When the knock sounded against the unusual silence, Sophie managed as close to a jump as her weakened body could – she flinched. Hilda had fallen asleep, and Sophie debated waking the older woman. Certainly, Sophie couldn’t get to the door.

She could see it, though.

Sophie had never lived in a time when she couldn’t pull up a screen and read who was at her door, and the lack of information simulated fear. Not that she had ever considered herself a coward. Maybe that’s because my world has always been pretty safe.

Even the Queue wreck, though it wasn’t exactly “safe,” had not risked the same type of damage that she would have suffered even when her dad was young. The Wire just kept her body going, and though broken bones would have happened the same way as times past, she couldn’t escape the fact that technology had made her world pretty safe. Especially being Tomás DeSoto’s daughter, with his wealth and resources and connections.

Making it to the top of the stairs, Sophie peered down into the darkness of the stairwell. If the porch light had worked, she could have seen through the half-circle window in the door, but the porch was sunk in even more darkness than the moonlit living area. This is creepy.

A turning Queue car flashed its lights into the niche of the porch, and the momentary glow illuminated a familiar face.

Peter, Sophie sneered. She did not like that man. He doesn’t like me either.

Didn’t he notice that her lights were out? Of course, Peter could have fixed the lights – tapped into the Bridge right there from her porch, and assessed and repaired the power outage. Peter wouldn’t do that for Sophie though. He would probably figure out how to make them stay out longer, until my dad showed up, she figured.

Well, even if she had liked Peter, she couldn’t get to the door. Her legs were still too weak. She had no idea if he could see her silhouetted against the moonlight behind her. Part of her hoped he could, hoped he could tell that she just didn’t care enough to answer him. Ass, she leveled silently at the door.

After a few minutes, the knocking stopped. For once, she was glad that her bed was still set up in the living room. She didn’t have any visitors except Hazel, her dad stayed in his study more than the rest of the house, and she was claustrophobic in her room with three windowless walls and only one medium-sized window. Now her location gave her the added satisfaction of blatantly ignoring impatient, irritable, demeaning Peter. She couldn’t understand why Hazel put up with him.

She felt certain he had left, and she hobbled her way back to her bed. It was almost midnight, and without electronics or light, she didn’t think she could occupy her mind enough to stay awake.

When a knock sounded again, Sophie felt as if her head had just hit the pillow. It was still dark enough that Sophie could not know. This time, Hilda lurched up in the upholstered chair she had slept in, obviously processing where the noise had come from. After a deep sigh, the older woman stood to her feet.

“Look through the window,” Sophie instructed.

“I don’t think I am tall enough,” Hilda countered as she descended into the dark.

“Get a chair from my dad’s office. And a flashlight so you can shine on whoever is outside!”

Sophie wanted to make her way to the top of the stairs again, but she was really tired – what with her earlier exertion and the late hour.

“No need for the chair,” Hilda called up. “Hazel’s friend is as tall as the door.”

Laughing, Sophie pushed herself into a sitting position. At least the nurses had brought her a sweatshirt and leggings that morning – no more hospital gowns or monitors.

“Is your power out?” Sophie heard from below, incredulity apparent in the tone.

“It is,” Sophie called down instead of letting Hilda answer. Sophie could hear steps approaching up the stairs, and Rel’s head appeared above the top step before Hilda’s though Hilda preceded him. Sophie snickered. “Have you heard of this happening in any modern setting?”

“Not in the middle of the city,” Rel agreed. “And certainly not in the nice part of town.”

Sophie huffed out a sigh. “Well, Rel Martins, why are you here in this dark place?”

Even in the weak light she could see his smile – he seemed a very laid-back, pleasant person.

“I didn’t know it was dark, but your dad sent me to get you.”

“Oh my lord, finally! So he got my message? Or did he notice that our power was out?”

“Your message. But, hey, Sophie?” Rel pressed, and Sophie could tell he needed to tell her something serious.

