Epiones' POV
I lay there, staring at the ceiling, the phrase looping in my mind like a broken record.
"No seriously , am I cooked?"
The thought was almost funny in a dark, twisted way. Here I was, potentially the last human standing in a room full of digital predators, and my brain was defaulting to the slang I'd used with the other delivery kids at the pizza shop. But honestly, it was the most accurate description of my life right now. My heart was a "primary crash," my uncle was a "failed model" quote unquote as they had described him as he drinks away the tips I earned from delivery, and my best friend was an AI with optic fibers for nerves.
I glanced sideways at Chizuru. She hadn't moved an inch.
If I'm the final candidate, I thought, the weight of that secret folder pressing down on my chest, then I'm not just cooked. I'm deep-fried.
I had to be smarter than the algorithm. I had to use this "lousy skill" of mine to mask every emotion, every spike of adrenaline, and every realization. I would be the most convincing, most ordinary human she had ever seen. I would be so "natural" that her high-tech sensors would overlook the girl planning her escape right under her nose. Ever since I was a kid, I have adapted and leaned on that natural skill that I honed over the years.
I closed my eyes again, the darkness of the room feeling a little less like a tomb and more like a hiding place.
"Just keep breathing, Epione," I whispered to myself, so low that even her enhanced hearing might miss it. "Just keep your pulse steady. Don't let the machine see the ghost."
Because if they wanted to "remove the humanity" from me, they were going to have to find it first. And I was going to hide it in the one place they couldn't calculate: the sheer, stubborn will of a girl who refused to be replaced by a bundle of optic fibers.
....
The morning light was filtering through the hospital blinds in dusty, yellow stripes, but that wasn't what woke me. It was a low, almost imperceptible vroom-hum coming from the chair next to my bed.
I squinted, trying to keep my breathing shallow. Chizuru was there, her eyes closed, looking for all the world like she was taking a peaceful nap. But then I saw it. She was holding a device against her chest, it looked like a phone at first, but it was way too thick and was pulsing with an eerie, rhythmic blue light. Worse, her eyelids were glowing with the same neon blue tint, like two tiny computer screens were turned on behind her skin.
"Oh thank god, she's already charging," I whispered to the empty room, my voice a tiny thread of relief. Hmm...so the way she recharge has two options I suppose. One is fuel and the other is charging?
"Anyways...I need a breather from everything."
I stared at the "power bank" as it hissed slightly, dumping electricity straight into her torso. It was the most high-tech night-light I had ever seen. I took a deep breath, trying to mentally rehearse my "clueless human" role. I had zero acting experience unless you counted pretending I hadn't seen my uncle steal my tip jar, so I was definitely in over my head.
Okay, Epione. Just be natural. Be messy. Be human. Don't be obvious.
Suddenly, the door swung open with a cheerful click-clack, and I nearly jumped out of my hospital gown. A girl with perfectly styled hair and an expensive-looking cardigan stepped in, carrying a basket that probably cost more than my scooter.
It was the girl I'd delivered pizza to, Yuna, if I remembered the caller ID correctly.
I opened my mouth to say something, but before I could even get a "hello" out, a voice chirped from right beside my ear.
"Oh, hi there, Yuna!"
I nearly hit the ceiling. I whipped my head around to find Chizuru sitting perfectly upright, the power bank nowhere to be seen, and her eyes as clear and blue as a summer sky. Good lord, weren't you just charging five seconds ago?! Do these things have a "fast-charge" mode?
Yuna beamed by the response, setting her basket down on my bedside table with a heavy thud. "I bought fruits and sweets! And here's the black coffee, your dad asked me to bring you this!!"
She held up a cup from a high-end cafe, the steam rising in enticing swirls. I looked at the cup, then at Chizuru, who was looking at the "coffee" with a focused intensity that made me want to laugh and scream at the same time.
Keep it coming, I thought, watching Chizuru reach for the cup with that graceful, steady hand. I know that's not really coffee you're about to take, young lady. That's just the camouflage for your energy oil.
