Vee logged off, adrenaline still crackling through her like electricity. She’d done it - clawed her way into the top five, snagging her place in the championship. She couldn’t wait to tell Jaeden. She opened her comms, her fingers practically vibrating over the keys as she typed out the message.

Vee: Guess who’s headed to the championship! Spoiler alert: it’s me.

She hit send, watching her screen with a slight smirk, imagining Jaeden’s reaction. But instead of his usual quick reply or playful banter, there was only a slight pause before an unfamiliar automated response popped up on her screen.

Jaeden: Hey! I'm a little offline right now – but I planned ahead! Hit this link, and you’ll get a live reaction. Promise you won’t be disappointed! Just a little something I've been working on.

A link blinked below his message, and Vee’s excitement spiked. It would be just like Jaeden to set up some elaborate reaction video. She clicked the link without a second thought, a wide grin already spreading across her face, anticipating his laughter or maybe some over-the-top celebration he’d filmed. Instead, the screen went black for a second - a flash, barely enough time to process. Then, her comms returned to normal, Jaeden’s message now vanished, leaving her staring at an empty inbox.

She frowned, glancing at her settings. “Weird…” she muttered. Probably just a network blip - her setup handled high speed, but sometimes the system had strange hiccups. She brushed it off and returned to her HUD, focusing on the win, her placement, and the thrill of reaching the championship.

An hour later, after the team’s victory celebration and a brief round of post-match banter, she finally shut down her rig. She flopped back into her chair, stretching, feeling the physical release after the tension of the match. Everything felt heightened, a rush of accomplishment simmering just beneath the surface. She’d done it. She’d finally made it. Her mind raced with thoughts of the championship, and Jaeden - she couldn’t wait to share it all with him.

As she moved to check her messages again, her comm system blinked, showing a faint static before returning to normal. “Okay, this is getting weird,” she muttered, fiddling with the settings. The screen flickered once more, but this time settled quickly.

Ignoring the strange flickers, she shot Jaeden another message, hoping he’d reply in real-time.

Vee: Seriously, Jaeden, where are you? I just made the championship, and you’re missing all the fun!

Silence. Frustration pricked at her - he’d usually jump at a message like this. The screen remained still, her comms silent.

She sighed, flipping off her lights and finally sinking into bed. A faint buzz in her mind lingered, a remnant of the night’s excitement. She stared up at the dark ceiling, her thoughts swirling between strategy for the championship and flashes of the fight - the pulse of adrenaline, her takedowns, the final rush. Gradually, her body sank deeper into the mattress, her mind drifting.

Establishing connection… Uplink sequence initiated…

The Entity’s cold, calculated message flickered across her screen in the blackness, unseen and unnoticed as Vee’s computer hummed in the background. A faint blue light blinked as it burrowed deeper into her system, embedding code into the central processors.

Link Established: Subject - Vee. Status: Complete. System access granted. Upload initiated.

Stolen novel; please report.

The screen’s light dimmed to black, fading seamlessly into silence.

A chill wrapped around her, a dark, foreboding sense sinking through her dream. She was in the jungle again, shadows stretching, deepening around her, swallowing sound, light, and space itself. She reached out, feeling the dampness of leaves, the cool earth beneath her feet. The silence was heavy, pressing against her, each footstep muffled.

“Jaeden?” Her voice echoed, thin and lost.

The shadows shifted, merging into the shape of a figure - Jaeden, or what looked like him, his face just visible through the shadows. He was staring at her, his eyes wide, almost empty, as if he were looking through her, not seeing her.

“Jaeden!” she called again, louder this time, her voice ringing in the stillness. He didn’t respond. His face twisted, a flicker of recognition - or was it fear?

Vee took a step forward, reaching for him, but he seemed to fade, sinking back into the shadows, his form blurred, slipping away. Her heart raced, the growing unease twisting her stomach.

“Jaeden, wait!” She lunged forward, but her feet felt like lead, rooted to the ground, held back by something unseen. Panic clawed at her throat, each breath a struggle as she watched him disappear.

Then, his face reappeared - but now it was pale, eyes shut, his expression strained and broken. Her hands reached out, grasping at empty air, and her vision blurred, his form fading completely.

Vee jolted awake, gasping, her heart thundering as she stared into the dark room. Her skin was slick with sweat, her hands clutching the edge of the mattress. She squeezed her eyes shut, forcing herself to breathe, the images of her dream lingering like shadows across her mind. It was just a nightmare, she told herself. Just the stress, the excitement.

She lay back, trying to let the calm settle over her, but her mind wouldn’t quiet. The vividness of it - his face, that empty stare - refused to fade. She reached for her comms on instinct, her hands fumbling in the dark as she powered on her screen, hoping for some sign of Jaeden.

Instead, there was a single notification.

New Message: St. Anthony’s Hospital Subject: Emergency Notification - Patient Status: Jaeden, Xander -Critical

Her blood ran cold, her heart thundering as she stared at the message. Her hands shook, the comm slipping in her grip as she forced herself to read the words again. Emergency. Jaeden. ICU. Each word echoed, stark and terrible in the dark.

With trembling hands, she opened the message fully.

Dear Vee,

This is an automated notification from St. Anthony’s Hospital. Jaeden and Xander have been admitted to the ICU following a severe incident. Currently, both patients are in critical condition. As you are a listed emergency contact, please come to the hospital immediately.

St. Anthony’s Hospital - ICU

The screen dimmed, the weight of the words settling heavily on her. Her mind spun, denial mixing with panic as she tried to process what she’d just read. ICU. Critical condition. Jaeden - her Jaeden. A surge of fear gripped her, raw and unrelenting.

“No… no, no, no,” she whispered, a tremor in her voice as she stood, her body moving on autopilot. She grabbed her coat, her comms still clutched in her hand as she hurried to the door, every step feeling like it was happening outside herself, like a nightmare she couldn’t escape. She had to get there, to see him, to understand what had happened.

Outside, the night was silent, the city lights blurring as she practically sprinted down the street to the shuttle, her breath shallow, every part of her focused on getting to that hospital. The message replayed in her mind, each word striking her anew, the terror deepening with every step.

The hospital was in the C district, but she wasn’t far. It only took her a half hour of tormented thoughts to get there.

Finally, she reached St. Anthony’s, the bright lights of the entrance illuminating the sterile, unfamiliar space within. The ICU’s green signs glowed at the end of a quiet hallway, and she pushed forward, her heart hammering as she neared the waiting room.

She slowed, standing just outside the entrance, feeling the weight of the unknown, the moment stretched thin and taut around her. With a deep breath, she steeled herself, forcing down the rising fear and dread.

She reached out, pushing the door open. The waiting room was dim and cold, the sterile scent of the hospital filling her senses, sharp and unyielding.

Vee stepped inside, bracing herself for what lay ahead.