CHAPTER 1: THE SNAP
The moment stretched thin—like glass about to shatter.
Sarah’s fingers dug into the doorframe, her knuckles white, her breath coming in sharp bursts. The room watched. No one moved.
And then something changed.
A sharp, metallic click echoed from inside the prosthetic.
Not loud. Not dramatic.
But enough.
Enough for Eleanor’s smug expression to flicker.
I leaned in, lowering my voice so only she could hear through the glass.
“You might want to open that door,” I said calmly.
Eleanor tilted her head, amused. “Or what?”
I smiled wider.
“Or you’re about to lose a lot more than your grip on it.”
Her eyes narrowed—but she didn’t move.
So Sarah did.
With a controlled inhale, she shifted her weight—not away from the door, but into it. There was a faint internal release—something disengaging inside the prosthetic shaft.
And then—
SNAP.
The outer shell of the lower shaft split open along an invisible seam.
A slim, matte-black capsule slid partially free.
Gasps rippled through the crowd.
Eleanor’s smile vanished.
“What… is that?” she whispered.
I straightened.
“Your future,” I said.
And then I slammed my palm against the emergency release.
The door burst open.
Sarah stumbled—but I caught her before she fell.
Eleanor stepped back, suddenly unsure.
May you like
For the first time in her life—
She looked afraid.
