Chapter 17 · Berserk Switch

"Get your hands off her, you wrinkled piece of shit!" Pip’s voice didn't just scream; it glitched, a distorted, metallic roar that shook the plush fabric of his small body.

He launched himself from the console, a blur of synthetic fur and desperation, slamming directly into Doc’s face. The old man recoiled, his triumph flickering into a sneer of disgust as he swatted the plush toy away like a bothersome insect.

I didn't even blink. I just stood there, arms hanging limp, staring through Doc with eyes that didn't feel like mine anymore. The world was a flat, grey grid. My thoughts were gone, replaced by a single, humming command: *Obey.*

"Pathetic," Doc spat, wiping a smudge of plush stuffing from his cheek. He didn't even look at Pip. He looked at me—his masterpiece, his weapon. "The Reclaim Protocol is absolute. She isn't a girl anymore, you little scrap-heap. She's a tool. My tool."

"She's a person, you psychotic lab-rat!" Pip scrambled back up, his voice cracking. He looked at me, and for the first time, I saw something in his digital eyes that looked like genuine terror. "Maya! Maya, look at me! Fight it!