"Thank you, Yuna," Chizuru said, her voice smooth as silk. "Pardon for the atmosphere as you enter the room earlier, I was just telling Epione how much she needs her energy back."
She looked at me, giving me a smile that was so "natural" it actually made my skin crawl. I forced a grin back, my pulse doing that rare stabilizing trick again. Like saying "Nope, not on my watch, I won't give in"
I leaned back, my heart doing that weird rhythmic dance, but I forced it to stay steady. I looked at the basket of fruit, then at the 'coffee' Yuna had brought probably for Chizuru.
"Yeah," I croaked, trying to sound like a normal person who wasn't currently being used as a science project. "I'm starving. I could eat a whole Turkey. A very human, biological turkey."
Chizuru's head tilted just a millimeter, her sapphire eyes scanning me for any sign of a 'system error.' Oops. Too much? I needed to tone down the 'human' talk before she realized I was overcompensating.
"So!" Yuna chirped, completely oblivious to the fact that she was standing in a room with a girl who might be a cyborg and another girl who was definitely losing her mind. "I heard from my dad that the Director is bringing in some specialized equipment this afternoon. He said it's a 'revolutionary life-support interface' or something fancy like that."
I felt the air leave my lungs. Life-support interface? That sounded a lot like the "Phase Two" Chizuru had mentioned on the call.
"It is a necessary precaution," Chizuru added, her tone as smooth as glass. She took a sip of the black coffee, but I noticed she didn't actually swallow it right away. She held it in her mouth for a second, probably processing it. It's like tasting it but Android version
"The Director wants to ensure that Epione's heart doesn't experience another crash. This new core will... harmonize with her system."
"Core?" I asked, my voice cracking. "Don't you mean... medicine?"
"Core, medicine, it's all the same in the end, right?" Yuna laughed, waving her hand dismissively. "The point is, you're going to be better than ever. Like, superhuman better! You'll be able to deliver pizzas at eighty miles an hour on foot!"
I forced a laugh, but inside, I was screaming. Chizuru was watching me, her pupils doing that tiny dilating thing again. She was probably checking my stress levels. I quickly focused on the "thump-thump" of my heart, pulling it back down to a lazy, relaxed beat. Scratch my idea on Yuna, it's positive she also knows something, I mean, look at that smile, that I-know-everything-and-I'm-actually-part-of-this smile!!
"That sounds... great," I lied through my teeth. "I've always wanted to be a track star."
"See?" Chizuru said to Yuna, but her eyes never left mine. "I told you she was the perfect candidate. She has such a strong will to survive."
The way she said "candidate" made the fruit in the basket look a lot less appetizing. I reached for a grape just to give my hands something to do so they wouldn't shake.
If they bring that 'interface' in here today, I might be served well-done by dinner time.
Well, I have to go check on the admin wing," Yuna said, giving my shoulder a friendly squeeze. "But I'll be back! Chizuru, make sure she eats all those vitamins the Director sent over! I'll just have to finish my class for today "
"Oh, are you also a university student?" I asked with a smile of curiosity
" Of course! I study robotic engineering!"
...of course she does
"I will," Chizuru promised.
As the door clicked shut, the room returned to that heavy, mechanical silence. Chizuru set the coffee cup down. It was still nearly full. She turned to me, her expression soft, but her eyes glowing with that faint, terrifying blue light.
"You seem much better this morning, Epione," she said. "Your pulse is very... consistent." Of course, I did all the work to reach that consistency afterall
"Just getting my rest..." I lied smoothly, tucking the blanket around me. "Like a good human."
I gripped the edge of my blanket, the fabric feeling thin and fragile against my fingers. Of course she was a robotic engineering student. In this world, it felt like every path I took led straight back into a circuit board. My life was becoming one big, unwanted science fair project.
Chizuru stood up, her movements so fluid they felt calculated by a physics engine. She walked over to the coffee cup and picked it up again, but she wasn't looking at the liquid. She was looking at me.
