Chapter 23 · Bait From Day One

The needle went in clean.

Sloane didn't feel it at first. Just pressure behind her left ear, cold metal kissing bone. Then the burn started, crawling down her spine like someone had poured acid into her vertebrae.

She was on the medical floor. Alone. The room smelled like antiseptic and old blood.

"Subject responsive." The voice came from speakers she couldn't see. Clinical. Bored. "Proceed to secondary extraction."

Extraction.

Sloane's fingers found the needle's base. Smooth plastic housing, warm from her skin. It pulsed. She could feel it drinking.

"Don't." A second voice, younger. Nervous. "If she pulls it early—"

"She won't. Look at her contract. Rook family holds the penalty clause. She's smart."

She wasn't smart. She was tired.

Sloane wrapped her fingers around the needle and yanked.

It came out trailing light. Not blood. Light. Silver-white and stringy, like someone had hooked her brain stem and pulled. The pain went from crawling to screaming. Her vision whited out. She tasted copper.

Somewhere an alarm started shrieking.

"Fuck—containment breach, lab three, get—"

Sloane hit the floor. The needle was still in her hand. Still glowing.