I looked back at him. “Have they ever?”
At this, Tex nodded. Nothing else needed to be said.
Maddox and I raced toward the armory. Inside, we started loading up with every weapon imaginable. I pulled off my jacket to replace it with tactical gear, the carbon fiber laced with Flux-conducting silver along the arms, the hood reinforced. I moved to grab my mask when Maddox’s hand landed on my shoulder.
“What aren’t you telling me?” he asked.
I let out a long breath. This wasn’t the investigation. This was the field—and you needed any advantage you could get.
“She’s going to be with them.” I didn’t need to say whoshewas.
“You going to be able to handle that?” The ten-million-creds question.
I checked my sidearm, feeling the familiar weight settle against my hip. “I need to find her first.”
“What?” Maddox’s eyes widened. “Are you out of your mind? We have direct orders from Tex—”
“There’s something wrong about this whole operation.” I lowered my voice. “Tex wanting them in the data center? Above our clearance? This isn’t standard containment.”
“You’re risking everything for her?”
I met his gaze. “For answers. You heard Tex. Investigation’s not done.” A partial truth.
Maddox’s expression hardened. “I can’t cover for you on this.”
“I’m not asking you to.” I headed for the door. “Tell them I’m scouting ahead. I’ll meet you at the data center.”
In ten years at POM, I’d been a good lapdog. Never questioned, never disobeyed.
Then she’d fucked that all up.
I’d always had a master, but kneeling before her tasted much sweeter.
I had to find Eon before anyone else did—before the Magenta data center became ground zero for something I felt was about to change everything.
Before I lost the chance to discover why—after a lifetime of perfect control—I couldn’t stop thinking about a woman with electricity in her veins.
I wasn’t going to let her get away. Not this time.
And no matter what it cost me, I wasn’t going to let anything happen to her.
CHAPTER 58
EON
The abandoned warehouse Deacon had chosen for staging the Magenta data center operation smelled of rust and ozone—though my Vector-numbed senses barely registered it. The chemical warmth had spread through my system, turning the world into something distant but crystal-clear, a beautiful simulation I could manipulate without feeling. Every light source in the room pulsed with halos that synchronized with my heartbeat, my Flux humming just beneath my skin, content to no longer be caged.
I leaned against the far wall, violet sparks occasionally leaping between my fingers as the Vector helped me harmonize with the unshielded electrical currents running through the ancient building. Some of the new recruits were watching, wide-eyed. Most had probably never seen an electroteknik before. I let the sparks dance up my arm, letting a particularly large onesnapin the air. One of the boys elbowed his neighbor to watch, and I couldn’t help but grin at the attention. It felt good—not to hide, not to pretend I wasn’t the most powerful person in the room. I wasn’t sure if that was me or the Vector talking.
Vex and Marco stayed across the space, avoiding eye contact. The place was full of new bodies.
“Showing off now?” Taos slid up beside me.
“Looks like the job in Green really drummed up new recruits,” I said.
“Yeah, Deacon even called a meeting to come up with a name for us. We’re getting that big.”
“Sounds a bit corporate,” I muttered—everything much funnier when I was high.
