Chapter 21 · Voices in the Static

"Get out of my head, you arrogant piece of trash!" Vera screamed, her voice cracking as she slammed her fist into the metal bulkhead of the safehouse.

But the voice didn't stop. It wasn't Echo's glitchy, sarcastic tone. This was Caspar. Cold. Polished. The sound of a man who owned the air she breathed and the silicon in her spine.

*You’re shaking, Vera,* the voice purred, echoing in the hollows of her skull. *Is it fear? Or are you just realizing that I’m the only part of you that actually works?*

"Shut up!" Vera gripped her temples, her synthetic skin pulling tight over her knuckles. She stumbled back, her boots scraping against the grit of the concrete floor. The ghost-code was clawing at her consciousness, a digital parasite trying to rewrite her instincts.

*I can feel your pulse,* Caspar whispered. *It’s frantic. Pathetic. You were always my favorite tool, but tools don't scream. They obey.*

"Echo!" she gasped, her lungs burning. "Echo, do something! He's... he's inside!"

Suddenly, the world flickered. A sharp, electric blue spike shot across her vision, cutting through the gray haze of Caspar's influence.

"Hold still, you stubborn idiot," Echo's voice snapped back, sounding strained.