Chapter 19 · Blow The Cage

"Move, or I'll leave your legs in this room," Reign spat, his voice a low vibration that I could feel in my own chest. He had me pinned against the vibrating metal wall of the security hub, his forearm pressing into my collarbone just hard enough to make me gasp.

"Get off me!" I shoved at his chest, but it was like hitting a reinforced concrete pillar. "I can do this. I can trick the sensor if I just—"

"You can't do shit, Jett. You're Level Zero. The System doesn't even see you as a person; it sees you as a bug in the code." He leaned in closer, his scent—something like ozone and cold rain—filling my lungs. His eyes were scanning the holographic display above us, flicking through data streams faster than any human could. "The only way out is a hard reset. And for that, someone has to die."

I froze, my heart hammering against my ribs. "What do you mean, someone has to die?"

Reign shifted his weight, his thigh brushing against mine in a way that made my skin prickle despite the terror. He didn't look at me.