“What is it?”

“We’re not exactly going to a party at your dad’s office. I’m sure you’ve realized it’s weird for me to be here on behalf of your dad.”

“Honestly?” Sophie chuckled. “I was just so happy to have access to the outside world that I kind of forgot to notice. But now that you mention it, what’s up with that?”

“There’s some stuff happening – some pretty serious stuff – and your dad, Hazel, and my partner, Vee, are all at your dad’s office working on a dilemma. I’d rather not talk about it until we get there.”

Sophie knew about her dad’s job. She knew that Rel worked for the NCB, and so his partner probably did, too. That made Hazel the only mystery, her presence at a serious event.

“I just need my shoes,” she agreed. “And, Rel?”

“Yes.”

“You’re about to give Hazel’s best friend a piggy back ride.”

With a laugh, Rel stepped closer to the bed, waiting until Sophie had her shoes on and had started to balance herself on the bed before turning and presenting his back to her.

“You come with us, Hilda,” Sophie demanded as she threw her arms over Rel’s shoulders. “Hope you’re not prone to awkwardness,” she teased him.

His slight blush said otherwise, and Sophie just grinned. He’s perfect for Hazel.

++++++++++++++

Rel Martins, Peter glared, peering against the dark out of his car windows.

What did it mean? The NCB agent carrying Hazel’s best friend out of the powerless house? There was no way the NCB was still monitoring Peter – he had insurance against their interference in the form of a State Department’s youngest son and the second daughter of an NCB executive director. Fortunately, influential people could afford to buy their children the equipment to help them reach elite. And for one of the top three most popular games on the Bridge, there was a wealth of choices for him to take advantage of.

But why would this agent show up to get Hazel’s best friend? Even more concerning, how was Sophie alive and not showing up on the Bridge. If Peter had not had a monitored alarm set to sound if Mr. DeSoto woke up, the man might have managed a way to separate his daughter from the Bridge, but the NCB couldn’t do it. Why did they want her?

Peter had hoped that Hazel would show up to rescue her best friend, that he could confront her and draw her out, but Hazel really had gone MIA since their run-in. His messages on her broadcast board had gone unanswered, but that signified nothing – she rarely paid attention to the board. Still, had the agent come at Hazel’s behest or was he sent by the agency and Dragnet?

Chad, he linked and waited for the response.

What is it? came the reply a moment later.

Need a voice link.

After another second, the voice spoke in Peter’s ears. “Off-record. Go for it.”

“I need you to check up on that agent again. See if he has received any significant messages today.”

“One second.” After a few minutes, Chad returned. “I tapped the hourcache. He sent a couple of messages to Sophie DeSoto, but he hasn’t gotten any messages. If you want to go further back, that will take me an hour or two, but I have a few important tasks left for the Deconstruction. Do you want me to put those on hold?”

“Definitely not. Just read me the messages you have.”

“’Hey, I heard your power is out. Are you okay?’ and then, ‘NCB is sending me to retrieve you. Government security and all that.’”

Of course, the messages could have been a cover, but would the agent know that he needed a cover? Peter had several protections within the government – even a couple in the NCB. If Hazel had sent him, though, Martins might have been on guard for Peter.

Easy way to find out, Peter realized. He needed to follow them.

Before he had targeted Sophie’s house, Pete had contacted his satellite operators with final instructions for the Deconstruction. There were three days until implementation, and there was nothing else left to do except monitor and make sure there were no setbacks. Upon failure of the satellites, the data centers would take over the Bridge infrastructure, utilizing the redundancies Peter had worked into the crossover system. And after a few days of chaos, Pete would bring a portion of the Bridge infrastructure back online using isolated ground servers. After two solid years of planning, he had thought of everything.

So, I can focus on finding Hazel, he resolved.

Once the mammoth agent had deposited his burden on the passenger seat, he strode to the other door and entered. A small, middle-aged woman climbed in behind the other two passengers.

