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"—inx can you—me? The situation has?—"

His words fragment into electronic snow before reforming into coherent syllables that slip away before I can grasp their meaning.

"—sorry but I have to—this keyword but the alpha—you is going to lose—whether he likes it or—don't hate me for?—"

Keyword?

The word penetrates fog with concerning clarity.

In the depths of institutional conditioning, keywords represent triggers built into enhanced subjects—psychological switches that override conscious control in favor of programmedresponses. Panic buttons disguised as syllables, designed to activate when circumstances exceed normal parameters.

I try to focus through the pharmaceutical haze clouding rational thought, attempting to understand what Maverick means about keywords and losing leverage. But consciousness keeps slipping away like water through grasping fingers, pulling me back toward medicated oblivion that makes coherent analysis impossible.

"—can't maintain connection much longer—interference patterns—if this doesn't work?—"

His voice grows fainter with each transmission, electronic distortion increasing as whatever maintains our communication link struggles against systematic jamming or distance limitations that exceed technological capacity.

What doesn't work? What's he planning?

Terror builds in my chest as understanding crystallizes through chemical suppression—Maverick intends to use institutional conditioning against me, triggering responses burned into enhanced biology through systematic application of psychological programming.

The realization should provide opportunity to prepare, to resist whatever compulsion he's about to activate.

But pharmaceutical interference makes mental preparation nearly impossible, cognitive function too compromised for effective countermeasures against conditioned responses that bypass conscious control entirely.

"—sorry Jinx but—situations require—desperate measures?—"

The apology carries genuine regret despite electronic distortion, emotion bleeding through technological limitations to convey reluctance at employing methods we both understand represent violation of autonomy in favor of programmed response.

Then his voice shifts—gaining authority that cuts through static with crystalline precision, carrying command weight that speaks to official protocols rather than personal communication.

"SHADOWMERE."

The word hits my neural pathways like a lightning strike, bypassing conscious thought to activate systems buried beneath layers of careful conditioning and psychological control. Enhanced biology responds with immediate compliance that transcends rational consideration or strategic evaluation.

My eyes snap open with violence that makes vision blur before snapping into hyperfocus—enhanced sensory processing activating as combat protocols flood my system with chemical cocktails designed to exceed normal human limitations. Adrenaline surges through my bloodstream like liquid fire, transforming lethargy into explosive energy that makes nerve endings sing with electric awareness.

Fight or flight.

Survival mode.

Manic state activation.

The keywords unlock responses I've tried to forget—institutional conditioning that turns enhanced subjects into weapons when circumstances demand maximum capability regardless of personal cost or psychological consequences.

Chemical enhancement floods my system with substances that push biology beyond safe parameters, trading long-term stability for immediate tactical advantage.

My heart hammers against my ribs with a rhythm that approaches cardiovascular limits, each beat pumping enhanced stimulants through my circulatory system that operates beyond normal human capacity.

Vision sharpens until individual dust motes become visible, hearing expands to catch conversations happening floors away,proprioception increases until I can feel air currents moving across exposed skin.

Where am I?

The question forms with clinical precision as tactical assessment overrides emotional processing in favor of threat evaluation and strategic planning. Suspended above—I register that immediately, arms secured around a familiar masculine frame that radiates protective determination despite obvious physical compromise.

Sable.

Recognition floods through enhanced awareness with devastating clarity.