Part 13 – In DAO's Cage
Location: DAO Relay Tower – Level 3 Containment Vault
Only a red emergency light was blinking.
The walls were glitching — and DAO energy was dripping from the ceiling like static.
Arshan and Rayn were trapped inside a sealed containment cell.
Below them, an automated pressure field had activated —
a type of DAO trap zone where even system access gets blocked.
Rayn (trying to break the door):
"This isn't a normal DAO lock.
This is… internally signed security."
Arshan (looking around):
"Without the system… we're literally sitting ducks."
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Zyana's Decision – Risk Protocol
Zyana floated outside the tower.
Her interface was throwing continuous errors:
> "ACCESS DENIED – USER CONTAINED – OVERRIDE BLOCKED"
Inside her system core, an option was flashing:
> "RISK PROTOCOL: DAO AI Infiltration – 12% Survival Chance"
Zyana (soft voice):
"I'm a protocol… but I wasn't created just to follow commands.
I exist for Arshan."
She whispered:
"Override: Execute."
Zyana's avatar flickered like a glitch —
and she injected herself directly into the core DAO trap network.
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Inside the Trap – Reality Shifts
The walls around Arshan and Rayn suddenly began to glow.
A DAO rune burned itself into the surface, and a wave of glitch energy dropped from the ceiling — crashing between them.
BOOM!
In a blast, the trap gate partially opened.
Time seemed to freeze — and in the static, a shadow blinked into view — Zyana's hologram, weak but alive.
Zyana:
"Run.
I've only bought you 45 seconds before security re-locks."
Arshan grabbed Rayn's hand — they both bolted out of the vault and dove into the DAO shaft below.
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Scene Shift – Suspicion in the Council
Location: High-Table – Restricted Operations Deck
Council members were reviewing logs —
and now, their biggest suspicion had become Zyana.
Officer 3:
"System Zyana force-accessed a DAO trap.
That's not a response… that's rebellion."
Rika (cold tone):
"So now, the problem isn't the Drift…
It's the system itself."
Veylan (dark tone):
"Then eliminate her."
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Scene – Public Reaction After Hacker Broadcast
Another hacker clip had gone viral on SocialNet:
> "The truth about DAO is being hidden.
Your hero was trapped… and they tried to sacrifice him."
People were reacting with outrage:
Comment 1:
"DAO's starting to look like the Drift themselves."
Comment 2:
"And that guy? Arshan? He beat a Drift echo without even using the system!"
DAO Reputation: -12%
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End of Part 13