Page 172 of Neon Flux

Nothing.

I worked faster, redirecting surges, stabilizing pathways. My Flux seemed to resonate with the data center’s chaotic energy, soothing it where I could.

“DITA, can you—"

The AI's voice cut out abruptly, leaving only static in my ear.

Perfect. Alone in a failing server with enough unstable Stellarium to level several city blocks. The Vector made everything too bright, too sharp—the magenta glow of the exposed pipes casting everything in a surreal light, making the shadows come alive.

I reached deeper into the system, my consciousness expanding through the electronic maze. If I could just balance the load, distribute the power evenly…

Then the shadows really did move.

“Always getting into trouble, doll.”

The voice froze me in place. He’d hidden in the electrical chaos to sneak up on me, but now I could feel his signature. Like coming home.

I slowly straightened, my Flux retracting from the circuits. When I finally faced him, he stood silhouetted in the magenta glow, familiar and yet utterly transformed by the tactical gearmolded to his frame. The mask obscured his features, but it was him. It was always him.

“I don’t want to hurt you, Cy.”

He laughed—low and dangerous. His mask retracted in sections so I could see him. That beautiful face, etched with pain and anger. His eyes glowed with that familiar electric blue, but there was something different now—something raw and exposed. A live wire ready to spark.

“Don’t lie to me now, doll. Not after everything we’ve been through.”

Electric tension crackled between us as we stared at each other across the failing heart of the Magenta District—two forces as unstable as the data center itself, primed to collide.

“You came for me.”

“I told you, I always get what I want.”

“And if I don’t want you?” He didn’t need to feel my Flux to sense the lie there. Even I heard it.

He grinned. “Why are you fighting this?”

I held his gaze, violet electricity dancing across my skin as magenta light bathed us both in its sickly glow.

“Because nothing good survives in this city,” I whispered. “Especially not things that burn this bright.”

Something flickered across his face. Understanding, or maybe recognition. We were twin sparks in a world that extinguished anything that didn’t serve its purpose.

“Some things are worth the burn.” He stepped closer, the air between us supercharged. His Flux reached for mine instinctively, our frequencies already finding that perfect resonance despite everything around us.

But the Vector in my system turned him into just another variable. It dulled the part of me that still felt, that still believed in beauty and trust. It made me the perfect machine—andeverything else was just static. My Flux rose, hungry to see just how far we could go.

CHAPTER 60

CY

“Don’t make me do this, Cy.”

The tremor in her voice sent electricity down my spine—more potent than any Flux. Behind her, the towers hummed with unstable power, their glow casting Eon in violet and crimson shadows. Her eyes met mine, defiant despite the plea in her words.

“I told you—I want you to give me everything you’ve got. Light me up, Eon. You’ll never scare me away.”

Her fists tightened, and the field of her power pulsed like a deep bass, reverberating through my very soul. That beautiful electricity wreathed her arms, her hair floating on a phantom wind. Her field was the strongest I’d ever felt, and my Flux responded instantly—my entire body magnetized to her. She was perfection.

Her hand twitched, and it was all the warning I needed. I threw up my power just before she struck. The air cracked as our powers collided, ozone burning my lungs. I blinked through the flash and saw her leaping off the side of the nearest tower, violet lightning trailing behind her like a comet’s tail.