Miri
The first thing she felt was cold.
Not like snow or wind, but something deeper. A kind of cold that came from inside, like her bones had forgotten what warmth was.
She was standing in a corridor.
Dim lights. White walls that weren't really white. They shimmered—like they were trying to disappear.
Miri didn't remember falling asleep.
She didn't remember choosing to be here.
But she knew this place.
Not from her memories.
From hers.
Ahead of her stood a girl—barefoot, hair stringy and dark, skin pale under hospital lights. She wore a hospital gown, open at the back, her arms marked with faint scars.
She turned slowly.
And looked directly at Miri.
"You're late," the girl said.
Her voice was strange—like hearing something underwater. Warped but steady.
"I didn't know I was coming," Miri said.
The girl's eyes—gray and deep and full of something sharp—didn't blink.
"You're not supposed to be here. But they made a mistake. They left a door open."
Miri stepped closer. "What's your name?"
The girl didn't answer.
Instead, she said, "You're the tether. The outside. That's why I feel pain again."
Miri frowned. "Are you hurt?"
"Not like you think." She tilted her head. "You feel things. You make pictures. I forgot how."
Miri stared at her—this not-quite-stranger, not-quite-shadow.
"Did they do this to you?"
"Yes," she said. "And they're trying again."
"To me?"
"To everyone."
Miri's fingers curled. "Why are you showing me this?"
"Because they think I'm sleeping. They think I'm still inside. But I'm not."
She stepped forward until they were face to face.
"You're the only one who hears me," SH-0 said. "So now I'm going to scream."
Miri gasped—and woke up.
Heart racing. Hands sweaty. The sketchpad had fallen to the floor beside her bed, open to a blank page.
No drawings this time.
But one word lingered in her head like a tattoo burned into memory:
Scream.
Elena and Liam
The first thing they heard was the thud of sketchpad on wood.
Elena was out of bed in seconds.
Liam followed.
They found Miri sitting up, pale, shaking, her eyes wide.
Elena rushed to her. "Hey, hey—it's okay. You're safe. You're here."
"She talked to me," Miri whispered.
Liam's pulse spiked. "Who?"
"The girl. The one I drew. SH-0."
Elena glanced at Liam. Then knelt in front of Miri. "What did she say?"
"She said they left a door open. She said I'm the only one who can hear her. She said… she's going to scream."
Elena pulled her close. "What does that mean?"
"I don't know," Miri whispered. "But she was angry."
Liam ran a hand through his hair. "If she's that conscious—if she's that connected—they can't control her anymore."
Elena's eyes darkened. "Which means Cassian's going to get desperate."
Liam nodded. "And desperate men burn everything to stay in power."
Elena turned to him, voice steady. "We can't just wait anymore."
"No."
"We go to her."
Liam crouched beside them both. "Then we go now. Reign's already inside. If we move fast, we hit before Cassian adjusts."
Elena pressed her forehead to Miri's. "You stay with me the whole time. No matter what happens. We don't break the tether. We carry it together."
Miri nodded.
Liam grabbed the pack by the door and unzipped the lining.
Inside: weapons, drives, maps—and the last ridgepoint clearance badge he swore he'd never use again.
"Let's end this," he said.
Reign held her position in the containment wing's lower level, crouched beside a sealed door marked only by a six-digit code: 00.1982. She didn't need confirmation. The signal was stronger here. SH-0 was behind it.
She was about to slice the panel when her comm pinged.
One encrypted pulse.
Then the voice she hadn't heard in almost two years:
"Coming up on your left, three meters."
Reign turned.
Liam emerged from the shadows, rifle slung over his shoulder, sweat at his temples, Elena and Miri right behind him.
His eyes met hers—cautious, unreadable.
Reign gave him the smallest nod. "Didn't think you'd still know how to follow protocol."
"You almost shot me once for blinking too loud."
Elena stepped forward. "We can save the sarcasm. What's behind that door?"
Reign tilted her head. "SH-0."
Miri stepped beside Elena, hugging her sketchpad tight to her chest. "She's awake."
Reign blinked. "You've seen her?"
"More than that," Liam said, glancing at Miri. "They're linked."
Reign let out a long breath. "That's why Cassian's panicking. If she fully activates before they can rein her in…"
"They lose everything," Elena finished.
Reign nodded. "And he burns the program to hide it."
Liam stepped beside her, peering at the control panel. "How locked down?"
"More than it should be. They're keeping her in and keeping the rest of the world out."
"She's not a prisoner anymore," Miri said softly.
They all turned to look at her.
"She's just waiting for someone to listen."
Elena looked to Reign. "You can crack it?"
Reign smirked. "If I couldn't, I wouldn't be here."
She pulled a magnetic drive from her belt and slid it into the panel. The screen blinked, then flickered green. The door gave a soft hiss.
Unsealed.
Behind it, darkness.
And something deeper.
A hum that felt more like breath.
They stood there in silence for a moment.
Then Liam spoke. "We go in together."
Reign raised a brow. "Teamwork. Cute."
"I learned from the best."
She gave him a quick glance. "You're still slow on corners."
He smirked. "You still take too long to reload."
Elena looked between them. "You two gonna flirt through this, or are we saving the world?"
Miri stepped forward and said, not afraid—
"She's waiting."