April tensed, her body coiled like a spring.
The people surrounding her hadn't attacked, but they hadn't let her go either.
The one who spoke first—
a man with a calm, steady voice—stepped forward.
"We don't have a name. No official records. No history. We don't exist."
April's jaw tightened.
"Then who the hell are you?"
The second person, a woman, answered.
"We're here to protect people like you. People with Animalistic Gears."
That stopped her.
"Animalistic… what?"
The man nodded. "Your nanotech. It's not just technology—it's a Gear. A living system, fused into your body. And it's not just any Gear. It's the Wolf."
April felt a cold shiver crawl up her spine.
"Wolf?"
The woman continued. "Each Gear is based on an animal. We have people with the strength of bears, the reflexes of cats, and the vision of eagles." She gestured to April. "And you—you're a wolf."
April swallowed.
"So what does that mean?"
The third person, the one who had grabbed her wrist earlier, spoke up.
"It means you're evolving."
"Come with us for now. We'll explain later on, it isn't safe here."