Sheena’s hand drifted to the taser on her belt. "Velez. Your monitor. Explain."
The serpent man chuckled. "He's smart. Always was. That's why we hired him, back in the day. And that's why we're here now. You've been a very busy bee, Ms. Ryder. Sealing away our associates, freezing our digital assets. You think those little spreadsheets of yours just track parolees? You've been mapping our entire network for two years, and you didn't even know it."
She looked at him. Really looked. Past the bruises, past the file she'd memorized. He gave her the tiniest shake of his head. Don't. sheena ryder blacked
"Ms. Ryder," the serpent man said. "Right on time."
He nodded slowly.
The blackout was what she called a "controlled fall." No alarms, no police. She would go alone, drag him back into the light, and revoke his parole. Another name on the failure list. Another fortress wall reinforced.
The serpent man's smile faltered. Marcus lunged, zip-ties and all, knocking the blade from his hand. The other two men moved. Sheena kicked the taser toward Marcus, who caught it with his bound hands and fired. Sheena’s hand drifted to the taser on her belt
Marcus looked up. His face was bruised, one eye swollen shut. But his gaze was clear, and it pinned her with a strange, desperate urgency. "Sheena, listen to me. The blackout wasn't a violation. It was a beacon. They needed you to come alone."