Chapter 13 · Neon Deadline: Glitch Hunt - Chapter 13: Mirror Glitch

"Stop moving, and maybe I won't have to break your wrist this time," Seth’s voice was a low vibration against my ear, his chest pressed hard into my back.

He had me pinned against the damp concrete of the alleyway, his arm locked across my throat. I could smell the cold metallic scent of his gear and something else—something like ozone and expensive tobacco. My heart was hammering against my ribs, not just from the grip, but because my HUD was screaming.

*Warning: Neural Sync Overload. Prediction Lag: 0.2s.*

I tried to twist, to slip through the gap in his hold, but the plug-in flickered. For a split second, I saw myself move left. Then, the reality shifted. He didn't just anticipate my move; he moved *with* me.

"You're lagging, Kaelen," he whispered, his lips almost touching my skin. "The God-tier plug-in isn't a cheat code if the other guy has the same frequency."

I gasped, clawing at his forearm. "What the hell are you talking about? No one else has this. I crawled through three layers of black-site firewalls to get this thing!"

"Wrong," Seth said. He shifted his weight, forcing me harder into the wall.