Chapter 9 · Heartbeat on a Wire

"Don't move, Nora. Not a single inch," Mia whispered. Her voice shook so hard it barely registered.

Nora froze. Her boots skidded on the metal floor of the transport. Her eyes locked onto the jagged piece of energy core pressed hard against Mia’s throat. The shard hummed, a sickly violet glow pulsing in time with Mia’s terrified breathing. One slip, and that thing would carve through her carotid artery like a hot knife through wax.

"Mia, look at me. Just look at me," Nora said. Her voice was tight, fighting the scream building in her chest. "I'm right here. I've got you."

"I can't... I can't stop my hand," Mia sobbed. Her fingers were locked, white-knuckled, gripping the shard with a mechanical rigidity that wasn't human.

"Step back, Quinn!"

Elias Vane slammed into the compartment, weapon raised. He stopped dead. His gaze flicked from the shard to Mia’s glazed eyes, then to Nora’s pale face. He didn't lower the gun, but his posture shifted—Alpha officer mode, instantly calculating the kill zone.

"She's being remote-controlled," Nora snapped. "Elias, she's not doing this. Something is inside her head."

"I can see that," Elias replied, his voice a low grate.