Chapter 15 · The Heart Was Hers

"You're X-07."

Vera still had my wrist. Her fingers shook against my pulse.

I yanked free. "Don't."

"That spin with your left arm. The way you shield with the right before you strike." Her voice cracked. "I've watched those combat logs fifty times. It's you."

Cold pressure pulsed beneath my ribs.

*Exit route compromised. Cleanup team approaching from the north stairwell.*

"Shut up," I muttered.

Vera took a step back. "I wasn't talking to you."

"Not you. Move."

I caught her arm and dragged her toward the south exit. The emergency lights flickered overhead. Something scraped inside the walls—crystal limbs, fast and getting closer.

"Iris, stop." Vera dug in her heels. "You have a tactical AI. You have the heart. How long have you had it?"

"Three weeks. Can we run now?"

"Three weeks?" Her face drained of color. "The subway bombing happened three weeks ago. You walked out of that hospital after six hours. They said you refused observation."

"I had a metal box in my chest and no idea how to explain it." I shoved open the south stairwell door. The landing was empty. "Move."

She didn't.

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"Because you'd do this.