Chapter 21 · Floor One Lies

"Admin signature confirmed! Boss-class entity on Floor One! Weapons free!"

The shout hit me before the light did and the whole squad dropped to one knee with rifles up, all pointed at me.

At me.

Not past me. At my chest.

"Whoa! Hey! Wrong target!" I threw my hands up. My wrist burned like someone pressed a hot coin to it, that stupid shackle mark Reign left on me pulsing white-hot. "I'm not a boss! I'm not anything!"

Reign's hand clamped around my forearm and yanked me back against his chest. Hard. His rig ran cold even through my jacket.

"Don't move," he breathed against my ear. Low, lethal. "They see what the System tells them to see. And right now it says you're the boss."

"What? Why would it say that?"

"Because you walked through an Admin door." His fingers tightened. "You glitched. Now their HUDs are flagging you as Floor One Admin. Boss tier."

Great. Perfect. Level Zero trash five minutes ago, now I'm a raid boss.

The squad leader crept forward, visor down, rifle shaking just a little. The other four fanned out, and I could hear their System pings going crazy. BEEP BEEP BEEP.