Chapter 17 · Vault Doors

"Get your damn foot out of there!" Vera’s voice screeched through the static as the pale, colossal hand tightened its grip on Kael’s ankle.

Kael didn't answer. He couldn't. The pressure was bone-crushing, dragging him deeper into the blinding white void of the Protocol Zero glitch. He clawed at the air, fingers slipping on the nothingness, until his hand slammed against something solid. Cold metal. A ledge.

He lunged, grabbing the edge with a desperate snarl. With one violent, guttural heave, he kicked back. His boot connected with the pale skin of the giant hand—it felt like kicking a wall of wet concrete—but the impact gave him just enough leverage to rip his leg free.

He tumbled onto a hard, polished floor, sliding ten feet before slamming into a reinforced wall.

"About time," Vera said. She was already standing over him, her boots clicking on the floor. She didn't offer a hand. Instead, she looked down at him with that irritating mix of pity and hunger, her eyes scanning the Vault Key still glowing in his palm.

Kael coughed, tasting copper. He rolled onto his back and glared up at her. "You could've... helped. Instead of cheering from the sidelines."