After a few turns, Peter knew they were heading to Dragnet. He accessed the link Chad had shared, giving him access to the agent’s Wire log, though not the Wire itself lest the man notice. Because of the slight delay between a message and its entry in the eventlog, a man exited the building with a wheelchair just as Peter read the request for one. A random company employee, and nothing interesting to Peter.

Part of him wanted to break into the building, call in Ziyad or ask Leo to hack the entry, but any such action would bring law enforcement down, even on him. Of course, it was possible that Hazel had settled in the office as well, but it seemed unlikely. To Pete’s knowledge, Hazel had never set foot in the building.

If he stayed and stared at the edifice, Peter would lose access to his best asset – the Rendering. His Wire could monitor the entire Bridge, but it was condensed and relied too heavily on reports. Instead, he needed to return home where he could see the view from 50,000 feet. He usually came up with a solution if he could see the whole picture, and there might be patterns that he could find that would lead him to Hazel. How had she found anywhere to go but Sophie’s? At almost midnight? Wearing that dress?

Unfortunately, since she was Wire-free, Peter actually didn’t know for sure what Hazel did with her time. He could program the Rendering to track her past handheld activity, but Hazel had the annoying habit of powering down her device for an hour or two with some regularity. Unlike most people her age, Hazel had actually maintained some privacy in her life.

“Hey, Peter?” Ziyad’s voice interrupted the silence of the elevator as Peter returned to his loft.

“What do you have?” Peter demanded without prelude.

“I don’t know why you wanted me to watch that guy. He’s just someone from Hazel’s team.”

Hazel…A few hours ago, the news would have been good. Now? He didn’t know. Well, at least he knew how to find her now. He needed to go to the Trifecta and stalk Tryptech88.

“That’s all I needed, Z. We’ll talk later.” He disconnected and stared, fuming, at the metal doors until they opened.

As soon as he exited his elevator, he threw open the Rendering and began to prowl.

+++++++++++++

“I would think you would agree with him,” Sophie leveled at Hazel once the friends were seated in a pair of comfortable loungers that overlooked the nearby river.

“How could you say that, Sophie! After what he did to you?”

“Not that part, obviously, but you’ve refused to get the Wire against all protests and pressure and mocking. Even I see his point.”

“Of course I see his point,” Hazel admitted, “but it’s one thing to agree with his message and another entirely to agree with his method. I guess I would trust your dad to try to figure out a solution that doesn’t kill people in the process. Even if I live in the ‘shoulds and oughts’ like Peter accused me of, I don’t think we can let go of that and keep our souls.”

Sophie stared out at the shadowed skyline. “I wonder how bad it would have to get before Peter’s method would be justified.”

“That’s a moot point. It’s not justified right now, and it says something about Peter that he shrugs this off as a necessary evil. People have died, Sophie. A man with that kind of power? Not even consulting with anyone else? Manipulating – extorting – people. Threatening people’s families. More people will die if he keeps going. Not to mention that his plan will ruin economies and damage infrastructure. He might not kill three million people at once like the Crash did, but more than that will die as an indirect result of the fallout. He’s a smart man. He knows that.”

When Rel approached the pair, Sophie threw Hazel a wry look. “Are you going to tell me what happened with that one?” Sophie demanded. “Is that a date dress you’re wearing?”

“It was. A date with Peter.”

Hazel turned away and stood to meet Rel, missing the pronounced confusion on Sophie’s face. For once, Hazel enjoyed shocking her best friend. Not that she craved attention, but Hazel had always played the predictable role, and the past couple of days had forced her into a little more adventure.

Smiling at Sophie, Rel gripped Hazel’s hand and pulled her to stand by the window.

That man is definitely standing beyond the friend zone, Sophie grinned.

“What is it?” Hazel wondered as Rel rubbed his hand up and down her arm. She found herself distracted for a minute by the motion, but turned back to him quickly.

