Chapter 16 · Glitch Blade

"Stop screaming or I'll give you something to actually scream about," Rook snapped, her voice tight and ragged.

I didn't answer. I couldn't. My right arm was no longer mine. It was a jagged, shimmering mess of obsidian chrome and flickering blue light, vibrating so hard it felt like it was trying to shake itself out of my shoulder socket. The Gene-Eater chip wasn't just humming now—it was screaming in my skull, a digital banshee demanding more.

"Look at me, Kade!" Rook grabbed my collar, jerking me forward. Her palm was hot against my skin, her breathing shallow and fast. The scent of ozone and burnt copper clung to her. "You're glitching. Your pulse is spiking into the red. If you don't shut it down, you're going to burn out your nervous system."

"I can't," I wheezed, my voice sounding like gravel in a blender. "It... it won't stop. It wants more."

I looked down at my forearm. The chrome wasn't just plating; it was growing, forming a serrated edge that looked less like a weapon and more like a nightmare. It had ripped through my sleeve, shredding the fabric into blackened rags.