Novels by Yolanda Than

Chapter 10: Mastery of ChaosThe heavy steel door groaned as it hit the linoleum, a mangled mess of hardware and shattered hinges. Bagas stood amidst the swirling mist of the school’s fire suppression system, the jagged piece of metal still gripped in his hand like a discarded toy."Did you... did you just rip that off with your bare hands?" Siska’s voice was a sharp, breathless spike in the damp, echoing hallway."I think the door was already loose?" Bagas stammered, staring at his palms. They were shimmering, the silver light fading into his skin like cooling lava."Loose? It’s reinforced steel, you idiot. That’s not 'loose,' that’s a structural hazard.""I’m sorry, okay? I didn't mean to become a wrecking ball.""Don't be sorry. Be quiet. The sprinklers are going to draw security here in seconds."She grabbed his forearm—her skin was warm, a startling contrast to the cold, wet air of the hall. As her fingers pressed into his pulse point, the chaotic static in Bagas’s vision smoothe

Chapter 9: The Final TestThe white light receded, replaced by the sterile, fluorescent hum of the exam hall. Bagas blinked, his vision swimming. The kiss, the static, the shared mind—it all felt like a fever dream that had left his brain feeling scrambled, like a hard drive wiped and hastily reinstalled.Siska was already at her desk, looking dangerously composed. Her fingers were drumming a frantic rhythm on the mahogany table."Siska? Are you okay?" Bagas whispered, his voice trembling as he slid into his seat."I’m vibrating at a frequency that suggests we shouldn't be here," Siska muttered, not looking at him. "How is your head?""It feels like I’ve got a blender running in my frontal lobe. And why do I suddenly know the exact molecular density of a soufflé?""A soufflé? Don't tell me."Bagas felt his hands spasm, his palms tingling. A holographic prompt materialized: [SYSTEM ALERT: SKILL SWAP ACTIVATED. EXTREME COOKING: 100%.]"No," Bagas choked out. "Not this. Not today. I need

Chapter 8: Double Trouble"The update is beautiful," Siska said, her voice vibrating with a dual-frequency that made Bagas’s teeth ache. She didn't look like Siska anymore—not the girl who smelled like lilies and ambition. She moved with a liquid, calculated grace that screamed of the 'Conman' skill, her posture unnervingly perfect."Siska? You’re scaring me. That’s not your voice," Bagas stammered, his own body feeling heavy, sluggish, and... oddly light on his feet. He looked down at his hands. They were shaking in a rhythmic, popping pattern. "Why am I doing a body roll? I didn't tell my spine to do a wave!"Siska tilted her head, her eyes flashing violet. "Synchronization level: 99%. Your internal architecture is surprisingly modular, Bagas. I see your 'Street Dancer' sub-routine. It’s... inefficient. Let me optimize that.""Hey! Don't touch my code! Or whatever you call it!" Bagas lunged forward, but his legs betrayed him, sliding into a flawless moonwalk that carried him three f

Chapter 7: Truths RevealedThe air in the locker room felt heavy, charged with the hum of the cooling system and the erratic, high-frequency pulse of Bagas’s nerves. He was still pressed close to Siska, the 'Persuasion' timer ticking down in the corner of his vision."You’re really going to start with the 'secret notebook' talk, aren’t you?" Siska asked, her voice dropping to a low, challenging murmur."I don't have much of a choice, do I?" Bagas replied, his voice smooth, rhythmic, and impossibly calm. "You read the page. You saw the 'Allure' sub-routine."Siska tilted her head, her gaze sharp, cutting through the haze of the locker room. "So, answer me. How much of what we’ve done today was you, and how much was the software?""It’s complicated," Bagas said, his fingers trailing lightly along her wrist, feeling her pulse stutter under his touch. "Do you want the 'heroic secret agent' answer, or do you want the truth?""I’ve had enough of your performances, Bagas. Give me the truth."

Chapter 6: Siska's Investigation"Open the door, Bagas," the girl from the hallway demanded, her voice clicking like a deadbolt. "Your 'trial period' is over. Now, we talk about your subscription."Bagas pressed his forehead against the cold, graffiti-covered metal of the stall door. His brain felt like it had been scrubbed with steel wool. "I don’t know who you are, but you’ve got the wrong guy. I’m just a student who had a very weird morning.""Students don't kick holes in lockers," the girl countered. Her shadow stretched under the stall, still and predatory. "And they definitely don't bend steel bars with one hand. Who’s running the firmware on you, Bagas?""Firmware? Are you a hacker? A tech support agent from hell?" Bagas tried to stand, but his knees buckled. A wave of exhaustion, heavy as lead, washed over him."I’m the person who’s going to stop you from glitching out in front of the entire faculty," she said, her voice softening into a dangerous, icy velvet. "Come out. Now."

Chapter 5: The Close CallThe heavy, three-hundred-pound barbell whistled through the gym air, a jagged arc of steel death. Time stretched, vibrating like a plucked guitar string. Bagas didn't think; he reacted. His body—governed by the [SECRET AGENT] sub-routine—snapped into a blurred, kinetic flow. He didn't just move; he vanished from his spot, a phantom of pure, unbridled torque.He caught the bar inches from Siska’s temple, his hands sinking into the steel as if it were soft wax."Bagas?" Siska breathed, her eyes blown wide, her back pressed against the splintering rack."Stay still," Bagas growled, his voice vibrating with a dangerous, metallic resonance."You… you just moved like you were teleporting," she whispered, her hands trembling as she hovered over his arms. "How are you holding that with one hand?""Don't look at the bar, Siska. Look at me.""I’m looking," she murmured, her heart drumming against her ribs. "But your eyes… they aren't looking at me. They’re looking at e