Chapter 25 · Apex Loop: Glitch Evolution - Chapter 25: Scalpel's New Master

My claw closed around Vivian's throat before she could finish the command.

"Try it again," I said. "Tell the lab to kill me."

Her fingers dug into my wrist. Not hard enough to matter. Just hard enough to show she still believed she had a choice.

I pressed the edge of a broken scalpel beneath her jaw. The steel had snapped near the handle, leaving a jagged point. It rested against her skin without breaking it.

"Kane," she said, very softly. "Take that away."

"No."

"You don't understand what you're touching."

"I understand you stop breathing if I move my hand." I leaned closer. Her breath brushed the plates along my cheek. "That is more than enough."

The control room had gone dead quiet. Screens flickered around us, each one showing a different cage. Open doors. Broken restraints. Red warning symbols rolling across the displays.

Somewhere beyond the glass, something heavy slammed into a wall.

Vivian's eyes shifted toward the sound.

I tightened my grip.

"Look at me."

Her gaze snapped back. "You think this makes you the master?"

"The doors are open. The systems answer me.