Chapter 25 · Three-Way Crossfire

M-0 had the gun on Ava and I had maybe three seconds before he pulled the trigger.

"Wait," I said, hands up, stepping between them. "Just wait."

"Get out of the way." M-0's voice was mine but colder. Flatter. Like someone had scooped out everything that made it human. "She sold us out in Prague. I was there. I remember."

Ava backed against the server rack, eyes jumping between us. Her hand hovered near her jacket pocket. Gun or phone. Probably gun. "Mark, what the hell is going on?"

"Which Mark?" M-0 said. The barrel didn't waver. "Him? Me? Or the one in the pod?"

I kept my hands visible. "You don't remember Prague. You remember dying there. That's different."

"I remember her voice on Viktor's comm. Confirming the warehouse location." M-0's jaw tightened. "I remember the setup."

"That wasn't this loop," I said. "That was—"

"I know what a loop is." He took a step forward. "I've been awake longer than you think."

That stopped me cold. "How long?"

"Long enough to count." His wrist was covered by his sleeve but I knew what was under there. A number. Maybe lower than mine. Maybe not.