Chapter 17 · Neon Zero - Chapter 17: Public Execution

"Get down!" Knox slammed me behind the concrete divider as the first execution round tore through the market sign above our heads.

Glass rained over my shoulders. My knees hit the pavement, and Knox's body covered mine before I could shove him off.

"Move," he growled.

"You move. You're the one wearing the government armor."

"And you're the one with a kill notice on every screen in the district. Crawl. Now."

Another round punched through the divider. The concrete cracked beside my cheek.

I grabbed Knox's collar and dragged him lower. "Your city is shooting at us."

"It stopped being my city three levels ago."

"Cute. Still not helping."

He looked over the divider. His jaw tightened.

Above the market, every public screen had switched to the same red alert.

MARA VEY.

LIVE TARGET.

PURGE AUTHORIZATION: ACTIVE.

My face stared down at us from six giant panels. The image was old—before the black streak in my hair, before the scar on my chin—but it still looked enough like me to make my stomach twist.

A synthetic voice rolled through the street speakers.

"Citizen compliance is mandatory. Subject Mara Vey is carrying stolen system property.