Chapter 19 · Neon Zero - Chapter 19: The Sync Price

"Don't press it." Knox caught my wrist before my finger touched the confirmation key.

The purge drones slammed into the sealed transit gate behind us. Metal screamed. Red warning bars crawled across the wall, and my life display flashed the same message it had shown for the last three minutes.

IDENTITY ANCHOR FAILURE: 03:17:42.

"Let go," I said.

"No."

His hand tightened around me. Warm palm. Hard fingers. Too close. His chest nearly touched my back, and I could feel his heartbeat through both our jackets.

One beat.

Two.

Then mine matched it.

The core burned under my skin.

"Mara, listen to me. Shared Host isn't an upgrade. It's a merge." Knox leaned over my shoulder, his breath brushing the side of my face. "Once you confirm, we don't know where one identity ends and the other starts."

"We already don't know where one memory ends and the other starts."

His jaw locked.

Good. I wanted him angry. Angry men made mistakes. Calm Knox made plans that ended with bodies.

Another impact shook the gate. A drone's cutting arm punched through the metal, spraying white sparks across the platform.