rey

constant, grinding hum-a baseline of agony I had to learn to function over. I forced myself

ta. Weaknes

being wolfless. But one memory snagged my attention. A recurring warning f

l dress was torn, exposing my thin wrist to the dim ligh

thmark. N

ath st

rcuits stared back at me, rendered in nano-particulat

tat

evel security access to my life's work: Nighting

here. W

lost ev

oked laugh of someone who just found her weapon.

y breathing steady, and sp

quence: N

ght bloomed behind my eyelids. A semi-translucent user

BILIZED. MEDICAL BAY

ard my shoulder

side of the door scraped loudly. The door was thrown open with a

disapproval, her eyes small and mean. The memories supplied a name: Bertha Kowal

d a flicker of surprised

ce rough as gravel. "Thought you'd have had

basket onto the floor. It

e rejected trash. You can starve wh

ank. My silence seemed to infuriate

heavy boots kicking up clouds of dust. "Still think you're going to be Luna

from hers. I wasn't looking at a person. I was observing a bi

straw. It was a look that didn't acknowle

, her face turning a blotchy red. She rai

e slap missed my face, but her other hand shot

f effort, she

backward, my head on a collision course with th

ack echoed in

a wave of nauseating pain. My consciousness b

the toe of her boot. "Playing dead now, are

her eyes. She hadn't meant to hit me that hard. Satisfied I was truly uncon

ed shut. The b

ce re

ss consumed me completely, my fingers twitched. Ju

my will, I issued a f

utomated nano-med drone. Ass

blue shimmer of the UI, a single

OL ACTI

, no