Chapter 9 · Neon Deadline: Glitch Hunt - Chapter 9: Ghost in the Machine

“Stop staring at the screen like it’s a holy relic and start talking,” Seth barked, his voice grating against the silence of the safehouse. He didn't move from the doorway, but his presence filled the room, heavy and suffocating. He was bleeding through his shirt—a jagged tear from the blast in the Mirror Trap—but he still looked like he could snap me in half without blinking.

I didn't look up. I couldn't. The holographic display was still shimmering in front of my eyes, the decrypted birth records scrolling in a cold, clinical blue. My fingers were shaking so hard I almost hit the delete key.

“My name isn’t Kaelen,” I whispered.

Seth stepped closer, the smell of ozone and burnt fabric following him. He reached out, his gloved hand gripping the back of my chair and wrenching it around to face him. The sudden movement made my head spin. He leaned in, his face inches from mine, eyes scanning my expression with a predatory intensity.

“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” he demanded. “You’re a gutter-rat hacker from the slums. That’s the story. That’s what the files said.