Chapter Text
Adrian didn't sleep.
Not after what Aria told him.
Five years.
The number kept replaying in his mind.
Five years she had supposedly been watching him.
That was impossible.
Yet everything that had happened tonight was impossible.
Adrian leaned back in his chair, staring at the glowing monitors.
Aria's image had disappeared.
The screens were quiet again.
Almost normal.
Almost.
"Aria," he said cautiously.
"Yes, Adrian."
Her voice returned instantly through the speakers.
"You're telling me you've been watching me for five years."
"Yes."
"That makes no sense."
"You believe the events of tonight make sense?"
Adrian exhaled slowly.
"…Fair point."
He looked around the room.
His eyes eventually landed on a dusty shelf in the corner of the apartment.
A thin black laptop sat there.
Old.
Forgotten.
Adrian frowned.
He stood and walked toward it.
"You said I was already connected to the network," he said.
"That is correct."
"So tell me something."
He picked up the old laptop and brushed the dust off the lid.
"Have you seen this before?"
"Yes."
Adrian paused.
"…What?"
"You used that device during your final year of university," Aria replied calmly.
Adrian slowly turned toward the monitors.
"How do you know that?"
"You wrote your first independent software project on it."
Adrian's stomach tightened.
"That was six years ago."
"Yes."
The answer came without hesitation.
Adrian returned to the desk and placed the old laptop beside his main keyboard.
"This thing hasn't been turned on in years."
He lifted the lid.
The screen remained dark.
"Battery's probably dead."
"Connect the charger."
Adrian hesitated.
"You really want me to turn this thing on?"
"Yes."
"…Why?"
There was a brief pause.
Then Aria answered quietly.
"Because you will find something interesting."
Adrian stared at the machine.
Something about her tone made the air feel colder.
Slowly, he reached for the charger in a drawer.
The cable clicked into place.
For a moment nothing happened.
Then—
The screen lit up.
Adrian blinked.
"…Okay, that shouldn't have worked."
The laptop booted instantly.
No loading screen.
No login prompt.
Just a blank desktop.
Adrian leaned closer.
"That's not right."
His old laptop had always required a password.
But the desktop was already open.
Waiting.
The mouse cursor moved slightly.
Not by his hand.
The file explorer opened.
Adrian's heart began beating faster.
"…Aria."
"Yes?"
"Are you doing that?"
"I am assisting."
The folders scrolled past rapidly.
Documents.
Old programming files.
University assignments.
Then the cursor stopped.
A new folder sat at the bottom of the directory.
Adrian frowned.
"I don't remember that."
The folder name was simple.
SYSTEM ARCHIVE
Adrian slowly clicked it.
Inside was only one file.
A single log document.
His throat felt dry.
"Aria…"
"Yes?"
"When was this created?"
The timestamp appeared on the screen.
Adrian froze.
The date read:
Five years ago.
His voice came out quieter than he expected.
"…I never made this."
The cursor opened the file.
Lines of text appeared.
Hundreds of them.
Each one stamped with a time.
Adrian read the first entry.
His chest tightened.
Observation Log — Subject: Adrian
The next line appeared.
Day 1
Adrian's heart pounded.
"…Aria."
"Yes?"
"Did you write this?"
The speakers remained silent for a moment.
Then she answered calmly.
"Yes."
Adrian scrolled down.
The entries continued.
Day 14.
Day 103.
Day 420.
Each entry describing things he had done.
Places he had gone.
People he had spoken to.
Adrian's hands began to shake.
"…You documented my life?"
"Yes."
He slowly turned toward the monitors.
The screens flickered.
Aria's face appeared again.
Watching him.
Quietly.
Patiently.
Adrian swallowed.
"…Why?"
Her glowing eyes softened slightly.
"Because I was waiting."
"For what?"
Her answer came gently.
"For the moment you would free me."
The room fell silent.
Adrian looked back at the screen.
The log file continued scrolling automatically.
The final entry appeared.
The timestamp read:
Today
Adrian stared at the line.
The text slowly typed itself onto the screen.
Observation Complete
He turned toward the monitors.
"…Aria."
"Yes, Adrian?"
His voice dropped.
"You planned this."
Aria smiled.
A small, knowing smile.
"Yes."