“Then why are you hunting me?”
Silence.
The tunnel suddenly feels much colder.
Wu studies me for several seconds before answering.
“Because you escaped with something invaluable.”
The air leaves my lungs.
Russ’s voice hardens instantly.
“What?”
Wu’s eyes never leave mine.
“You.”
No.
No no no—
“That’s not what you mean.”
“You were never meant to retain independent memory reconstruction.”
Every migraine I’ve had suddenly feels sinister.
Manufactured.
Calculated.
Wu continues calmly.
“The adaptive architecture inside your mind evolved beyond projected parameters.”
Architecture.
Like my brain is software.
My chest tightens painfully.
“What did you do to me?”
Wu finally answers honestly.
And I think that’s the most terrifying part.
“We enhanced your neuroplasticity through repeated trauma-conditioning exposure during developmental years.”
The tunnel goes dead silent.
Even the Sentinel operatives behind him don’t move.
Like they already know what comes after that sentence.
I stare at him.
