Chapter 11 · Neon Deadline: Glitch Hunt - Chapter 11: Neon Cage

"Stop. Right there. If you push it one more time, your brain is going to leak out of your ears."

Seth’s hand slammed onto the console, pinning my wrist against the cold metal. He didn’t just stop me; he crushed my arm down, his fingers digging into my skin. I could feel the heat radiating off him, a sharp contrast to the sterile chill of the safehouse.

"I can handle it!" I snapped, trying to yank my arm back. "The plugin just needs another cycle to stabilize. I’m almost there!"

"Almost there is how people end up as vegetables in the Low District," Seth growled. He leaned in closer, his chest pressing against my shoulder. I could smell something like ozone and burnt copper—the scent of a man whose own neural system was rotting from the inside out. "You’re glitching, Kaelen. Your eyes are flickering. You’re not seeing the future anymore; you’re seeing static."

I glared up at him, my vision swimming. He was right. The gold-tinted overlay of the 'God-tier' plugin was fracturing, splitting the room into a dozen jagged mirrors. I saw Seth move to the left, then the right, then stand perfectly still—all at once.