Maya's phone buzzed at midnight. She squinted at the glowing screen, annoyed.
Kiran:I'm at the old factory near the railway tracks.
Her heart skipped a beat. The factory? Nobody went there anymore—not since the accident years ago.
She quickly typed back.
Maya:Are you insane? Alone? At this hour?
The three dots danced on her screen before his reply arrived.
Kiran:Relax. I found something.
Maya groaned, running a hand through her messy hair. Kiran's "discoveries" usually turned out to be rusty junk or abandoned tools.
But this time his next message made her sit up straight.
Kiran:It lit up when I touched it. A hologram appeared.
Her breath caught.
Maya:A hologram?
Kiran:Yeah. Floating text in the air. It said: "ECHO Protocol Activated. 72 Hours Remaining."
Maya felt the chill creep up her spine.
Maya:Seventy-two hours until… what?
Kiran hesitated before answering.
Kiran:That's not the worst part. The message was signed with your name.
Maya's fingers froze over the keyboard.
Maya:Stop joking.
Kiran:I'm not. It literally said: "Authorized User: Maya Singh." And when I typed your name again, the box reacted.
Her pulse quickened. She wanted to deny it, to laugh it off, but Kiran's words carried a weight she couldn't ignore.
Another message arrived.
Kiran:The box just opened. There's something inside. A glowing crystal.
She typed frantically.
Maya:Don't touch it!
But his next reply made her blood run cold.
Kiran:Too late. It pulsed when I picked it up. My phone glitched. Your contact name just changed to… "Echo – Primary Host."
Maya stared at her shaking hands. She didn't know what this "Project ECHO" was, but one thing was certain—
It had chosen her.