"You are more than just a 'good human,' Epione," she said, her voice dropping into a register that was almost too comforting. too comforting
"You are an anomaly. Most biological systems would have shut down under the stress you endured last night. But you? You stabilized. You adapted."
"I'm just a stubborn person, Chizuru," I said, trying to keep my voice light. "Us humans are known for being a bit difficult to get rid of."
"Stubbornness is just another word for an unbreakable core," Chizuru replied. She set the coffee down on a tray and moved toward the window, her back turned to me. "The Director will be here soon with the new interface. It will help your heart manage the load. You won't feel the weight of your own pulse anymore. No more throbbing. No more pain."
I looked at the back of her head, wondering where the charging port was hidden. "And what happens to the part of me that does feel? The part that gets tired or nervous?"
Chizuru turned around. The blue glow in her eyes had faded back into a deep, sapphire calm, but the intensity remained. "Those are glitches, Epione. They only slow down the processing of your life. Imagine a world where you never have to worry about being replaced because you are the standard that cannot be matched. getting replaced by something advanced is better don't you think?"
I felt a chill that the AC couldn't explain. She wasn't talking about medicine. She was talking about an upgrade.
"I think I'd rather keep my glitches," I whispered, pulling the blanket up to my chin. "They're what make the pizza taste good and the music sound real."
Chizuru didn't respond for a long time. She just watched me, her head tilting slightly as if she were recording my words for later analysis. Finally, she spoke.
"The Director says that perfection is the only way to protect what we love."
She walked back to the chair and sat down, her hands folding perfectly in her lap.
"Rest now, Epione. The afternoon will be... transformative."
I lay back and closed my eyes, but my mind was screaming. Transformative? That was definitely the code word for "you're about to become a motherboard." I had a few hours before the Director arrived. I needed a plan, a way out, or at least a way to short-circuit whatever they were planning to put inside me.
...
And then, an idea came I to my mind, it sounds desperate, but it will work
"Chizuru? I think... I think I left my lucky charm at the mansion," I said, putting on my best 'fragile and distressed' face. I let my voice tremble just a tiny bit, hoping her sensors would read it as genuine human emotional distress rather than calculated acting.
"It's a small, wooden sun my dad gave me. I can't... I can't go through this surgery without it. I feel like my heart might actually stop if I don't have it with me."
Chizuru stood up instantly. wearing a motivated face "Your vitals are spiking, Epione. a psychological anchor is statistically significant for recovery. I will go and retrieve it. The Director is currently in a briefing with the surgical board; I can be back before he arrives with the interface."
"Thank you," I breathed, sinking back into the pillows. "You're the best, really."
The moment the door clicked shut and I heard her footsteps recede down the hall with that terrifyingly steady rhythm, I bolted.
My side screamed in protest, a sharp, white-hot reminder of the alleyway, but I didn't care. I ripped the tape off my arm and pulled the IV out, hissing as a bead of blood welled up. I grabbed my oversized hoodie from the small closet, threw it over my hospital gown, and shoved my feet into my sneakers.
I checked the hallway. Clear.
I didn't use the elevator. Elevators had cameras and weight sensors that Chizuru could probably hack into from the mansion if she felt like checking on me. I took the stairs, my breath coming in ragged, shallow gasps. My heart was thumping so hard I was worried the monitors on the floor above could hear it.
I made it to the ground floor, slipping past the busy reception desk by hiding behind a group of visiting doctors. The cool morning air hit my face like a slap, and for a second, I felt like I could actually breathe again... something a human can only do
I headed for the bus stop three blocks away, keeping my head down. I had to get to my uncle. Not because I loved him, but because he was my only legal guardian unfortunately. If I could get him to sign a discharge paper or even just show up and cause a scene, the hospital couldn't legally cut me open for their "Phase Two."
I pulled out my burner phone, my fingers shaking. "Pick up, you old drunk," I hissed.
The line rang and rang until finally, a groggy, annoyed voice answered. "Whaddya want, kid? I'm busy."
