Chapter 33 · Cornered in the Neon Maze

"Stay still, or I'll rip your neural link out through your nose," Echo’s voice hissed inside my skull.

I didn't stay still. I slammed my back against the damp concrete of the alley, my left leg twitching in a violent, rhythmic spasm. My HUD was a mess of crimson warnings and flickering static. The hunters were close—too close. I could hear the rhythmic *clack-clack* of their magnetic boots on the metal grating above.

"I can't—" I gasped, my voice sounding like gravel in a blender. "My leg is glitching, Echo. Fix it!"

"Fix it? Vera, you're literally leaking coolant from your shoulder joint. I'm trying to keep your heart beating while you decide to play hide-and-seek with a squad of corporate psychos!"

I gritted my teeth and tried to stand, but my knee buckled. I hit the ground hard, the impact sending a jolt of white-hot noise through my spine. The world tilted. For a second, I didn't see the alley; I saw a stream of binary code, a waterfall of gold and black that smelled like ozone and old blood.

"Get up," Echo commanded.