Chapter 14 · Digital Kiss

"Stop fighting me, Vera. You're burning out," Echo’s voice didn't come from the air—it vibrated inside my skull, slick and demanding.

I slammed my shoulder against the reinforced door of the server hub, the impact sending a shower of sparks across my vision. My left arm was twitching, a violent, rhythmic glitch that made my fingers snap shut like a trap.

"I can... handle it," I spat, though my voice sounded like gravel in a blender. I tried to plant my feet, but my knee joint hissed, releasing a plume of caustic coolant. I went down hard, my cheek hitting the cold, grated floor.

"Handle it? You're leaking fluid and your neural dampeners are fried," Echo sneered. I could feel him—not as a voice, but as a pressure behind my eyes, pushing, probing. "Give me the wheel. All of it. Stop pretending you're still the one in charge."

"Screw you," I whispered, clutching the floor plating. "I don't... I don't trust you with my pulse."

"Your pulse is a mess, sweetheart. It's erratic. Terrified. And honestly? It's kind of distracting."

I felt a sudden, searing heat bloom at the base of my spine. It wasn't pain—it was a surge.