LifeNet: The Price of Immortality

Chapter 1: Cracks in the System

"Elara, do you think it’s true?" Isla's voice trembled as she looked at the towering LifeNet building from the lab's window.

Elara glanced over, her fingers still hovering over her computer keys. "Do I think what’s true?"

"That LifeNet can give us eternity," Isla murmured, her gaze fixed on the city below. "Imagine… a life without an end. Doesn’t that sound like freedom?"

Elara hesitated, feeling a familiar unease creep in. "Freedom… isn’t that easy. I think we’d be fools to think they’re giving it away without a price."

She turned back to her screen, scanning the data logs she had uncovered just hours before. Elara had stumbled upon strange, irregular patterns within the LifeNet servers—data fragments that didn’t add up, as though something was decaying inside. But whenever she tried to dig deeper, access was blocked, as if someone didn’t want her to look too closely.

"How do you even know it’s safe?" Elara added, more to herself than to Isla. "We’re talking about people’s minds—years, even centuries of memories stored. What if it’s all a lie?"

Isla frowned, pulling away from the window. "A lie? Elara, LifeNet is the most trusted organization in the world. You’re probably just overthinking it."

"Am I?" Elara sighed. "I keep finding these odd glitches in their system. Tiny blips in the data that seem… wrong. Like things are falling apart."

Isla laughed, shaking her head. "Glitches? Come on, Elara. You’re probably just imagining it. You’ve always been too cautious."

Elara wanted to argue, but she bit her tongue. Isla had grown up with nothing, and LifeNet represented everything she had ever dreamed of—security, protection, even a chance to escape death. How could she tell Isla that the very thing she trusted might not be real?

"Maybe you’re right," Elara said quietly, though doubt still gnawed at her. "I just can’t shake the feeling that we’re missing something."

Isla reached out, placing a hand on her shoulder. "If there was anything dangerous, wouldn’t they have said something by now?"

Elara forced a small smile. "I guess."

But even as she said it, a new message popped up on her screen. A system alert, encrypted, flashing in ominous red letters: Unauthorized Access Detected. Terminate Investigation Immediately.

Her heart skipped a beat.

“Elara… What’s that?” Isla’s eyes widened as she noticed the message.

“Nothing.” Elara quickly minimized the screen, but it was too late. Isla had seen it.

"Are you in trouble?" Isla whispered, her voice now edged with fear.

"I don’t know," Elara replied, trying to keep her voice steady. "Probably just a routine warning."

Isla crossed her arms, frowning. "Routine warnings don’t come in red with words like terminate."

Elara looked around the empty lab, then back at Isla. "Listen… don’t tell anyone about this, alright?"

Isla hesitated. "Elara, you’re scaring me. What have you found?"

"I don’t even know yet," Elara admitted, glancing back at her computer. “But something’s wrong with LifeNet. And I think… I think they know I’m onto it."

A long silence hung between them, filled only by the low hum of the computer servers lining the walls. Outside, the city gleamed with skyscrapers, each one a testament to LifeNet’s influence. People moved below like tiny, faceless shadows, all blissfully unaware of the questions Elara was struggling with.

Isla took a shaky breath, breaking the silence. "You’re not going to leave it alone, are you?"

Elara met her friend’s gaze, determination hardening in her eyes. "If there’s something wrong, people deserve to know."

"Elara, if they find out…"

She shook her head. "Then I’ll find a way to cover my tracks. I can handle this."

But Isla’s expression remained tense. "Just… promise me you’ll be careful."

Elara forced another smile. "I will. Don’t worry."

They both knew it was a promise she couldn’t keep.

The next day, Elara worked alone, her fingers flying over the keys as she decrypted another layer of LifeNet’s code. The deeper she went, the stranger the data became. It was as if parts of the system were vanishing—whole chunks of memory just erased, with no trace left behind.

"How can they be so careless?" she muttered, her fingers clenching into fists.

A small ping alerted her to a new message. She opened it cautiously, her heart racing. The subject line read, You’re Not Safe.

She scanned the message:

“They know. If you want to live, stop now.”

“Elara?”

She nearly jumped out of her seat. It was Isla, standing in the doorway.

“You’ve been working all night?” Isla asked, worry etched into her face.

Elara quickly closed the message. "I just… couldn’t let it go."

Isla walked over, her eyes darting nervously around the lab. "Elara, what are you doing? They’re going to notice if you keep digging."

"I have to know, Isla. If LifeNet isn’t what it seems—if people are being lied to—don’t you think they deserve the truth?"

Isla looked away, hugging herself as if trying to shield herself from the weight of Elara’s words. "Maybe… maybe some things aren’t meant to be uncovered."

Elara’s jaw tightened. "Are you saying I should look the other way?"

"No, I just—" Isla’s voice wavered. "I’m saying I don’t want to lose my best friend."

Elara softened, reaching out to squeeze Isla’s hand. "I promise, I’ll be careful."

But the truth was, she wasn’t sure she could keep that promise.

The next evening, just as Elara was leaving the lab, her phone vibrated. She glanced down, seeing an unfamiliar number flashing on the screen. Against her better judgment, she answered.

“Elara.”

The voice was low, distorted. She couldn’t recognize it.

"Who… who is this?"

“Someone who knows what you’re looking for. Meet me tonight. The alleyway behind the old subway station. Midnight.”

"Why should I trust you?"

“Because I can give you answers. Or you can ignore this and watch your life unravel. Your choice.”

Before she could respond, the line went dead.

Elara’s mind raced. She could almost feel Isla’s warning, hear her voice urging her to turn back. But it was too late for that. Her heart pounded with a mixture of fear and excitement.

At midnight, she would go.

And for the first time, she wondered if she’d ever come back.