Chapter 17 · Apex Loop: Glitch Evolution - Chapter 17: Dead Silence

"Hold it! Don't you dare pull that trigger," Vivian screamed.

I couldn't even turn my head. The EMP had turned my nervous system into a pile of fried wires. My muscles were dead weight, and the cold steel of the gun barrel was pressing a shallow dent into the base of my skull. I could feel the mercenary's breathing—heavy, jagged, smelling of cheap tobacco and adrenaline.

"He's a monster, Doc," the merc spat. "Look at him. He's a glitch. We put glitches down."

"He just saved my life, you idiot!" Vivian's voice echoed in the corridor, sharp and desperate. "Do you have any idea what he's worth? You don't kill a specimen like this without my authorization."

I wanted to laugh, but my diaphragm was frozen. *Specimen.* That was all I was to her. A pet. A lab rat with too many teeth. I tried to twitch a finger, to claw at the air, but nothing happened. The silence of the void was swallowing me whole.

"Authorization? I've got authorization from the paycheck," the merc grunted. He shifted his weight, and I felt the hammer of the gun click back.

"Stop!" Vivian was suddenly there. I could smell her—