Page 94 of Pulse Zero
It feels like the shadows are inside my lungs all over again.
After the incident…
AfterIburned everything down…
Bellrose Institute really did win.
There weremoreexperiments.Moretest subjects. They streamlined, got better. More efficient, more controlled.
Less…resistance.
There’s nothing choking me now, but I still find myself gasping for air, my throat tight, my chest heaving. It’s not that I didn’t believe Reese, but it’s entirely different seeing all the proof laid out in front of me, the pieces snapping into place.
The camera behind me can see my screens, but I don’t care. I might hate Reese right now, but I hate my uncle even more. If Reese sees something that can help him in his fight against Malcolm, then good. Let him see. Let him choke on it the same way I am.
My hands hover over the keyboard, fingers twitching like I might start tearing it all apart, like I can undo it if I just hit the right sequence of keys.
But I can’t. It’s already done.
My stomach twists, and a broken breath leaves me, erratic and shaky. There’s nothing physically wrong with me, nothing in my lungs, nothing wrapping around my ribs. But I still can’t get a fucking full breath in. Maybe it’s the shadows lingering, or maybe it’s something else entirely.
It’s different seeing this for myself, seeing exactly what my choices led to. WhatIdid. The system reorganized around the damage that I caused, the one that came out stronger for it.
I didn’t break the machine. I purged the interference that was slowing it down.
My phone rings.
The sound cuts through the apartment like a bullet, but I don’t flinch. I just peer down at it and watch as it buzzes against the desk.
Of course.
“Right on time,” I murmur.
I pick it up on the third ring.
“Hello, Uncle,” I say, my voice rough but surprisingly steady. “Was wondering how long that would take.”
Because I wasn’t careful. Iwantedhim to find me. Maybe it would’ve been smarter to fly under the radar, to go in through the backdoor instead of the front. I could’ve used the element of surprise to my advantage. But none of that matters as much as what Ineed. And what I need right now is to hear it from his own mouth, to hear how badly he betrayed his own family.
“Cason.”
He says my name calmly. Measured and controlled, like he’s calling about a scheduling conflict instead of the fact that I just combed my way through all his sins.
“I’m going to need you to stop what you’re doing,” he says.
There’s no anger, no urgency. Just arrogant expectation.
I lean back in my chair, eyes on the screen, on all the files still open like a crime scene I haven’t cleaned up yet.
“Or what?” I ask lightly. “You’ll have me kidnapped again? Oh, wait. No. You already got everything you wanted from the first time.”
“You’ve already made your point,” Malcolm continues as if I didn’t speak. “You’ve accessed information you weren’t meant to see. This doesn’t have to escalate further.”
I huff a quiet laugh. “Doesn’t it?” I glance over my shoulder at my bookcase, to the camera tucked into the corner beneath the top shelf. “Because from where I’m sitting, it kind of feels like escalation is your whole brand.”
“Cason,” he says, my name sharper now but still controlled. “If you refuse to be on my side here, then the smartest thing you can do is stay out of it.”
“There it is,” I mutter with a roll of my eyes. “The concerneduncle schtick.”
