Back in my fancy prison cell, the quiet felt louder than any warning bell.
Dr. Thorne's words kept repeating in my head. Unstable. Military-grade. Where did I even get this tech?
My memory before waking up in that dirty courier hub three years ago was completely gone. But sometimes, tiny pieces came back. Flashes of code, weird diagrams, hushed talks about Model X-07.
I felt desperate, trapped, like I was just a thing to be owned.
I sat on the edge of the huge bed, running my hands over my arms, feeling the thin lines where the tech mixed with my skin. There had to be more to this. Something they didn't see.
I tried hard to push past the fear, to remember those quick flashes of data. Model X-07, emergency rules, hidden systems. It was like trying to catch smoke.
I recalled a weird line from a broken file: 'Intent controls purpose. Will shapes the power.' Probably nonsense. But I had nothing else to try.
I closed my eyes and imagined myself vanishing, fading away, becoming invisible. I put all my fear and need into that thought, seeing the cold metal walls around me, picturing myself slipping through tiny gaps.
A strange cool feeling spread over my skin, like icy mist. My inner timer glitched. A soft hum shook through my bones. I opened my eyes.
My hands were disappearing, almost see-through. I looked down. My legs, my body, they shimmered, blending into the background like heat on a hot road. Oh my gosh.
It was optical camouflage, a hidden stealth mode. Probably illegal, based on the small energy spike my sensors picked up. Worth a fortune on the black market.
It flickered, and I became solid again. Keeping it on needed focus, a special kind of thought I couldn't hold yet. But it worked.
The door slid open with a hiss. My heart jumped. Rhea walked in with the usual food tray. Cheap nutrient paste and water. Even in a fancy cage, it was still prison food.
She set the tray on the table, her robotic eye scanning the room as always. Her gaze went right past me, standing still near the bed.
This was my moment. My chance.
I took a quiet breath and focused again. Intent controls purpose. I thought of being invisible, silent, fast. The cool shimmer wrapped around me. Rhea turned to leave, not seeing me at all.
As the door started to close, I rushed forward. Quietly, I slipped through the tiny gap just before it shut. I was out.
Adrenaline hit me hard, sharp like a shock. The hallway stretched ahead, cold and gray. Patrols. Checkpoints. I needed a plan.
More broken memories popped up. Blueprints. Rough maps I must have picked up during my courier jobs, showing the city's dark corners and power lines, even hints about the Iron Fang Citadel's network spots.
Outer Comms Hub Zeta. Less guarded than the main hub, used for outside, less important messages. If I could reach it...
I moved fast, sticking to the walls, my camouflage holding strong now. I focused, pulling up the broken map in my mind. Left here, right at the corner, avoid the main lifts. Guards walked by, their boots loud, their eyes seeing nothing.
My systems warned of a simple lock on the Hub Zeta door ahead. Basic security. Easy to crack with my built-in tech. A few seconds of quick coding, and the lock clicked open.
Inside, the comms hub was small and plain. A console glowed softly, ports blinking. I needed Magpie, my contact, my only hope in Neo-Veridia's shady underworld.
My fingers moved fast on the console, setting up a hidden, safe channel. Bouncing the signal through fake spots and a ghost server. Fast. Messy.
"Magpie," I typed, my voice stuck in my throat. "Captured. Iron Fang Citadel. Twins Jax/Koda. Need help. Model X-07 at risk." Every second felt endless. Would the message break through their security?
The 'Send' button flashed. Sending...
Suddenly, the air turned cold behind me. A dangerous feeling filled the tiny room. Pure fear ran down my spine.
I turned slowly.
Nothing. Just an empty doorway.
But the feeling grew stronger. The hairs on my arms stood up. My sensors buzzed, picking up faint heat changes.
Then, he appeared, shimmering into sight. Koda. His eyes, upgraded with heat-vision tech, glowed a soft red, locked on me even through my cloak. He must have tracked my heat.
A mean smirk curled on his lips.
"Trying to escape, little shadow?" His voice was a deep growl, full of angry possession.
Before I could move, his hand shot out, grabbing my arm with brutal strength. His cybernetic fingers pressed into my skin, hard enough to bend steel. Pain burned through me, sharp and quick.
He tapped something on his wrist device. My camouflage glitched hard and vanished, leaving me bare under the bright lights. They had a way to shut down my tech.
"You can't hide from us," he snarled, his face so close to mine, his eyes blazing with raw hunger.
He pulled me roughly, making me lose balance. I fought against his grip, but it was no use. He was too strong, his cybernetic power making him impossible to resist. His touch, though harsh, sent an unexpected heat through me, a dangerous thrill mixing with the fear. My body betrayed me, reacting to the raw strength in his hold, the way his fingers dug into my skin with a possessive need. I hated how my pulse raced, how my breath hitched as his intense gaze burned into me, promising both punishment and something darker, something that made my core tighten with forbidden want.
He dragged me out of the comms hub, back into the cold hallway, my feet slipping as I tried to keep up. My message to Magpie, did it send? Did he notice?
Koda didn't care. He just pulled me forward, a prisoner again, heading back to the heart of the Citadel, back to the Alphas' lair, and whatever awaited me there.
