Bits of Love, Lines of Code
Chapter 104 - 99: “Ripple in the Network”

Chapter 104: Chapter 99: “Ripple in the Network”

The wind turbines on the far side of the property spun gently in the breeze, their blades cutting a soft rhythm into the countryside air. Inside the underground workshop, glowing monitors reflected off Ren’s tired eyes. It was still early—Aoi and Hikari were asleep upstairs—but Ren hadn’t rested.

Something was wrong.

Lucia’s network scan had picked up a strange spike the previous night—small, nearly invisible, but too precise to be noise. It wasn’t a full breach... just a ripple. But in Ren’s world, ripples were warnings.

He tapped the keyboard, pulling up surveillance records. His fingers moved fast, isolating the odd packet signature. His AI defenses were tight—stronger than most military-grade systems—and yet...

"Lucia," he said, narrowing his eyes, "tell me what this is."

The cylindrical AI hovered out from the ceiling socket, glowing softly. "Unknown frequency intercepted near exterior sensors. Signature mimics internal calibration checks... but it isn’t ours."

Ren leaned forward. "External masking?"

"Highly probable," Lucia replied. "Stealth tech. Likely mobile. Drone or wearable surveillance."

Ren’s jaw clenched.

Meanwhile: Aoi’s Morning

Upstairs, Aoi stirred in bed as morning light filtered in through the curtains. Hikari lay between them, bundled and cooing softly. Aoi reached out to touch her baby’s cheek and then leaned over to kiss her husband’s pillow—empty.

"He’s working again," she murmured.

She smiled faintly and whispered to Hikari, "Your papa’s always building something. Always worrying. Always protecting."

She stretched, stood, and wrapped herself in a shawl. As she passed the hallway monitor, a soft red glow caught her attention.

[Notice: Minor anomaly detected in perimeter scan – Review advised.]

Her eyes narrowed.

Elsewhere – Saki’s New Game Begins

In a soundproof, windowless apartment, Saki sat in front of a high-spec terminal. Her hair now jet black, face paler than ever, she stared into screens showing heat signatures and movement logs from a modified drone.

"Ren," she whispered. "You built that place like a fortress... but even fortresses rot from the inside."

She flipped to a second monitor. Footage played—Aoi rocking Hikari in the nursery.

Saki didn’t blink. Her eyes watered. Her hands clenched.

"Your perfect little family... I wonder what would happen if that wall of yours cracked. If your world was reminded how easily things can change."

She opened an old chatroom.

Saki: The house is wired like Fort Knox.

Unknown: You still want her out of the picture?

Saki: I want her to shatter. Slowly.

She shut the laptop. Her eyes moved to the wall where newspaper clippings, tech blueprints, and photos of Aoi and Hikari were pinned in a twisted collage.

Back at the Lab

Lucia hovered closer to Ren.

"Sir. Should I deploy passive counter-drones?"

Ren didn’t respond at first.

Then: "No. Not yet. We don’t alert ghosts. We let them haunt until we trap them."

He stood, his eyes burning with calm fury.

"I’m going to reinforce the neural firewall and seal all backup lines. And Lucia... begin ghost trace protocol. I want to know who this is."

"Yes, sir."

He exhaled.

"Aoi... I won’t let anything touch you or her. No matter what."