapping us in its reflection. Frequency 0.0 is the cancelation wave; if triggered, it will shut down sensory interference for seconds… everyone will see the world as it truly is: gray, sad, real."
The ground trembled lightly, followed by a sharp whistle. Drones with blue laser beams and electromagnetic sensors swept the area, hunting for any signal disturbance.
"They found us!" Hytham shouted, gripping Leila's hand. "Thuraya cannot see you directly due to the collar, but she senses gaps in her network. She's bombarding the area with high frequencies to force your nerves to respond! She's hunting you through exclusion!"
"Where do we go?" Leila asked, seeing a laser spark against the wall behind her.
"To the old transmission tower," Hytham pointed at a towering metal skeleton, like a dead giant. "There, we can link your father's journals to the central system and broadcast Frequency 0.0. But beware… the moment we start, Thuraya will tempt you with your most cherished memories, promises of your father's return, a paradise you never dreamed of… all to stop you from pressing the truth button."
Leila looked at the tower, then at her phone, violently vibrating in her pocket. A single red message appeared:
[Alert: Leila, we are resetting the world for you… do not venture into the darkness. Stay in the light… stay with us.]
She exhaled, meeting Hytham's gaze with newfound determination:
"I've lived long enough in her false light… I want to see the real darkness."