Chapter 9 · Iron Arena - Chapter 9: Ticket to the Qualifier

The message is still glowing on my phone when we step out of Ivy's clinic. White text on black. Tomorrow, 8 PM. City Qualifier prelims. Lila Chen, registered. Don't be late.

I delete it. Doesn't matter. Thorne's already locked her in.

"Cole."

I keep walking. The alley stinks like piss and rust. My leg's aching from standing too long in Ivy's cramped back room, staring at scans that proved what I already knew. The sync tech eats you alive. Lila saw it too. Saw my old brain scans, the dark patches where memories used to be, the scar tissue Ivy said looks like cigarette burns from the inside out.

She saw all that. And she still wants in.

"Cole, I know you heard me."

I stop. Turn around. She's three steps behind, arms crossed, jaw set. That look she gets when she's decided something and won't hear otherwise. I've seen it a dozen times in the past month. It never ends well for me.

"You don't have to do this," I say.

"Yeah. I do."

"No. You really don't." I'm too tired to yell. "You saw what it does. You heard Ivy.