Chapter 7 · First Bite

"Don't you dare let that thing touch me," Rook spat, her voice cracking. She was pinned against the rusted surgical table, her wrists locked in Old Smokes' heavy-duty restraints. Her chest heaved, the thin fabric of her corp-issue tactical suit clinging to her skin, slick with sweat and panic.

Kade didn't listen. He couldn't. The chip in his head wasn't just humming anymore—it was screaming. It felt like a thousand starving needles were stitching themselves into his cerebral cortex, demanding a feast. And the feast was right here, pulsing in the vein of the woman who had tried to hunt him down two hours ago.

"Smokes, get the needle in now," Kade rasped. He stepped closer, his shadow swallowing her.

"Kid, look at your eyes," Smokes warned, stepping back from the console. "You're glitching. Your pupils are flickering like a dying neon sign. If we push too much of her stabilizer into you while the Gene-Eater is active, you might not just evolve. You might just... pop."

"Do it!" Kade roared. He grabbed Rook's shoulder, his fingers digging into her skin. He could feel her pulse thrumming against his palm—fast, erratic, terrified.