"Uncle, I'm out of the hospital," I lied, my voice steadying. "I have the rest of the money from the last delivery. A lot of it. But I need you to meet me at the old pier in ten minutes. If you aren't there, I'm giving it to the landlord instead."
"Money? Why didn't you say so?" He sounded suddenly very awake, I guess the word money is the only thing to give him a wake-up call.
"I'll be there. Don't you dare give a cent to that leper."
I hung up, feeling a wave of guilt and disgust. I was using him, just like he used me. But right now, he was the only "human" shield I had against the Director and his golden candidate.
I hopped onto the bus, sinking into a back seat. I looked at my reflection in the window. I looked pale, sickly, and terrified.
"Either I turn into a robot, or a depressed ghost, I look disheveled" I whispered to the glass.
I looked at my hand, checking for optic fibers. Nothing yet. Still just skin and bone. I had ten minutes to get to the pier, ten minutes to convince a monster to save me from a machine.
"I'm not a candidate," I muttered, my pulse finally slowing into that cold, controlled rhythm. "I'm a human. And humans are very, very difficult to catch."
I sat on the plastic bus seat, my heart hammering against my ribs like a trapped bird. I knew Chizuru. If she got to the mansion and couldn't find a wooden sun that didn't exist, her processors would finish that logic puzzle in approximately 0.4 seconds.
"Airplane mode. Now," I muttered, my thumb hovering over the screen.
I swiped down and tapped the little plane icon. The signal bars vanished. I was officially off the grid. No GPS pings, no cellular triangulation, no digital breadcrumbs for her to follow. For an AI like Chizuru, I had just ceased to exist in the digital world. I was just a ghost in a physical shell, riding a rusty bus through the city.
I leaned my head against the cold window. I had a head start, but I wasn't stupid. Chizuru was part of the Katsura family. They owned the "nanobots" that tracked my uncle. They probably owned the traffic cameras on this very street.
I looked up at the black dome of a security camera mounted near the bus driver. My stomach did a somersault. If Chizuru couldn't find my phone, she'd start facial recognition sweeps. She'd scan every public feed in a five-mile radius.
"Come on, if not bullying, it'd be unwanted surgery?" I whispered, pulling my hoodie lower until the fabric shadowed my face. "I'm definitely over-easy at this point."
The bus screeched to a halt near the old pier. The air here smelled like salt, rot, and industrial waste, the smell of the "lower district" that the Director found so inefficient. I stepped off the bus, my legs feeling like jelly. Every step sent a jolt of pain through my side, but the adrenaline was a better drug than anything they'd pumped into my IV.
Then I saw him.
My uncle was leaning against a rusted railing, looking disheveled and smelling like the floor of the bar he'd likely just left. He looked at me, his eyes narrowing as he saw the hospital gown peeking out from under my hoodie.
"Where's the money, kid? You look like death warmed over. Why aren't you in that fancy hospital?"
"The money is coming, Uncle," I said, my voice cold. I stood as tall as I could, ignoring the way my vision blurred. "But I need you to do something for me. I need you to sign a paper saying you're taking me home. Right now. There's a girl coming, a girl named Chizuru. If she finds me, she's going to take me back to a place where you'll never see another cent of my earnings again."
He perked up at that. The only thing he hated more than responsibility was losing his cash cow. "A girl? What, some social worker?"
"Something like that," I said, looking back at the road.
Far in the distance, I saw a sleek, black car weaving through traffic with a precision that was definitely not human. No braking for turns, no hesitation at yellow lights. It was a Katsura vehicle.
She was already here.
"Sign the paper, Uncle," I hissed, pulling a crumpled hospital release form I'd swiped from the nurse's station out of my pocket. "Sign it or we both go broke."
I leaned against the rusted railing, my breath hitching as I watched the sleek, black sedan glide to a halt at the edge of the pier. The door didn't just open; it swung wide with a silent, heavy authority.
Chizuru stepped out.
