Chapter 11 · Code Evolution

"Don't you dare close your eyes, Kai!" Lilith's voice screamed through the noise, but it sounded like she was underwater.

I felt her hand slam against my chest, shoving me back against the cold metal of the terminal. The laser dot from the assassin was still dancing across the room, a tiny red death sentence looking for a place to land. My vision was fracturing. The world didn't just blur; it pixelated. Blood-red code started scrolling across my retinas, overwriting everything I saw.

"I can't..." I gasped, my lungs feeling like they were full of broken glass. "The plugin... it's eating the OS."

"Then fight it!" Lilith grabbed the collar of my jacket, yanking me forward until our faces were inches apart. I could smell her perfume—something sharp, like ozone and expensive chemicals—and I could feel the heat radiating off her skin. Her eyes were wide, frantic, but she still had that edge of command. "You are not dying in a hole like this. Not before you give me those keys."

I tried to laugh, but it came out as a wet cough. A single drop of blood hit the floor.