Chapter 26 · One Last Reset

"Don't touch it." Noah's voice cut through the static hum of the server room before I even saw him.

I froze. My hand was six inches from the panel Iris had just opened—the one with the blinking red core access indicator. She was crouched beside me, fingers still on the metal edge, and I felt her breathing stop.

"Step back," Noah said. "Both of you."

I turned slow. He was standing in the doorway, gun leveled. Not at me. At her.

"You knew we'd come here," I said.

He smiled. "I built the damn loop, Cade. You think I don't know where the exit is?"

Iris didn't move. Her shoulder pressed against mine, solid and tense. I could feel the heat coming off her even through the jacket.

"Let her finish," I said. "This is between us."

"No." Noah took two steps in. The barrel stayed locked on Iris. "She's the reason you're here. She's the reason you kept coming back. Every single reset, you died for her."

"I died because you rigged it that way."

"I gave you a choice." His voice went flat. "Twenty-seven chances to walk away. You picked her every time."

Iris's hand moved.