Shell shocked, Eon tried to make sense of everything. He checked his holo-watch, but the signal was completely dead—it couldn't connect to the Net.

A scan showed he was in a Dead Zone, cut off from the most basic of radio signals. That was unheard of in a city like Estera, as if you woke up one morning and noticed the sun wasn't in the sky. But one only had to look up and see the floating beacon to know who the culprit was.

After seeing the unmarked spaceships, he had expected misfortune. However, nothing prepared him for an invasion of his entire planet. The fleet had continued to grow, and he felt like an ant about to be burned by the sun.

Suddenly, Eon's brow clenched and his fingers rushed to ease his temples, battling a migraine brought on by an abrupt state of stress. Colloquially referred to as a Danger Sense, it was a rare gift among the netrunners. Often triggered on the occasion they traveled, leaving their nest to tackle an ODD job.

Fear clawed its way deep through his mind, cold tendrils which spoke of uncertainty. "Remember our conversation…" Eon said, his voice low and hard. "Keep your finger on the trigger. If they have on a vest, aim for their eyes."

Bun didn't reply, but she put on her tough girl face as tears fell.

Looking down at Bun, Eon passed her the Bean Revolver. "Don't forget to breathe," he said, patting her on the shoulder.

Walking to the edge of the roof, he looked down on the burning city, wondering why no shields were activated. Why none of the Guilds mobilized their forces. The lack of response made Eon suspect the raiders colluded with the world government. Or perhaps the planet had been sold by a member of the Star Federation. And neither option would bode well for him because he currently couldn't reach any of his contacts.

After confirming his path away from the commercial district was relatively safe, Eon hurried Bun along. If they could make it back to A'steri's bakery, her watch dogs would help in the chaos to come.

Time blurred as Eon raced through abandoned hallways, and damn near jumped down every flight of stairs. As he reached the only serviceable elevator, he slammed his hand on the L button for the main lobby. Surprisingly, at that exact moment a rumbling shook the building.

Bun squeezed his hand and Eon was just about to reassure her that everything was okay, when the elevator plummeted.

He rapidly pressed the emergency button, wincing from Bun's screams, but nothing happened.

Then they continued to pick up speed when Eon felt his stomach lurch, and he began to rise as they entered a state of free fall. Shocked, Bun stopped wailing and began to cry, but as if a God answered her prayers, the elevator came to a screeching halt.

"See… everything's fine. I fixed it," Eon said, but before he could finish speaking, the elevator lurched again.

"Shit."

Pushing Bun behind himself, he aimed his Acorn and charged a power shot at the steel door. Such steel hadn't received maintenance in decades, but the quality of its manufacturing remained true, forcing Eon to dual wield the Bean Revolver. But even in such an enclosed space, it took time for the plasma bullets to eat their way through the metal. And in less than a minute the elevator fell once more.

Eon began to sweat, unable to tell how far they had fallen. Ordinarily, there were mechanisms in place at the base floors of the tower for this exact scenario, but he wouldn't stake his life on them. The odds that they were in top condition were fairly low, judging by his current circumstance. The next time they stopped could very well be his last chance to escape.

As they once again entered free fall, Eon resumed his task, widening a hole in the door, this time activating the kinetic spark emitters. As the hole grew larger, he could see floors zip pass at an alarming rate. They were moving much faster than he expected.

By the time the hole was big enough for Bun to fit through, the smoldering metal began to release fumes at a startlingly fast pace.

"Cover your nose," Eon said while holding his breath. He wasn't taking any chances, forcing open the hole until it was wide enough for both of them to easily pass through. If the elevator bisected him in half, he vowed to haunt the tower's architect and maintenance men from the grave. Whether there was an afterlife or not, he'd find the bastards.

The familiar screech returned and Eon braced himself. "Don't hesitate. When I say go, you go. Got it?"

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

As Bun nodded, the elevator came to a screeching halt, and he pushed her. "Go!"

And as expected, she didn't hesitate, making her way onto a marble floor and turning to see Eon exit right after her.

Collapsing to the floor, Eon let out a sigh of relief. "Well, that was fun," he laughed, handing over the Bean Revolver.

Bun looked down at him with annoyance, and he reached up to wipe tears from her face.

"It won't be one of our fondest memories, but at least we're closer to the lobby floor. Couldn't have asked for a better shortcut."

Eon rose, taking the lead and quickly made his way to an exit. As they reached the 7th floor, his pace slowed to an even cadence, readying himself for any intruders seeking shelter. Chaos did strange things to people, but fortunately, what he found was an empty lobby.

