Chapter 3 – The Rift Stirs
The hum of Echo-1’s systems faltered.
Just for a second.
Then—silence.
Not the usual quiet of deep space. This was different. Hollow. Heavy. Wrong.
Elise barely had time to process it before the screens convulsed static flooding the displays in jagged, chaotic bursts. The ship’s AI stuttered, its smooth mechanical rhythm glitching, distorting. It was subtle at first. Then it lagged, faltered like something unseen had tangled itself in the system’s pulse.
Like something was inside.
Noah Carter’s hands were a blur over the console. His voice sharp, breath tight.
“This...this isn’t right. We’re losing control.”
Ren Arata, always composed under pressure, moved on instinct. His hand hovered near his sidearm, but his eyes swept the bridge, searching. For what?
There was nothing to fight.
And that was the worst part.
Elise forced herself to stay still. Stay in control. But her fingers curled tighter around the console’s edge. Knuckles white. Breath slow. Heart not.
“Tell me what’s happening.”
Noah exhaled sharply. His uncertainty was rare. And worse he didn’t hide it.
“I don’t know. This isn’t just interference. It’s...”
The signal cut through the ship again.
Louder this time.
And with it...
A whisper.
"Elise."
Not through the comms.
Not through the speakers.
Inside her mind.
Not through the speakers.
Inside her mind.
Her breath hitched. A sharp intake she couldn’t control.
It wasn’t just a sound. It was inside her. A presence. It pressed against her thoughts, peeling them back layer by layer.
Something was looking in.
Her pulse slammed. Her vision darkened at the edges.
Then...
A tidal wave of sensation crashed over her.
She wasn’t on Echo-1 anymore.
A corridor stretched before her, but it wasn’t a place. It was light alive, pulsing, shifting like a breathing thing. The walls twisted, fractured, the space between them cracking apart like fragile glass.
The air smelled wrong. Metallic. Burning. But cold at the same time.
Then she saw it.
A shadow.
Standing at the threshold.
Watching.
A slow, deliberate presence.
Elise’s stomach lurched. It wasn’t just looking at her.
It knew her.
Her heart slammed against her ribs—
Then...
Reality snapped back.
She staggered, gasping as Echo-1’s bridge slammed into focus around her. The ship’s lights flickered violently. The moment before the place she had just stood was ripped away.
She was back.
But it wasn’t gone.
Noah was staring. Alarm flickered behind his eyes. Ren was already close. Tense. Steady. Watching her.
“Elise.” Ren’s voice was sharp. “What the hell just happened?”
She forced herself to breathe. To speak.
But she couldn’t.
Because her gaze had already drifted.
To the main console.
The signal had changed again.
And outside the window...
Something was moving.
Tease Echo:
The Rift had stirred.
And something had finally seen her.
And something had finally seen her.