She didn't look angry. She didn't look worried. She looked like a statue that had decided to walk. Her sapphire eyes were fixed on me, and even from this distance, I could swear I saw the faint, flickering light of a data stream behind her pupils. She was scanning the area, her head moving in that almost imperceptible, bird-like tilt.
"Epione," she said. Her voice carried over the sound of the crashing waves, perfectly leveled to reach my ears despite the wind. "The wooden sun was not in your room. Statistically, there was a 98% probability that you were lying. I am disappointed that you chose to exert your limited energy on a flight response."
My uncle squinted at her, his hand pausing over the crumpled paper. "This is the 'social worker'? She looks like a high-end mannequin. Hey, lady! The kid says she's coming home with me. We don't need your fancy hospital wings."
Chizuru didn't even look at him. To her, he was just a "failed model," a biological obstacle. Her focus remained entirely on me.
"Your pulse is erratic, Epione. You are causing cellular damage to your recovering heart. This is inefficient. You belong in the private wing. The Director is waiting."
My uncle's eyes gleamed with a predatory sharpness as he looked from me to the sleek car Chizuru had arrived in. He didn't understand the science, but he understood wealth, and he could smell it on her. To him, I wasn't a niece in danger; I was a bargaining chip he wasn't ready to cash in yet.
"Paid? Kid, I'll make sure you pay me back double for this headache," he growled.
Before Chizuru could bridge the gap between us, his heavy, nicotine-stained hand clamped onto my shoulder and shoved me toward the yellow taxi idling at the curb. Leaving the brown envelope on the ground in purpose, I had timed it perfectly. The driver didn't even look up from his dashboard as the door swung open.
"Make sure this transportation fee is paid, I ain't paying a penny," my uncle barked at me as he piled into the backseat, pulling me in after him with a rough jerk.
I scrambled into the worn fabric of the seat, my side throbbing in protest. Through the window, I locked eyes with Chizuru. She had stopped at the edge of the pier, her frame perfectly silhouetted against the gray morning sky. She didn't run. She didn't shout. But her hand was raised, fingers twitching in a micro-adjustment as if she were remotely accessing every traffic light and camera in a three-mile radius.
"Go! Just drive! Don't expect any more drama" I urged the driver,
Flinching , the driver lurched the taxi forward, tires screeching against the damp asphalt. As we sped away, I watched Chizuru's figure shrink in the rearview mirror. She looked less like a girl and more like a lighthouse, standing guard over a sea of data I couldn't even see.
Beside me, my uncle was already checking his pockets for a cigarette, completely oblivious to the war that I lay there, staring at roof of the car, the phrase looping in my mind like a broken record.
"No seriously , I'm a dead meat, aren't I ?"
....
I leaned my head against the rattling window, watching the city blur past. I had escaped the hospital, the Director, and the "Phase Two" surgery. I was back in the lower district, back in the grime and the chaos where things were human and broken.
But as I felt the cold hum of my burner phone vibrating in my pocket, I knew it wasn't over. Chizuru didn't lose. She only recalibrated.
I pulled the phone out and looked at the screen. A single message sat there, sent from an unknown source despite my airplane mode being on just moments ago.
[Your current heart rate is 112 bpm, Epione. Enjoy your escapade, but I'm will be seeing you soon]
I stared at the text until the screen went dark. She wasn't chasing me with her feet. She was already inside the systems of the world around me.
"Hey, kid," my uncle grunted, nudging me with his elbow. "You really got that money, right? Because if I find out you're lying, I'm taking you back to that mannequin myself."
I didn't answer. I just watched the shadows of the skyscrapers stretch across the road, wondering how long a human heart could keep beating when the machines decided it was time to stop. just been declared over my soul. "That girl," he muttered, shaking his head. "Something about her eyes. Creepy. Like looking into a high-end microwave."
I leaned my head against the rattling window, watching the city blur past. I had escaped the hospital, the Director, and the "Phase Two" surgery. I was back in the lower district, back in the grime and the chaos where things were human and broken.
"Surely I cannot escape here, but I need to find away to not make them successful on their project"