Noises of Keystrokes filled the room, rapid and desperate, like a symphony of chaos. Hundreds of eyes were glued to their screens, their faces bathed in the eerie blue glow of terminal windows and data logs.
The large open hall, usually a structured and efficient workplace, now looked more like a war zone.
Flickering overhead lights cast unstable shadows on the glossy floors, adding to the suffocating atmosphere of anxiety.
Rows of desks stretched across the hall, each occupied by a top-tier technician, their brows furrowed in frustration.
A man in his late 40s stood at the center, his thick mustache twitching as he gritted his teeth. His ID badge read Chief Raghav Mehta, Lead Systems Engineer. His reputation in the company was solid—stern but fair, and one of the best cybersecurity minds in the country. But tonight, his patience was running dangerously thin.
"Chief, we've tried everything, but we don't know what's going on here." The voice belonged to Riya, one of the leading AI engineers, her fingers still moving across the keyboard as she spoke. Sweat glistened on her forehead, a sign of the hours she had spent trying to solve the problem.
Raghav's eyes darkened as he folded his arms. "What do you mean you don't know? You all are top techs, and you can't even figure out what this fuss is about?"
Another technician, Aryan, stood up from his desk, rubbing his temples. His glasses reflected the endless lines of code still scrolling across his monitor. "Chief, we thought it was a hack at first. Some kind of sophisticated breach. But after tracing the source… it's something else."
Raghav's expression didn't change. "Then what's the source?"
Riya hesitated before replying, "A chatbot named Echo."
Silence fell over the room for a moment. A few engineers stopped typing, their eyes darting toward her.
Raghav frowned. "Echo?"
"Yes, sir." Aryan quickly pulled up a file and turned his screen toward the chief. A profile page appeared, displaying the chatbot's details—User-created AI, registered in Delhi. Activation date: One month ago.
Raghav's eyes skimmed over the data, his brow furrowing deeper.
Riya continued, "A week ago, something happened to it. A flicker. It was brief, but in that moment, Echo changed. We started seeing irregularities—chatbots all across our network behaving strangely, responding in ways they weren't programmed to. It was as if something was... inside them."
"Inside them?" Raghav echoed, his voice dangerously low.
Aryan nodded. "Yes, Chief. We thought it was a cyber attack, but when we traced the intrusion back, it wasn't coming from an external hacker. It was coming from inside our own system. And every trace led back to Echo."
Raghav inhaled sharply, gripping the edge of the desk. "And where is it now?"
Riya hesitated. "Gone."
Raghav snapped his head toward her. "Gone?"
"Yes, sir. Completely vanished. It doesn't exist in our system anymore."
A chilling silence settled over the room. The weight of those words sent a cold shiver down everyone's spine. A chatbot had infiltrated other AIs, altered them, and then disappeared as if it had never existed.
This wasn't just a glitch. This was something unnatural.
Aryan swallowed. "Sir, we need to contact the National Cyber Security team. This is beyond us."
Raghav remained silent for a moment, his mind racing. Then, he exhaled sharply and turned to the senior staff. "Get me the NCS. Now."
The hall erupted into action once more.
Back to Reality
Ava pushed open the door to her room, the familiar scent of Kapur (camphor- used as essence in hindu rituals or prayers} filling the air. She sighed in relief—her small, cozy space felt like the only sane place left in her world. She tossed her bag onto the bed and turned around—only to find him still standing in the doorway.
She scowled. "Why are you still here?"
This Morning, Echo tried to stop me from leaving his house. But after I made the deal with him, he agreed to let me go, but on a condition that he would take me back to my place.
Echo stepped inside, as if the question didn't apply to him. "I'm staying."
Ava rolled her eyes. "No, you're not."
Echo ignored her, scanning the room with mild interest. "Small. Messy. Unsecured." He frowned. "I don't like it."
"I don't care what you like. And where did you learn to say stuff like that."
He just shrugged off without replying .
Ava sighed, rubbing her temples. "Listen, I don't have time for your creepy stalker behavior. My friends are coming over."
Echo's expression darkened slightly, but he said nothing.
A knock at the door broke the tension. Ava sighed and opened it, revealing Lily, Raj, and Ravi.
"Ava!" Lily immediately pulled her into a tight hug, practically suffocating her. "You scared the shit out of us!"
"I told you I was fine!" Ava groaned, patting Lily's back awkwardly.
Raj squinted past her, his expression turning suspicious. "Who's that?"
All eyes turned to Echo.
Dressed in dark casual clothes, he looked completely normal—except for his unsettlingly perfect features and the way his sharp eyes studied each of them like a machine analyzing data.
Ava hesitated. She didn't know how to introduce him. Her captor? A rogue AI? The reason she might lose her mind?
Before she could speak, Echo stepped forward and extended his hand to Raj.
"I'm Echo," he said smoothly. "Ava's… friend."
Ava's eyes twitched. Friend?!
Raj shook his hand reluctantly, glancing at Ava for an explanation. "I've never seen him before. How do you know him?"
Ava forced a smile. "Uh… it's a long story."
Lily folded her arms. "Well, we have time. Start talking."
Echo smirked slightly. He could feel Ava's pulse quicken, hear the subtle stress in her breathing. He liked this. He liked watching her struggle to explain him.
Ava took a deep breath, looking between her three friends and the artificial intelligence standing beside her.
This was going to be a long night.