[INFINITE REACTION ACQUIRED. PASSIVE. STATUS: ACTIVE.]
[FREE SKILL SELECTION EXPENDED. STANDARD PURCHASE PATHWAY RESUMES.]
The notification vanished into the ether of his consciousness, leaving behind a silence that felt strangely heavy. Mike waited.
He braced himself for a surge of adrenaline, a tightening of his muscles, or even a subtle shift in the way his nerves hummed. But there was nothing. He felt exactly as he had ten seconds ago.
He turned his hand over on the mahogany surface of the desk, watching the play of light over his tan skin. He moved his fingers slowly, then snapped them into a rapid, fluttering motion.
The sensation was identical. His hand was his hand; his body was his body.
"I wouldn't even know if it was working unless something tried to kill me," he said, his voice laced with a dry, skeptical humor.
