Jace Varn hunkered down in the squat's dim glow, the air thick with sweat and the sharp tang of Milo's burnt circuits. Riko's body was stashed in a corner under a tarp—gut-shot mess, eyes glassy like he finally quit the game for good. The betrayal stung less than expected; the guy was chipped down from the jump, spilling codes to save his skin. But those overrides in Jace's HUD? Gold. Clarks held for 30 hours, node sabotage rippling chaos—sirens wailed outside, drones buzzing frantically like kicked hornets. Level 4 felt solid, HP maxed 200, counter-hack skill humming ready. Still, the architects' heat was on, and New Cascadia's slums felt smaller, walls closing in.
"They're pissed," Lena said, wiping blood from her baton. Her jacket was torn, a graze on her arm seeping red, but she grinn
