Page 51 of Neon Flux

Maddox’s eyes went wide under his Vysor, but Levi just let out a long hum.

“This anomaly could provide us with needed context. I expect you to investigate thisandhave results by Friday.”

Friday? There was no way. “Boss, I don’t think we will have—”

“You have until Friday, gentlemen. Don’t keep me waiting.” The screen flicked to black as he hung up.

With that Tex strolled out of the conference room, not another word to be said.

I groaned and swiped my hand through my hair. “Friday! These fuckers think we have nothing better to do?”

Maddox extended his hand to help me stand, and I took it.

“We don’t,” Maddox said.

“Sleep would be nice occasionally.”

Maddox only grunted in response to that.

I satat my desk fuming. Hellfire wouldn’t be open until evening, and I felt like I was wasting my time sitting around waiting. I probably should’ve gone home and gotten a few hours of sleep, but instead I was just staring at Eon’s profile. Tex had forbiddenme to look for her, but I knew—I just knew—she had the answers we needed.

Her violet eyes raked over me as I looked over the memo that had drawn us to The Blackout, right into her web. It had been posted by some fragged middle manager. That should’ve been a red flag all on its own, but we…I’dbeen complacent.

“You disobeying orders?” Maddox stuck his head into my cube.

“She’s connected to this. I know it.”

Maddox let out a huff but didn’t stop me. Instead, he pulled up what I was looking at on my terminal on his Vysor. Didn’t take much to convince him, did it?

“You think this guy knows something?” Maddox asked, looking at the profile of the manager who’d posted the memo.

“You see this socket-brain? Guy’s clearly got nothing pulled—I bet she walked all over him.”

A smirk twitched at Maddox’s lips, and I ignored it.

“He’s got beta-level clearance. The guy can’t be completely useless.”

“Nah, look at this—Roger Krynn. Think he’s any relation to Yuki Krynn, the head of the Atlantic Division?” I ran a quick search and let out a long whistle. “Her husband? Shit, this guy is really pulling above his weight class.”

“You talking about Yuki or Eon?” Maddox said, not hiding the jab in his tone.

I ignored him again.

“So what are we gonna do, flag him to info security?” Maddox asked.

“No way. We’re gonna go talk to him, see what he knows.”

Maddox groaned. “He’s a POM employee, Cy. You can’t just intimidate him.”

I shrugged my shoulders innocently. “I said talk, Maddox. Always assuming the worst of me.”

“Just know you, that’s all.”

I swiped our shared screen off and stood. I pulled my gun out of its holster and made a big show of clicking the safety on in front of Maddox. “Look, just talk, okay?”

We foundthe bastard in a sea of desks on level thirty-five. I leaned into his cube, and he obviously had music going on his Vysor—he didn’t even notice me. I took the moment to note the sports paraphernalia tacked to his cube walls, and one holo of him and Yuki Krynn smiling side by side. He was basic: brown hair, tightly trimmed beard. Looked like every other middle manager in this place.

Maddox stepped up beside me and blocked enough light that Roger turned, nearly jumping out of his seat when he saw us standing there.