Chapter 11 · Ghost in the Code

"Don't you spiral on me, Maya Kade." Pip's claws locked around my wrist and the stitching in his little plush paw creaked. The chip in my palm was screaming so loud my molars hurt.

"I'm not spiraling," I snapped. "I'm thinking. There's a difference."

"Yeah? You're shaking like you just grabbed a live wire. Put the damn chip down."

"I can't! It's stuck to me!" I tried to shake it off and it just burned hotter. The sound wasn't even sound anymore, it was a needle right behind my eyes. "Make it stop. Pip, make it stop talking."

He didn't let go. His button eyes were flickering, black to red to black. "I can't mute it. It's not broadcasting out. It's broadcasting in. It's reading you."

"What the hell does that mean? Reading me how?"

"Your code. Your blood. Maya, listen to me. You need to breathe. In. Out. With me. Now."

"Don't nanny-voice me!" I yanked my hand back and slammed into the rusted wall of the dead zone. The whole room was dead, no signal, no Bloom light, just that chip screaming. "You said this thing was a distress call. This isn't a call, this is —