We were three corridors in when the pressure started. It settled behind my thoughts, electric and low, pressing against the base of my skull and radiating inward with steady, unwelcome heat. The sensation crept in slowly, winding its way through the edges of my mind like an unfamiliar frequency. It didn’t belong in this place, and neither did I.
The pulses grew stronger with every step, wrapping around my thoughts and tugging at the edges of my focus until I had to grit my teeth just to stay upright.
The pressure wasn’t just mental, it was trying to reprogram me, to twist me back into a sleeper agent and turn my own mind against itself. I had fought this influence before, but never this directly, and never in a place where the Dominion's presence was so concentrated.
Each footfall becam
