로그인“MOVE!”My voice tears out of me as the thing lunges again—too fast—too precise—too perfect.Leon doesn’t hesitate.Of course he doesn’t.He steps in instead of back—meets it head-on—impact echoing through the room like a gunshot.Bone.Muscle.Force.Real.Violent.Unforgiving.They collide.And for a second—just a second—it looks almost even.Almost.“Maria—get out!” he snaps.“No!”I don’t even think.I just move.Because leaving him—again—is not an option.Not this time.Not ever.The device in my hand pulses violently.Red.Blue.Red.Blue.Faster.Unstable.Critical.“Final phase approaching.”My breath catches.Not now.Not now.“Leon—”“Focus!” he cuts in, slamming the other one back hard enough to crack the wall behind it.It doesn’t stay down.Of course it doesn’t.It rises again—silent—empty—unstoppable.Like I almost was.“Stop!” I shout at it.Useless.It doesn’t hear me.Doesn’t feel me.Doesn’t remember.And that—that’s what breaks something inside me.Beca
The scream isn’t mine.But I feel it.Inside.Deep.Ripping through something I don’t understand.“Wake up.”The voice echoes—faint—distant—but real.Not the system.Not them.Someone else.Someone—familiar.My eyes snap open.Darkness.Cold floor beneath me.Metal.Concrete.Blood.Mine.I push myself up too fast—pain slams into me—sharp—violent—real.Good.Pain means I’m still here.“Status… unstable…”The device crackles weakly in my hand.Not in control anymore.But not gone either.Something in between.Something worse.“What did you do to me…” I whisper.No answer.Just silence.Then—a sound.Heavy.Slow.Dragging.My body reacts instantly.Not fear.Not panic.Survival.I turn—heart racing—eyes adjusting—and then—I see it.Movement in the shadows.Too large.Too controlled.Too deliberate.Not human.My breath catches.“Target acquired.”No.No no—“Override disabled.”Good.Stay that way.“Engage.”“No.”My voice is stronger now.Mine.Fully mine.“Do not engage.”
“Move!”My voice cuts through the night as I slam the car door shut, engine already roaring before my assistant can finish speaking.“She was last tracked—”“I know where she was,” I snap. “I need where she is.”Silence.Then—“We lost signal.”Of course they did.Because nothing about this is simple.Nothing about her is simple.I grip the steering wheel tighter, jaw locking as I push the car harder down the empty road.Faster.Sharper.Reckless.“Sir, there’s something else,” my assistant adds.“Talk.”“A disturbance. Multiple downed men. No gunfire reported. Close-range neutralization.”I don’t respond immediately.Because I already understand.“She did that.”“It matches her last known location,” he confirms carefully.A strange feeling settles in my chest.Not fear.Not doubt.Something darker.“They turned her into a weapon,” I say quietly.“Yes.”My grip tightens.“They shouldn’t have.”Because now—they didn’t just take her.They changed the rules.“And the device?” I ask.“St
“Don’t move.”The voice comes from the dark—low,steady,and far too close.I spin instantly.Too fast.Too sharp.My body reacts before I can think—weapon raised—breath locked—ready to strike.A figure steps into the faint spill of broken streetlight.Tall.Hooded.Still.Watching me.“Easy,” he says.I don’t listen.I can’t.“Threat detected.”My arm tightens.The device pulses—warning—target—execute—“No.”The word rips out of me.Mine.Barely.But enough.“Stay back,” I say, my voice uneven.He doesn’t move.Doesn’t flinch.Smart.Or stupid.“I’m not here to hurt you,” he replies.A lie.It has to be.Everyone who says that—hurts you.Everyone.“Identify,” the voice inside me demands.“Unknown,” I whisper.“Potential threat.”“I said stay back!”My hand shakes.Not from fear.From resistance.Because something inside me—something broken—is trying to force me forward.Force me to attack.Force me to end this.But I don’t.I hold.Barely.The man studies me carefully.Not
The beeping won’t stop.Fast.Loud.Relentless.Every step I take sends another pulse through my hand—through my body—through whatever they turned me into.Move.The command isn’t mine.But this time—I obey it.Because if I stop—I die.If I slow down—he dies.I run harder.Bare feet slamming against cold concrete, lungs burning, vision shaking as the world tilts in and out of focus.The city disappears behind me.Lights fade.Noise dies.And all that’s left is—darkness.Abandoned buildings.Broken roads.Silence.Good.No people.No witnesses.No Leon.“Stabilize.”The voice cuts through again—sharp, mechanical.I grip my head with my free hand.“No…”“Stabilize.”“I can’t!”Pain answers.Violent.Blinding.My knees buckle for a second, but I force myself upright.Not here.Not yet.The device in my hand flashes red.Critical.Every second matters.Every breath counts.“Final phase initiated.”“No—wait—”“Override complete.”Something inside me shifts.Not slowly.Not gently.Inst
“Do not move.”The words leave my mouth—cold.Flat.Not mine.Not me.And yet—I’m the one saying them.Inside—I’m screaming.Stop.Please stop.But my body doesn’t listen.It doesn’t respond.It doesn’t belong to me.Leon stands in front of me.Close.Too close.Closer than he should be.Closer than I can handle.And for a second—just one second—something breaks through.A flicker.A memory.His voice.“With me.”My fingers twitch.The device in my hand beeps faster.Louder.More aggressive.Warning.Countdown.I don’t know.I don’t understand.I just know—it’s bad.“Maria.”He says my name.And it hurts.God—it hurts.Because I remember that.I remember how he says it.Like it means something.Like I mean something.And for a second—I almost believe it again.No.The word echoes inside my head.Sharp.Violent.Commanding.Stay focused.Do not deviate.My vision blurs.Not from tears.From pressure.Like something is forcing my thoughts into place.Like invisible hands are rea







