Us.
Hannah’s face crumples.
Wu’s voice cuts through the tunnel sharply.
“Enough.”
Every Sentinel operative immediately repositions.
Weapons raised.
Cold.
Efficient.
The woman laughs bitterly through blood and smoke.
“There it is.” She wipes blood from her mouth. “The monster finally gets tired of pretending.”
Wu ignores her.
His eyes settle directly on Hannah.
“Come with me willingly.”
Clay: Absolutely not.
My weapon comes up instantly.
“So help me God—”
“Hannah,” Wu interrupts calmly, “you know what happens if you refuse.”
A strange flicker crosses Hannah’s face.
Fear.
Not normal fear.
Conditioned fear.
And suddenly I know—
there’s something buried inside her memories.
Something they used against those children.
The woman sees it too.
“Hannah, don’t listen to him!”
Wu’s expression darkens.
“You were unstable after the breach event,” he says quietly to Hannah. “Your emotional regulation deteriorated rapidly after Subject Twelve died.”
Subject Twelve.
Not a child.
