Chapter 24 · Upload Protocol

"Get your hand off me!"

I wrenched my wrist, but Kade didn't budge. He had me pinned against the sterile wall of the corridor, his chest heaving against mine. Above us, the white emergency lights strobed, turning the hallway into a jagged, flickering nightmare.

"Listen to me, Maya!" he snapped. His voice vibrated in the inch of space between us. "The clock shifted. Someone triggered the sequence from the outside. We don't have nine hours. We have eight. Maybe less."

"You lied," I spat. I shoved at his chest, but he was a wall of muscle. "You told me we had time. You said this was the only way to find her!"

Kade’s grip tightened. Not to hurt—but to keep me from bolting. I could smell ozone and old metal on him, feel the heat radiating off his skin despite the lab's chill. His eyes searched mine, frantic and calculating.

"I gave you the version that would get you through the gates," he whispered. "Now we're inside. The game changed."

"What game?" I screamed. "That voice—that was my mother! She's dead, Kade!"

"She's not dead." He leaned in, his breath warm against my cheek. "Not entirely.