Chapter 19 · Dance in the Dead Zone

"Stop fighting it, Vesper. You're going to fry your brain if you don't let me in."

Kael’s voice wasn't in my ear—it was in my head, vibrating against my skull like a tuning fork. I slammed my back against the rusted bulkhead of the Dead Zone’s server hub, my breath coming in jagged, wet gasps. My vision was flickering, a digital strobe light of static and red warning signs.

*SYSTEM WIPE IN PROGRESS. 42% COMPLETE.*

"Get... out... of my head," I spat, though it sounded more like a choke. I tried to bring my combat knife up, but my fingers wouldn't obey. They were twitching, locked in a genetic spasm.

Kael stepped closer, his polished boots clicking on the metal grating. He didn't look worried. He looked like he was watching a glitchy piece of software he was about to debug. He reached out, his hand gripping my jaw with a firmness that bordered on painful, forcing me to look up into those cold, calculating eyes.

"You're pathetic when you're crashing," he whispered. His thumb brushed against my cheek, a touch that was far too steady compared to my shaking world. "The protocol is eating you alive.