“I’m thinking that you should get some sleep. You and Sophie. Sophie actually has a little room here, but what will you do? I would invite you to sleep on my couch, but…”

“But what?”

‘I kind of think you need to stay here. It feels safer. Peter doesn’t like me. If you went with Vee, it would put her on the radar, and I think we might need her to stay invisible. Obviously, the DeSotos’ power is out. I mean, you crossed Peter Donovan. Even if you don’t have a Wire, he controls so much more that could put you in danger.”

“You’re right, of course.” She stepped closer and leaned against him, surprising herself. If Sophie noticed – which she would – Hazel would have to deal with endless teasing. Still, Hazel had meant what she said. Rel felt like her anchor, a mainstay in the storm of her current circumstances.

Rel wrapped his arms around her. “Let’s go talk to Mr. DeSoto and see if he has a place you can sleep.”

Within a few minutes, Rel accompanied her to a narrow hallway lined with a dozen doors. A small office at the end of the corridor had been converted into a little sleeping quarters – a “nap room,” Sophie said.

“You’ll be okay here?”

“Sophie’s personal room is right across the hall, so we’ll be fine.”

“I’ll be back early in the morning.” He ran his hand through his hair. “We have a lot of things to figure out. As of now, we know a lot of problems but don’t have any solutions.”

“Rel…” Hazel reached for his hand. “I’m worried about you. How long until Peter tracks my handheld and sees my messages to you? He’ll be furious. You have a Wire.”

The idea enticed him, especially as he stared down at Hazel. To know that no one could manipulate his relationship with her? Still, he needed connection at the moment. “I can’t afford to cut off access, not right now. I can monitor so many things with the Neurex. It’s got enhancements that I might need.”

Hazel’s chest tightened in anxiety, and she blew out a breath.

Touched by her concern, Rel reached his hand to her face. “I’ll talk to Mr. DeSoto, see if his guys have some security measure that will safeguard me to some degree.”

Turning her face into his hand, Hazel let his touch calm her. Her mind clouded, and she brushed her lips against his palm. His intake of breath sent her heart into a rapid pitch, and his body tensed. When he entwined the fingers of his other hand in her hair, she lifted her face to him, closing her eyes as he leaned to kiss her. The wall behind her held her up as he pressed against her, his intensity destroying her self-control. As her breath sped, his lips found her neck, the line along her chin, the path back to her mouth. He lowered both his hands to her waist, sliding her up the wall to his level as he pressed against her. When his fingers brushed the skin at her waist, he groaned, and for a moment she worried that he would pull away.

Her skin flushed with heat, she wrapped her arms around the back of his neck, pulling her mouth to his, and he held her up between his body and the wall. For several minutes, their motions sped, her lips on his, on his neck, brushing along his jawline. Her hands explored the ridges of muscle along his back, gripped his silky curls of golden hair. Too soon, he gripped her waist and pushed himself away, stilling his hands as he lowered her to the ground, his breath coming in short gasps.

“You need me to go…” he insisted as he leaned his back against the opposite wall.

“Why?” she pressed, stepping toward him.

He held out one hand to stop her but reached his other to entwine with her own. “You and I have to talk. There’s too much going on right now, and I like you too much. I’m not safe.”

Hazel blinked her eyes in confusion.

“Look…” He cupped her face with his hand again, decreasing the distance between them just a little. “You have no idea how much I like you, but I have issues that I have to address before I can be what you need me to be.”

“You already have a girlfriend?”

Surprised, Rel’s eyes opened wide. “No! Absolutely not. I just…” He peered down the hall, rubbing his hand over his face. “I want you.” He turned back to meet her eyes, and he read a spark of hopeful pleasure in them. “There are things about this situation, about my job. I can’t really trust myself at the moment. I have to fix them before I can treat you right.”

