CHAPTER 27: O6X IN
THE HOUSE YO!
Jamal sat up slowly, his expression uneasy. I could tell his
mind was racing, trying to piece together everything that had happened.
"Can you control it?" I asked, keeping my voice gentle.
He swallowed. "I don't know. It says my body 'crumbles'
every time it takes over, like it's using me as a host. I don't know what to
do."
I held his hand "We'll figure it out. Together."
Before I could say anything else, his lips parted again, but
the words that came out weren't his.
"Why mourning like he's infested with some type of parasite?"
I froze. That was Jamal's voice—but there was something off
about it.
He looked at me confused as well, eyes widened, and his body
tensed like he was trying to fight against something. "No! Wait—"
But it was too late.
"You don't know what to do? Let me show you."
Then—his body relaxed. His entire posture shifted, looser,
more confident. But it wasn't him.
Darkness clouded his eyes for just a moment before he
blinked, and the glow was gone. He grinned.
Oh, hell.
I braced myself.
Right on cue, the door swung open, and Malik strode in,
shaking his head. "My goodness, Jamal. That was something else back there. You
saved our asses for sure."
Jamal—06X—perked up at the sound of Malik's voice. His grin
stretched wider.
"You know me, gotta keep y'all alive so you can bask in my
greatness."
Malik stopped mid-step.
"What?"
I bit my lip to stop a laugh.
Jamal (or rather, not Jamal) clapped his hands. "You know
what? Let's settle this properly. Malik, I challenge you to a rap battle."
I gasped. "Ouuu!"
Malik turned to me, frowning. "What is up with him?"
I just shrugged. "You heard him."
Malik eyed Jamal for a long moment… then smirked. "Alright
then. Let's do this."
I folded my arms, leaning against the bed, already knowing
this was about to be hilarious.
Malik cracked his neck, rolling his shoulders like he was
stepping into a boxing ring. "Alright, let's see what you got, Jamal."
Jamal—or 06X—wiggled his fingers. "Prepare yourself, mortal."
I had to bite my tongue to keep from laughing.
Malik raised an eyebrow. "Mortal?"
Jamal took a dramatic breath. "Yo, Malik, man, you barely
survived, guess I gotta teach you how to stay alive. In a fight, you freeze,
it's like déjà vu—maybe next time, I should rescue you!"
I let out a sharp wheeze.
Malik's jaw dropped. "Hold up—"
Jamal strutted around like he was on a stage, basking in
imaginary cheers. "They call me Jamal, but you can say 'King.' Saved all your
lives, now kiss the ring!"
Malik blinked. "Man, what?"
The nurses watching at the door burst out laughing.
"Alright, alright, my turn," Malik said, rubbing his hands
together. "You got jokes, huh?" He cleared his throat and squared up to Jamal.
"Jamal thinks he's slick, but he ain't that smooth, he just
woke up, already acting a fool. He talks a big game, but let's be real—without
Eliana? He'd be dead for real!"
"OOOHHH!" The nurses hollered.
I covered my mouth, but I couldn't stop the laugh that burst
out.
Jamal (or, well, 06X) clutched his chest like he'd been
shot. "BETRAYAL!"
I was done.
For a second, it looked like Jamal's body twitched. Then,
just as fast as it started, he suddenly stopped. His face blanked out for a
moment. Then—
His eyes darted around the room.
I recognized that look.
Jamal was back.
He blinked. His gaze landed on Malik, then on me. "Uh… what
happened?"
I wiped away a tear from laughing too hard. "Oh, Jamal…"
Malik sighed, shaking his head, and pointed at Jamal. "You.
Are. Ridiculous."
Jamal opened his mouth to protest—
"Rap battle. You lost."
Jamal's whole body jerked. "WHAT?!"
Malik raised an eyebrow. "…What do you mean 'what'?"
Jamal looked at me, then at Malik, then around the room. "You
didn't hear that?"
We both shook our heads.
He muttered under his breath, rubbing his temples. "Nah,
see… this ain't right."
Jamal stared at us like we'd grown two heads. I couldn't
blame him—he had no clue what just happened.
Malik smirked, crossing his arms. "Man, I wish you could've
seen yourself. One minute, you're unconscious, and the next? You're out here
dropping bars like your life depended on it."
Jamal's expression twisted. "Wait… you're telling me I
actually—"
"Spat heat," 06X chimed in with his voice.
Jamal flinched, then quickly schooled his expression. "I—no,
hold on. I didn't agree to—"
"But you won. So, you're welcome."
Jamal let out a slow breath, dragging a hand down his face.
Malik just shook his head, still looking amused. "You ain't even gonna let me
process, huh?"
"Processing time is for the weak," 06X declared, making me
stifle a laugh.
Jamal shot me a look. "Why are you laughing? What happened?"
I grabbed his wrist. "Come on, I'll explain on the way. We
need to check on Steven and Michelle."
Malik nodded, stepping aside to let us through. "Yeah. Detox
labs are down the hall. They should be back to normal by now."
