I barely had time to process the strike to my side before the next wave of pain shot through me. Blood pooled under my fingers as I tried to staunch the wound, my chest heaving for air that felt like it had been sucked out of my lungs. The alleyway was a blur—rain falling in sheets, neon lights flashing against puddles, the echo of footsteps heavy on the slick concrete. The sharp, metallic tang of blood mixed with the damp, cold air.
“Not today, Mira.”
The voice was low, almost too quiet to hear over the growing thunder of approaching footsteps. But it was unmistakable.
I looked up, half-blinded by the rain, to find someone standing at the far end of the alley. She appeared like a status at first, just a shadow against the harsh lights of the city. But then, the person stepped into the dim glow, and I saw her—Rae Callen.
I hadn’t seen Rae in over a year. The last time, she had been chasing shadows, operating from the margins like me. But she wasn’t an info broker, or even an exiled wolf like me. She was worse—an operative with an agenda, someone with connections that stretched further than I ever wanted to admit.
I knew exactly what she was capable of. She was no hero.
“Did you think you could outrun this?” Rae’s voice, cold and sharp, cut through the silence, slicing into my already fragile concentration.
I tried to move, tried to get to my feet, but the pain in my side stopped me. My vision blurred again, the world tilting as my blood pooled around me. I could hear the faint hum of security drones above. The biotech lab had already gotten wind of the attack. It wouldn’t be long before reinforcements arrived, and I’d be left with nothing.
Except for Rae.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I managed to rasp, my words coming out more like a strained gasp. I tried to stand again, but my legs wouldn’t cooperate.
Rae’s face softened for just a moment, but only a moment. Her gaze flickered over me, taking in the sight of my bloodied form with the kind of detachment I’d come to expect from her. There was no pity in her eyes, only calculation.
“You’re a mess, Mira. And you’re lucky I’m in the mood to help.”
She reached into her coat, pulling out a small, sleek device. With a flick of her wrist, a holographic screen flashed to life, hovering in the air between us. The blue glow cast sharp shadows on her face, making her look even colder than usual.
“I’m not here for a reunion,” Rae continued, her fingers tapping on the screen. “I’m here for the data you stole.”
I blinked. “The data? What—what data?”
Rae's gaze narrowed. “Don’t play dumb. The lab. You broke in. You stole something, and now you’re in deep.”
I groaned, biting back the wave of nausea that threatened to overwhelm me. Of course, I remembered the mission. I remembered infiltrating the lab, bypassing the security systems, and stealing the encrypted files. But I hadn’t expected this. I hadn’t expected to be ambushed halfway through the job by a team of highly trained security personnel, or worse, by a synthetic Alpha who nearly tore me apart.
“Why do you want it?” I forced out, my teeth grinding against the cold as I struggled to keep my voice steady. “What the hell are you even doing here?”
Rae didn’t immediately answer. Instead, she stepped forward, crouching beside me. I couldn’t stop the flinch, even though I was too weak to fight her off. Her gloved hand reached into the wound on my side, pressing down hard enough to make me gasp in pain.
“I’m not here to chat, Mira,” she said, the sharpness of her tone unmistakable. “I’m here to finish this.”
I could feel the blood draining from my body, my pulse thudding painfully in my ears. My body was starting to feel like it was made of stone, heavy and stiff. Rae’s hand on my wound wasn’t helping. But I didn’t have much time to think about the pain, or about her touch—what I needed to think about was how to get out of this alive.
“The data is tied to my mission,” Rae continued, her eyes narrowing as if she could see right through me. “What you’ve got is more important than you realize. It’s connected to the biotech network. And that network? It’s tied to something much bigger.”
I managed a weak laugh, despite the growing panic in my chest. “You think I care about your mission, Rae? You think I’m some kind of pawn for you to use?”
Rae’s lips twitched in a grim smile. “You’ll care when you realize what’s at stake. Trust me, Mira. You don’t want to be on the wrong side of this.”
I wanted to argue. I wanted to push back, to tell her exactly how little I cared about whatever twisted web she was entangled in. But I was running out of time. My vision was slipping away, and the weight of exhaustion was pulling me under.
I gritted my teeth. “I’m not going to just hand it over, Rae. Whatever your plan is, it doesn’t include me.”
Her fingers tightened on my wound, pressing deeper into the flesh. The sharp sting of pain cleared my thoughts, momentarily banishing the fog that had been creeping in. I could still fight. I could still fight.
“You don’t have a choice,” she said, her voice cold as ice. “The choice was made the moment you stole that data. The clock’s ticking, Mira. Help me, and you get to walk away from this with your life intact. Refuse? You’ll be dead before the night’s over.”
I blinked against the rain, trying to focus. The world around me was still spinning, and the sound of security drones grew louder by the second. Rae was right—if I didn’t act soon, I wouldn’t get out of this alive. I knew the price for crossing the biotech companies, and it wasn’t something I was ready to pay. Not yet.
But Rae… I didn’t know whether I could trust her. I didn’t know if she was lying, using me to achieve her own goals, or if she really meant what she said.
“I’m not working with you,” I spat, my voice barely above a whisper. But my body was starting to betray me. My breathing was shallow, and my skin was clammy. The blood loss was starting to take its toll.
“You don’t have a choice,” Rae repeated, and this time, there was something like a spark of impatience in her voice. She straightened up, then turned and flicked her wrist again. A sleek black device slid into her palm, its surface lighting up in a series of intricate patterns.
“You’re not in a position to negotiate,” Rae said. “I’m giving you a way out. Take it, or don’t. But I won’t let you die here.”
The shadows seemed to close in around me as Rae’s figure disappeared into the darkness, leaving me to make the only decision that mattered.
To trust her, or to die.
The choice was mine, but only for a moment.
