Chapter 8 · Wrong Kind of Resonance

"Move. Now. Or I’ll drag you by your hair," Reign snapped, his hand clamping onto my shoulder like a hydraulic vice.

I didn't move. I couldn't. My eyes were glued to the shimmering, translucent wall of the security gate. It wasn't just a barrier; it was a System node. To anyone else, it was a Level 15 death trap that would fry your nervous system the second you touched it. To me? It looked like a glitchy mess of static and broken code.

"It's not locked," I whispered, my voice shaking. "It's... vibrating. Like it doesn't know I'm here."

Reign let out a sharp, mocking huff, his chest brushing against my back. He was too close—I could feel the unnatural heat radiating off his synthetic skin and the smell of ozone and expensive gun oil. "It’s a Level 15 node, Jett. You're Level Zero. You touch that, and your brain turns into a burnt marshmallow in three seconds flat."

"I'm not touching it! I'm just... reading it," I shot back, leaning closer.

I reached out, my fingertips barely grazing the humming surface. The moment contact was made, a jolt of ice-cold electricity shot up my arm. But it didn't burn.