April sat on the cold floor of the warehouse, her mind racing.
The leader—who still hadn't given her a name—stood in front of her, arms crossed.
"You want the full truth?" he inquired.
April exhaled sharply. "That would be nice."
The woman—who April had started mentally calling Sharp Voice—leaned against a nearby crate.
"We created the Gears."
April's head snapped toward her. "What?"
Sharp Voice nodded. "This organization—we built the Animalistic Gears. They were supposed to be controlled experiments. Military-grade enhancements for select individuals."
April frowned. "Then why the hell do I have one?"
The leader sighed. "Because some idiots in our ranks screwed up. A shipment of Gears got accidentally sold on the black market. While some are with Ragnörak."
April's stomach twisted.
"How do you accidentally sell a weaponized piece of technology?"
Sharp Voice smirked. "Ask the bureaucrats with itchy trigger fingers. It wasn't supposed to happen, but once those Gears were out in the world, there was no getting them back.
We've been trying to recover them ever since."
The third person—the quiet one who had grabbed her wrist earlier—spoke for the first time.
"And by sheer luck, you ended up with one that fit your situation perfectly."
April's fists clenched.
"So if I hadn't lost my eyesight and hearing, would the Gear have just… sat there, doing nothing?"
The leader shook his head. "No. The Gears adapt to their hosts. If you had all your senses, your abilities would have taken a different form."
April's mind reeled.
"And Ragnörak? They're trying to collect these Gears?"
Sharp Voice's expression darkened. "Not collect, control. They want to weaponize Gear users—to use them as living superweapons in a global war."
April swallowed hard.
"So that means…"
The leader nodded. "You're on their list."