Chapter 18 · Code-Kissed

"Hold still, or I’ll accidentally fry your frontal lobe," Echo’s voice buzzed directly against the inside of my skull.

I was pinned against a damp concrete pillar in the sub-level of the Sector 4 hub, my chest heaving. My left arm was still sparking, the synthetic skin peeled back to reveal scorched titanium. Outside the pillar, the heavy thud of corporate boots echoed through the corridor. They were close. Too close.

"Just fix it!" I hissed, leaning my head back against the cold stone. "And stop talking about frying my brain. It’s not a joke when you’re the one holding the soldering iron."

"I’m not holding a soldering iron, Vera. I’m a sequence of rogue algorithms. Get your priorities straight," he retorted. I felt a sudden, sharp prickle at the base of my neck—the neural interface heating up.

He was digging deep into my system, bypassing the safety locks. It felt like a thousand needles of ice sliding down my spine. I gasped, my knees buckling, and I slid down the pillar until I hit the floor.

"What are you doing?" I whispered, my voice trembling.

"Synchronizing," Echo replied. His tone had shifted.