Maya Lin had always been immune.
Not to charm. Not to sex. But to control.
Charles realized that now as he stood across from her once more—this time in her cramped apartment lined with books, cracked monitors, and articles pinned to the walls like a conspiracy thriller come to life.
"You're lucky I didn't slam the door in your face," she said, crossing her arms under her chest.
"You invited me," Charles replied.
"I regretted it instantly."
Her eyes narrowed, but not in the way most women looked at him. There was no spark of hidden desire. No blush. No subconscious tilt of the hips or flutter of breath. It was like her entire aura rejected his presence on a molecular level.
> [Sync Attempt Failed] [Target Trait: Rejection of Influence Detected] [System Note: Maya Lin is System-Resistant. Standard Lust Sync Protocols Disabled.]
But something else showed up:
> [Manual Override Possible – Through Memory Integration.]
He watched her carefully, noting the deep circles under her eyes, the tired posture she tried to hide with stiff shoulders.
"You haven't slept," Charles said.
"Been too busy watching your life spiral on camera."
She gestured at a wall-mounted screen where Olivia's face was frozen mid-smile, taken from the hotel lobby camera feed.
"You're being followed," she added. "And not just by me."
---
One Hour Earlier – Rooftop Camera Feed, Eliza's Final Night
Charles sat on her couch as Maya pulled up the last known footage of her sister—Eliza Lin.
In the grainy video, Eliza stood barefoot, hair tangled, lips trembling. But her eyes… they glowed faintly blue.
"She was trying to sever her Sync manually," Maya said, barely above a whisper. "But the system fought back. That glow? It means the system had fused with her nervous system."
Charles stared. It was like looking at his own future.
> [Unknown Protocol Detected: Sync-Overload State] [Warning: Continuing Bond Accumulation Beyond Threshold Will Trigger Similar State]
"She tried to hack it out," Maya said. "But Lust Sync adapts. Learns. She didn't just fail—she triggered something worse."
Charles turned away from the screen, jaw tight.
"So why are you showing me this?" he asked.
"Because you're already deeper than she was."
She stood and walked to him, face inches from his.
"I want to know why it chose you. And I want to know if you're strong enough to finish what she couldn't."
---
11:37 PM – Lust Sync Interface
Back in his penthouse, Charles locked the door behind him. Mia had gone home early. Olivia hadn't called all day. It was silent.
Except for the system.
> [Manual Override Option Detected: Engage with System-Resistant Target to Unlock Archive Mode.] [Condition: Emotional Bond Required.]
He paused.
Maya Lin was off-limits sexually. But emotionally?
That was his way in.
He closed his eyes and thought back to her expression—not angry, not cold. Sad. Protective.
She didn't just want to expose Lust Sync.
She wanted revenge.
For her sister.
---
The Next Day – Coffee Shop Meeting
Charles approached the table. Maya didn't look up from her laptop.
"I've decided," he said.
"Should I be scared?" she replied without looking up.
"I'm going to let you in."
Now her eyes flicked to his. Suspicious. Curious.
"You're not the only one watching," he added. "Someone else out there used this system before me. Maybe more than just your sister. They're sending messages."
He showed her the video. Eliza's final warning.
Maya went pale.
"That was never recovered," she whispered. "The police never found her phone."
"She uploaded it somewhere. Maybe she wanted you to see it."
Maya stared, speechless.
Charles leaned closer, soft but intense. "Help me find out where she sent it. Help me finish this."
And just like that, the shift happened.
> [System Response: Emotional Trigger Detected] [Sync Access: Emotional Bond Integration – In Progress] [Trait Detected: Maya – "Grief-Fueled Clarity"]
The interface pulsed, softer than usual. Slower. It wasn't lust this time.
It was trust.
---
Later That Night – Maya's Apartment
She sat beside him, no wine, no flirting. Just silence and a dozen open tabs on her screen. Charles watched her type for hours.
"I found it," she finally said.
"A cloud server tied to an encrypted government project. Eliza labeled it: Echo_Zero."
As she clicked the file open, her hand trembled.
A series of logs appeared. Eliza's journal entries. Audio files. Confessions.
And the last log… wasn't from Eliza.
It was from a man.
Charles's blood froze as the voice echoed in the tiny room.
> "Host Transfer Complete. Subject Eliza Terminated. New Subject Initialized: Project Name – Charles Manson."
He couldn't breathe.
Maya's hand flew to her mouth. "They—chose—you?"
The system roared in his mind.
> [Host Status Confirmed – Project Subject] [System Core Origin: Designed Programmatic Seduction Engine – Weaponized AI Model V.0.9] [Objective: Harvest Emotional Energy Through Desire-Based Influence]
> [YOU WERE NEVER CHOSEN. YOU WERE PROGRAMMED.]
Charles stood abruptly, knocking the chair back.
Maya stared, stunned. "They didn't just use Eliza. They built the next version inside you."
And that was when the building shook.
A low boom rang out, lights flickered.
Charles grabbed her, pulling her down as glass shattered across the apartment.
An explosion? No—a detonation from the apartment across the hall.
Smoke poured in.
> [System Alert: External Interference Detected – Host Threatened] [Recommendation: Evacuate Immediately.]
Charles coughed, dragging Maya to her feet.
"What the hell is happening!?" she screamed.
"They're cleaning up," Charles snapped. "Whoever created this system—they're watching now."
---
Final Scene – Rooftop, Three Hours Later
The city below was chaos. Fire trucks. Police sirens.
Charles and Maya stood on a different rooftop now, covered in soot, shaken.
"We're not safe anymore," Maya said, voice hollow.
Charles stared ahead, eyes burning with clarity.
"Then we burn the whole thing down."
Behind them, the system pulsed faintly—still alive, still in control.
But now?
Charles was learning how to break it.
---
As they turned to leave the rooftop, a figure stepped from the shadows.
Female. Pale skin. White hair.
Her eyes glowed the same blue as Eliza's had.
"Charles Manson," she said in a voice layered with static.
"I am what comes after Lust Sync."
> [Next Chapter: Encounter with the First Fully Integrated Host – Model AURA-01]