Though he resented the strange device clamped to his head, resistance proved futile—even his parents sided with the doctors. Latham grumbled internally about life’s injustices as he complied.

  The machine hummed to life. Ten minutes later, the elderly physician squinted at the readouts, eyebrows skyrocketing.

  ?"Doctor?"? His parents leaned forward in unison, tension crackling.

  The man waved them off, holding up two fingers. ?"How many?"?

  ?"Two,"? Latham snapped.

  ?"Outstanding!"? The doctor beamed. ?"No cognitive impairment. Just a stubborn case of bad luck."?

  Outside the hospital, Latham stormed into the family hovercar, arms crossed. ?"That ‘humorous genius’ nearly gave me an aneurysm."?

  ?"Dr. Vorn saved your life,"? his mother chided gently from the backseat. ?"When they brought you in, he said your neural pathways looked like…"? She trailed off, swallowing hard.

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  ?"Like a fusion reactor meltdown,"? his father finished grimly. ?"We thought—"?

  ?"I’m fine,"? Latham interrupted, startled by their uncharacteristic fragility. His parents—career-driven auditors who’d missed half his childhood milestones—now clung to him like survivors to a life raft.

  The hovercar dipped into their driveway. A horn blared.

  Card leaned against a black armored vehicle, grinning beside a stiff-backed man in a Black Phage Group pin-striped suit—Denlambu, their parents’ corporate overseer.

  ?"Surprise audit?"? Latham’s father paled.

  ?"Relax,"? Card boomed. ?"I’m here for the kid."?

  Silence.

  ?"You didn’t tell them?"? Card arched a brow at Latham.

  ?"Been a bit busy not dying,"? Latham deadpanned.

  Card’s humor vanished when hearing about the机甲 collision. ?"You’re the civilian casualty from the fugitive takedown?? Skynet reported the idiot tried hijacking a mining mech." He barked a laugh. ?"Should’ve seen the spider-mech’s pilot—flailed like a drunk in zero-g."?

  ?"You find this amusing?"? Latham’s mother bristled.

  ?"No,"? Card said, suddenly solemn. ?"But your boy here…"? He leaned forward, eyes glinting. ?"He survived a psionic backwash that liquefies most brains. That’s not luck—that’s a calling card."?

  Denlambu cleared his throat. ?"What my colleague means is…"?

  ?"We want him in Black Phage’s pilot program,"? Card cut in. ?"Trial by fire. Starting tomorrow."?

  Latham’s fingers twitched. The spider-mech’s spectral light pulsed in his memory—not a curse, but a key.