Jamal hesitated but let me pull him forward. He still looked
wary, like 06X might start freestyling again at any second.
I grinned. Oh, if only he knew.
Jamal walked beside me, rubbing his temples like he was
trying to massage the nonsense out of his skull. "Alright, break it down for
me, because y'all are acting way too casual about this."
I tried to hold back my grin, but it was hard. "Okay, so…
the moment you blacked out, he took over."
Jamal groaned. "I already hate this."
Malik laughed from behind us. "Nah, bro, you'd love it. You
were a menace."
Jamal turned to him, exasperated. "I wasn't me, though!"
"But I was you, so technically…" 06X interjected smoothly.
Jamal threw up his hands. "NO. I'm not doing this with you."
I chuckled. "You should've seen Malik's face when you
challenged him to that rap battle."
Jamal's steps slowed. "I what?"
Malik smirked. "And I accepted, 'cause why not? We all
needed a little stress relief. Even the nurses were vibing."
Jamal looked at me for confirmation. I bit my lip and
nodded.
He exhaled like he was personally offended by his own
actions. "So… y'all just let this happen?"
"You were winning," I pointed out.
"Dominating, actually," 06X added.
Jamal shot me an exhausted look. "And then what?"
I nudged him forward. "Then you just… stopped. Like 06X had
his fun, dropped the mic—literally—and gave you back control. By then, everyone
was just laughing too hard to even question it."
Jamal dragged his hands down his face again. "God. I need a
refund on my entire life."
Malik snorted. "Well, before you start demanding refunds,
we're here."
We stopped in front of a large set of reinforced glass
doors. Inside, I could see Steven and Michelle sitting up in their medical
beds, both looking groggy but themselves again.
Jamal's expression softened. "They're back?"
I squeezed his arm. "Looks like it."
For the first time since waking up, Jamal's shoulders
relaxed. Maybe, just maybe, things were finally turning around.
Jamal took a breath, staring through the glass like he
needed to confirm a hundred times that Steven and Michelle were really okay.
Malik clapped a hand on his shoulder. "You good?"
Jamal didn't answer right away. His eyes stayed locked on
Steven, watching his every move like he was afraid this was some trick, some
cruel glitch in reality. His hand twitched at his side, like he wanted to reach
out but wasn't sure he should.
I could see it—the hesitation, the fear that Robo-Steven was
still lurking in there somewhere. That the friend he knew might be gone for
good.
Steven noticed us and sat up slowly, rubbing his temples.
His face was his again—none of that eerily blank mind-control stiffness. He
blinked at Jamal, then at Malik, then back at Jamal again. "…Dawg, what
happened?"
Jamal exhaled, like he was bracing for something, then took
a cautious step forward. "Steven…?"
Steven frowned. "Uh. Yeah? Who else?"
Still not convinced, Jamal lifted a hand. "Real quick, say
something only you would say."
Steven gave him the driest look imaginable. "Your shoes ugly
as hell."
A stunned silence.
Then Jamal lunged forward, grabbing Steven and yanking him
into the tightest hug I'd ever seen. "Oh my god—BRO."
Steven wheezed. "Ayo—Jamal—I need lungs, man—"
Jamal didn't let go. Not yet. His fingers gripped the back
of Steven's hospital gown, shoulders shaking just slightly.
I turned to Michelle. She was awake but groggy, her head
tipped back against the pillow. I sat on the edge of her bed, reaching for her
hand.
She flinched at first—like she wasn't used to gentle touches
anymore. But after a beat, she squeezed back weakly.
Tears pricked at my eyes. I could still see her in that
warehouse, barely holding on while the mind control forced her to fight us. The
way she begged me to run.
"Michelle…" My voice was barely above a whisper.
Her lips parted slightly. "Eli…"
I nodded quickly, squeezing her hand tighter, like I could
somehow reassure her that everything was real. That she was here, that she was
safe. "You're back," I said. "You're really back."
Her throat bobbed like she was swallowing down emotions she
wasn't ready to deal with yet. But her hand never let go of mine.
Across the room, Jamal finally stepped back, shaking his
head. "Man, I thought I lost you."
Steven rubbed his ribs. "You damn near did with how tight
you was squeezing me." But his voice had a quiet softness underneath the joke.
Jamal chuckled wetly, rubbing his face. "Yeah, yeah. You'll
be alright."
Michelle exhaled slowly, then turned to me with the smallest
hint of a smirk. "You, uh… held back, right?"
I blinked. "Huh?"
She tilted her head toward Jamal. "When y'all fought me… you
didn't really go all out, right?"
I hesitated.
Her smirk widened slightly. "Damn. You did, huh?"
I winced. "…A little?"
Michelle groaned, dragging a hand down her face. "I knew I
felt like I got hit by a damn truck."
A small laugh bubbled out of me, and for the first time in
days, the weight in my chest lifted just a little.
They were back.
We had them back.
Scott. Maggie, we're on our way just hang in there.