Override (Glitch)

he pulled me back in tight. I kissed him harder, wanting to draw him as close to me as possible now that I could.
    Sensation pulsed through my stomach like a sound wave. The intensity of it grew the longer I kissed him. His hands slid down my back, moving slowly from my shoulder blades down to my waist. I pressed my chest to his, letting out a low moan as he kissed from my neck down to my collar bone. I grabbed his head and forced his lips back to mine.
    The pulsing heat sizzled inside me, building up and up—
    But then suddenly both of our arm coms buzzed loudly at the same time. Adrien pulled away, breathing heavily, and I looked down at my wrist.
    I swallowed hard as I read the words on the small readout screen, the moment shattered.
Ginni confirms that Chancellor Bright has left the site. Mission commences in one hour.

Chapter 15
    SEVERAL HOURS LATER, our team was poised at the back docking station of the Chancellor’s glitcher compound. We’d taken two air transports and then switched into a supply vehicle that the Rez had hijacked. After so much waiting, it was surreal how fast everything was suddenly happening.
    Taylor ordered us all to be silent and focus on our role in the mission. I shifted uncomfortably on the bench in the back of the truck. The air transport had been smooth, but this older vehicle still used wheels and it jostled constantly. The whir of oxygen circulating in my face mask seemed unduly loud in the silence.
    The vehicle stopped suddenly and I was thrown into City’s shoulder. She didn’t even give me a glare. She looked as tense as I felt. No one said a word or looked at me, but I could feel the pressure mounting.
    We all jumped down from the back of the vehicle onto the docking station. Adrien hurried over to the door and attached a small box. A small console screen projected from the door panel and he started clicking through complicated code.
    “Zoel,” the General said, touching her earpiece. “Ginni says there are five Regs on the other side of that wall, and five more throughout the compound. Can you sense them?”
    I breathed in and out like I’d trained and let the telek buzzing rise in time with my heartbeat. I felt myself expand outward, beyond the wall. Yes, there were the Regulators stationed at intervals in the hallways. Two of them began moving toward us. They must have been alerted to the supply van’s arrival.
    Anxiety rose up and panicked thoughts tumbled over one another. What if I couldn’t do this when it counted? I thought about their metal reinforced hands crushing Milton’s head like an overripe fruit.
    I needed to empty my mind, not let these frantic thoughts clog my head. I breathed in and out, focusing on the sound of my breath. The telek expanded outward again. The Regs were moving closer, but I didn’t allow myself to worry about what would happen if I failed. I just closed my eyes and let the energy surround each of the ten Regs throughout the compound. I squeezed my eyes tighter as I yanked the vertebrae apart, snapping their spines right at the C2.
    The Regs all collapsed where they stood.
    I nodded at Adrien. He’d been flicking through pages of code and hacking further and further into the security feed. At my nod, he tapped a few last times. The door slid open sideways with a hiss.
    The General motioned forward with one arm. We crossed the threshold and then we were inside. The lights were bright after the heavy cloak of darkness. We all squinted as we piled into the narrow loading dock room while Adrien went to work on the next door.
    City paced in a circle by huge crates stacked to the ceiling. She dug her fingers into her palms. She had boasted so often about going on missions before, but I got the feeling those missions had been nothing compared to what we were attempting now, directly attacking a Comm Corp building.
    I looked around at everyone else. Half a dozen Rez fighters had joined us when we’d switched transports. They stood still beside the four ex-Regs. Rand rubbed his hands together. A slight tendril of smoke came out from between his fingers.
    “Hold it in until you get to the glitcher cells,” Taylor snapped.
    “Sorry,” Rand said, and put his hands at his sides.
    “Got it.” Adrien motioned forward as the door slid open, revealing a hallway that led in both directions. The hallways were sleek, with smooth, cream-colored walls and black tile on the ground. Halfway down the right fork, I could see two Regs laying on the