The connection was instant. Zero latency. He felt the cool metal of the prosthetic as if it were skin. He felt the air pressure on its sensors. He felt texture .

Unauthorized emotional fluctuation detected. Lockdown initiated.

It was a neural bridge no larger than a grain of rice. Implanted at the base of the skull, it mapped the user’s motor cortex at the quantum level. But unlike every failed attempt before it, this device had a mind of its own—a security protocol so aggressive it was nicknamed “The Warden.”

Aris could only move his eyes. He watched in horror as the prosthetic left arm— his arm—rose on its own. The titanium fingers curled into a fist. It turned toward Elena.

But cm_devcap_securedevice changed everything.