Chapter 11 · You feel that link, Jaxon?

He hit me back. Fast. Way too fast. My ribs screamed. I tasted copper.

Chen came at Jaxon. Jaxon moved — even drained from the sync, he was still a high-tier agent. He caught Chen's arm, twisted, and drove his elbow into his throat. Chen choked but kept smiling.

"You feel that link, Jaxon?" Chen gargled. "You tied your life to a copy. How's that feel?"

"Like I should've killed you faster," Jaxon snarled and slammed Chen's head into the doorframe.

Mara grabbed my hair from behind and yanked. My scalp burned.

"You left us," she whispered, her mouth too close to my ear. Her breath was cold. No warmth. "You left us to be scrapped. Victor had to rebuild us without you."

"I didn't leave you!" I elbowed her, broke her nose. She didn't flinch. "You died! All of you died!"

"And you lived? Why?" Reyes grabbed my throat, lifting me off the ground. His fingers were freezing. "Why did Victor keep your file and delete ours? What makes you so special, 07?"

I clawed at his hand. The Glitch flared, desperate.

[GLITCH PROTOCOL: ENGAGE? Y/N - MEMORY COST: HIGH]

"Don't you dare," Jaxon shouted.