Activating the spark emitter embedded in his holo-watch, Eon boosted the signal of his transmitter, connecting it to his motorcycle outside. By draining the lightning crystal that powered the device, he lost a single use of [Data Breach], but he managed to bypass the signal blockage over the city. Looking through the motorcycle's cameras, he checked his surroundings, when he managed to pick up the heat signature of two humans who were closing in on him faster than he would like.

Eon looked Bun in the eyes, showing her four spoke grenades and handing over two. They were to be used as a cover, mainly to shield the glow from her revolver. If the people outside were psionics, the advantage of their telekinetic armor would be sliced in half, unable to sufficiently reduce the added bonus of elemental damage.

It wasn't until he left the tower and blasted his way through the surrounding gates, there was no point in wasting time on hopping them, when he heard the call from an unknown voice. The encroaching strangers had arrived faster than he expected.

"Hey there, Sugar."

Over the sounds of distant explosions and world ending screams, Eon turned to see a pair dressed in dark clothes. One wore a katana fitted with its own spark emitter alongside a pistol holstered on his waist. While the rather tall woman appeared unarmed. Behind them were three motorcycles blocking his escape from the tower.

"It appears you have the wrong person," Eon said, noticing that at least one person had laid in wait for him, judging by the third motorcycle.

"Oh, do I? Well, pardon me," the man smiled a toothy grin, shifting his gaze from Eon to Bun.

The little girl shied back after seeing the row of grizzly sharp teeth, causing Eon to clench his grip on the pistol. "What do you want, Shark? Now is obviously not the time."

"Not surprised you know who I am, though I'd have thought my little present had bought us a few seconds, no? You did get down here a bit late," Shark's teeth glistened as his smile grew. "But now, I think, is the perfect time."

Eon stared at the snaggletoothed culprit behind the malfunctioning elevator, sizing him up. They had never met in person, Eon wasn't one to keep personal connections from the type of jobs he took on. No matter how insignificant the crime, the business of netrunning was shady. Which is why he took precautions to hide his identity, but Saul had warned him about his identity being uncovered. Nothing was impossible to get on the edges of federation controlled space if you had adequate connections and money. It was only a matter of time.

Eon himself ran background checks on a few of the thugs that hired him and the crews surrounding them. Without ever hearing his voice or getting a full description of his appearance, the only consistent information Eon was able to obtain about Shark was the shape of his teeth. Apparently, each one down to the molars were carved into a vicious point.

"Where's Jax?" Eon asked, cutting to the chase.

"He's long gone. Taken off world after contracting with one of those psionics from a while back," Shark said.

"Whatever it is, forget it. I told him before that I'm not interested," Eon said. "They're far above my pay grade. I don't need any of the Federation's Adepts or Knights breathing down my throat."

"Sorry. Can't take no for an answer. After all, I'm just the muscle and this isn't exactly a request. More of a formality," Shark said, eliciting a snarl from Eon. "Woah, settle down man," Shark smirked. "I'm doing you a favor."

Eon ignored Shark, stealing a glance at the tall, lanky netrunner named Giraffe. From what he knew, she was a freelancer like himself. In fact, they had worked multiple jobs together, acting as an assault team, back before he obtained the Revenant. Eon was sure it was her who had compromised his identity, yet she hadn't even bothered to say a word. Odd, considering she was known for her sharp tongue.

Almost indifferent, she stood tall with a blank expression, idly brushing away the hair that kept blowing in her face. Her stoicism was a mask, one that took Eon too long to realize as he questioned her presence. She hadn't joined them, she was a hostage.

Finally, dread slivered down Eon's spine as his mind started moving. A sense of danger followed it, causing him to wince slightly. "Who's the third cycle for?" he asked.

He had a suspicion, one that didn't bode well. The leader of the Iron Fist gang, Jax, was a tough man, though decent and honest as far as gangsters went. Through strength and leadership, he was able to force hard men into an orderly fashion of sorts. But if he was off-world while his second in command remained on Typhon, what became of his third?

Shark's teeth parted as Eon nodded in understanding. Then Shark gave a slight shoulder shrug as a gesture of remorse. "Rat," he started to say, but Eon cut him off.

"I understand," Eon said, and to everyone's surprise he moved to stand behind Bun, squeezing the little girl's shoulder.

Contrary to his nickname, Rat was a handsome young man. A ladykiller in both the bed and the streets. No, the reason he received his name wasn't because of his looks, but because of his personality. A real rat bastard.

Sighing, Eon refocused his attention back to Shark, pretending as if he had accepted the inevitable outcome. "Name the job."