The sterile lab hummed with electricity. Screens glowed with streaming code, the Mindjevity interface suspended on a steel rig like some unholy crown of wires and glass.

  Kyle sat in the chair, sweat dripping down his neck. Malcolm was seated across the room finishing a conversation using a phone that was older than Kyle. He flinched as Malcolm slammed the receiver into the old-timey phone cradle. He took a moment to clear his throat.

  “Are you ready?” Malcolm asked, voice smooth as silk.

  Kyle forced a laugh. “You’ve been working me like a lab rat for days. Might as well see if your toy actually does what you claim.”

  Malcolm’s thin smile cut across his face. He lowered the device onto Kyle’s head. Cold tendrils of metal pressed against his temples. Kyle shivered.

  The instant Malcolm powered it on, Kyle’s mind flared with light. Images poured into his head—fractals, equations, memories twisted into impossible patterns. His thoughts weren’t just thoughts anymore. They were data. He felt faster. Clearer. His mind was a storm, and for a terrifying moment, he understood exactly how the technology worked.

  “I can… see it,” Kyle whispered, eyes wide. “The pathways. The connections. This thing—it works.”

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  Malcolm’s smile widened, satisfied. He tapped a screen, confirming the readouts. “Yes. Perfect. Just as I envisioned.”

  Kyle tugged at the rig. “Alright. Enough. Take it off.”

  Malcolm didn’t move. His eyes darkened, his voice dropping to a hiss. “I’m afraid you won’t be leaving this chair alive, Kyle. Sorry, it’s nothing personal.”

  The words hit like ice water. Kyle’s stomach dropped.

  “Wait—what?”

  Malcolm’s hand slid to a concealed switch on the console. Sparks danced along the rig. Kyle felt a searing pain burn through his skull. His body convulsed.

  Panic surged. He forced his hand up, ripping at the cables. The interface fought back, shocking him, but adrenaline drowned the pain. With a guttural scream, he tore the device free, throwing it to the floor.

  Malcolm lunged, knife flashing in the sterile light.

  Kyle’s instincts took over. He ducked, grabbed Malcolm’s wrist, and slammed his fist into the man’s gut. Malcolm staggered, snarling. Kyle rushed him, tackling him hard into the console. Screens shattered. Sparks flew.

  “You’re insane!” Kyle spat, pinning Malcolm’s arm.

  Malcolm’s face twisted with fury. “You can’t stop me, boy. Mindjevity is bigger than you!”

  Kyle drove his shoulder into Malcolm’s chest, knocking the air from him. He ripped the knife from Malcolm’s hand and hurled it across the room. Malcolm crumpled against the wall, dazed.

  Kyle didn’t wait. He sprinted for the exit, lungs burning, head still ringing from the machine. Behind him, Malcolm’s ragged voice echoed:

  “You’ll never escape me, Kyle! Mindjevity will consume you!”

  Kyle shoved through the steel doors and didn’t look back. The only thing that mattered now was getting out alive.