Chapter 19 · Neon Deadline: Glitch Hunt - Chapter 19: Ghost Protocol

"Step away from the console, Kaelen. Now."

Jax’s voice didn’t come from the room; it came from the speakers embedded in the ceiling, distorted and cold. I didn’t move. My fingers stayed locked on the holographic keys, the blue light reflecting off the sweat on my forehead.

Seth’s hand clamped onto my shoulder, his grip tight enough to bruise. He didn’t trust the voice in the walls, and he definitely didn’t trust me. He leaned in, his chest pressing against my back, his breath hot against my ear.

"Who is this?" Seth asked, his voice a low growl.

"The man who taught her how to bleed a server," Jax replied. "And the man who knows exactly how many seconds you have before the Corp’s cleanup crew turns this block into a crater."

I shivered. Jax was my mentor—the only person who’d shown me how to dance through the neural net without getting my brain fried. But the Jax I knew didn’t sound like a savior. He sounded like a ghost with a grudge.

"Jax, listen to me," I snapped, glancing at the scrolling code. "I’ve got the God-tier plug-in.