Chapter 10 · Current Resonance

"Don't move. Not a single muscle," Mira’s voice hissed in my ear, sharp and trembling. "If you shift your weight, the thermal scanners will pick up the spike in your blood flow. Just... breathe. Slowly."

I was pressed flat against a damp brick wall, the smell of ozone and rotting trash filling my lungs. Beside me, Leo was shaking so hard I could feel it through my jacket. He was barely breathing, his small hand gripping my sleeve like it was the only thing keeping him from sliding into the abyss.

Above us, the sky was a bruised purple, dominated by that damn holographic version of Mira. Fifty feet tall, eyes cold as glaciers, her voice booming across the district: "Target is extremely dangerous. Any civilian harboring the fugitive will be treated as an accomplice. Lethal force is authorized."

"The irony is killing me," I whispered, my voice a low rasp. "Your other self sounds like she wants to skin me alive."

"Shut up, Reid," she snapped through the comms. "I’m trying to keep you from becoming a smear on the pavement. Now, look left. There’s a drainage vent six feet away. Crawl. Now."

I didn't argue.