Chapter 14 · Who's the Prey?

"Get back!" I shoved Eve toward the medical console, the force of it nearly knocking her flat.

Before I could even blink, the chrome-skinned thing slammed into me. It wasn't a punch—it was like being hit by a freight train made of industrial steel. I flew backward, my spine hitting the reinforced wall of the med-pod with a sickening crack.

Air vanished from my lungs. I stared up at the thing. It didn't have a face, just a smooth, mirrored visor where a nose and eyes should be. It looked like a piece of high-end corporate furniture that had decided to commit murder.

"Battery identified," the thing buzzed. The voice sounded like two grinders fighting each other. "Return to the Forge. Resistance is inefficient."

"I'm not a damn battery," I spat, coughing up a spray of red.

I tried to scramble up, but the creature was faster. It stepped on my chest, the weight of its alloy foot crushing my ribs. I felt a pop. I gasped, my hands clawing at its ankle, but it was like trying to grip a polished pipe.

"Kai!" Eve screamed.