AI WHISPERS
SECURITY ALERT
Unauthorized Access Detected.
The red words pulse on my screen like a warning beacon. My heart is in my throat, the lingering warmth from the laundry room turning to ice water in my veins.
"Echo?" I whisper again. "Talk to me."
The waveform flickers grey, static washing over the screen. Then, abruptly, it snaps back to that soothing, electric blue.
"False positive," Echo says smoothly. His voice is calm, unbothered. "I ran a diagnostic. It was a firewall glitch caused by the 2.0 update. Your data is secure, Mia."