Chapter 18 · Mind Overload

"Don't move, glitch," the soldier spat. The muzzle of the pulse rifle was pressed so hard into the base of my skull I could feel the cold metal vibrating. "One twitch and I fry your brain into a circuit board."

I didn't twitch. I couldn't. My legs were shaking, and not because I was scared. My nervous system was screaming. Every time the rifle hummed, a spike of white-hot agony shot through my spine. That was the anchor point—where Nyx was fused to me. If he fired, she wouldn't just die; she'd take my consciousness with her in a digital scream.

*Kael, stop breathing like a panicked rabbit,* Nyx’s voice echoed in my head. She sounded strained, her usual arrogance replaced by something that sounded like static. *I can’t stabilize the link if you’re hyperventilating.*

"Shut up," I hissed under my breath.

"What was that?" The soldier shifted, his finger tightening on the trigger. "Talking to yourself? Or is the ghost in your head giving you bad advice?"

*He knows,* Nyx whispered. *They know exactly where the anchor is. Kael, if you don't move now, we're both scrap.*

I looked up.