Chapter 6 · Pay With Memories

"Don't you flatline on me!" Jaxon's hand slammed against my sternum, pinning me to the rusted clinic floor. "Kael! Eyes on me, dammit!"

"Get off," I choked. My throat was full of static. "You're crushing my—"

"I'm keeping you breathing!" His face was an inch from mine, sweat cutting through the grime on his jaw. His other hand was clamped over his own side, blood seeping between his fingers. "You cut signal. You cut it and now your system is eating itself!"

The Glitch was screaming behind my eyes.

Not screaming. Offering.

[CRITICAL DAMAGE DETECTED. HOST UNSTABLE. UPGRADE AVAILABLE: COMBAT OVERRIDE V3. COST: ONE CORE MEMORY. ACCEPT? Y/N]

Red letters. So polite. So clean.

Outside the doc's back room, boots hit the alley. Corporate hounds. Sweeping.

"They're here," I whispered.

"No shit they're here," Jaxon hissed. He pressed harder on my chest like he could hold me together with pressure alone. His heat was all over me, his breath ragged against my cheek. "You pulled that stunt with the signal jam and fried your own core. You need to stabilize. Now."

"I need to think," I said.

"You need to not die!" He shook me. Not gentle.