Even his “rejection” made her want to kiss him, and chills ran up her neck. Dissatisfied, she pressed him. “What if I need someone? To hold me? To make me feel safe in the middle of all this? I’ve never had that. I just…it’s painful that you’re so close, but you’re holding back.”

“I’ll hold you, Hazel.” He proved his words by using her hand to pull her into his arms. His breathing had calmed, and he rested his chin on her head. “I’ll do my best to make you feel safe. I just have to be able to live with myself when this thing is over.” He waved his hand over her head, an obvious reference to the situation with Peter and the Bridge.

Stepping back from Rel, Hazel crossed her arms over her chest and nodded rapidly, forcing herself back to her natural stoicism. “I hope I appreciate your self-control one day.” She managed a wry smile as she raised her eyes to his.

He took her hand and led her back to the opening of the hall. Only a few feet away around the corner, they could hear the hushed voices of Tomás and Vee.

“You will.” Rel leaned down and whispered. “For now, though, I don’t trust myself down that hallway.”

Despite herself, Hazel grinned, lifting on her toes as Rel leaned down for a much more chaste – if still incredibly tender – kiss.

“Yeah, I don’t trust that hallway either,” she breathed. “Not if you’re trying to play the respectful suitor.”

Rel returned her earlier smile, and quickly brushed his thumb across her cheek, a playful salute. “Goodnight, Hazel.”

“Goodnight.”

Hazel stood leaning against the wall as she watched him walk away. To her surprise, Sophie materialized from the hallway they had just exited.

“You were down there?” Hazel gasped.

“Peeking out the door and giggling my ass off,” Sophie snickered. “I’ve been thinking about that glitch,” she offered abruptly, and Hazel stood up straighter, forcing her mind to engage.

“What about it?”

“You said you opened a command shell and read the code.”

“Yes,” Hazel allowed.

“You also said that Peter, before you decided he was crazy, asked you for help with the glitch.”

“Okay.”

“He had you play and, when you got to the glitch, he said you might be able to deploy some code to fix it.”

Hazel scratched her head. She hadn’t really considered. “So, what are you suggesting?”

“The Partie is tomorrow night,” Sophie explained. “Trip is gonna be nuts tomorrow, everyone crowding the RPG to gain weapons for the tournament play. The traffic will be sick. What if you used that glitch to read how Peter did what he did with the players? You could record, help the guys here identify the code that doesn’t refer to something normal. They could maybe write a counter code. They could feed it into that exploit you wrote a couple of years ago, or something like it. Undo the connection with those kids.”

Tilting her head, Hazel considered. “Well, I have a good chunk of the code from the screenshots I took at Peter’s, but we couldn’t just undo the whole thing – all the kids. I would have to disconnect them one at a time. Don’t you think Peter would notice? That’s, like, eight hundred connections. It would take me days.”

“So just target the most important kids -” Sophie cut off Hazel’s attempted protest. “What I mean is the kids whose parents hold pivotal positions. Obviously, every kid is equally important.”

“Maybe the kids of the satellite operations administrators. That’s only four people, if your dad’s guys can figure out which kids that would be. And I literally have a recording of the code in action – interlacing into their signals. If the techs could interlace the code I found that connects them with the Bridge with the code that severed your Wire, we could do this…”

“Well, I will hobble over to my dad’s office to get him moving – I am so glad my dad has workplace crutches, by the way – and you get some sleep. I have a feeling you’re going to need your energy tomorrow.”

“Going to be fun sleeping in this dress,” Hazel complained.

“At least you’ll look awesome in the morning!” Sophie replied cheerily.

Rolling her eyes, Hazel spun back toward her room.

“Goodnight, Sophie.”

Fortunately for Hazel, stress made her sleepy. At least Mr. DeSoto insists on nice things for his employees. Despite the dress, she fell asleep within five minutes of when her head hit the pillow on her little bed. She slept soundly through the night, only awaking when the sunlight pierced through the slits on the blinds of the high window.