“All right. . . come to me, BlackBank.”
If Yuusuke was suicidally hell-bent on glory, then Jo would see him succeed this time. She’d take matters into her own hands. Hell, she’d take them down first, if shemust.
As if plunging a needle into a vein, the moment Jo’s hands touched the keyboard, she could feel magic and information flood her system, a transfusion of knowledge. She could see exactly what paths to take to gain restricted access, navigating blocked servers and sifting through unnecessary firewalls like following a straightforward, illuminated text. The entire stream of data was laid out before her—what should’ve been a tangled mess. Yet every string of information fell into its ownline.
Hacking had always been a high for her, a sort of adrenaline rush at the idea of lifting the skirts of the most secure servers. And maybe it was a little bit of a power trip too, a smug sense of self-satisfaction knowing what she was capable of. But this?Thisfeeling of her already impressive talent swelling into overdrive? It wasintoxicating.
It was something Jo could lose herself in, and she did sogladly.
She was starting five steps ahead. She knew just where to look and she knew just what encryption the Black Bank used. Even if the world had changed enough for her to no longer exist, it didn’t change enough for the group behind the Black Bank—Incognito—to have altered theirprocesses.
Much, atleast.
“Oh, what’s this?” Jo grinned, leaning toward the monitor. “This is new.” She narrowed her eyes at the screen. “No matter. . . shouldn’t take more than asecond. . .”
Jo continued on like this, conquering one hurdle after the next with an ease she had never possessed before. It was a sort of assurance that she could barely understand, but one that bred an assessment she was utterly confident in:thiswas her magic. And using it feltexcellent.
“Well, someone seems to be up to no good.” A voice appeared at her side, far too close. In fact, Jo was so startled by the sudden presence that she nearly jolted completely out of her chair, turning awkwardly and rather ungracefully in itsdirection.
Pan was standing in the center of the room, eyeing the new layout with a glint of amusement in her eyes. She even went so far as to whistle inapproval.
“Wow.” She grinned, and when she finally brought her attention back to Jo, it was with a look in her eyes that seemed almost impressed. “And here I thought the rooms had outdone themselves with Takako. The technological future really is a sight tobehold.”
“Uh. . .” Jo looked from Pan to the accumulation of tech and back. “Iguess?”
Pan smirked, all but frolicking about the room, fuchsia hair swaying behind her with each step. “So, what do you think you’re doing in here?” The girl leaned over Jo’scomputer.
“I could ask you the same.” Jo tapped the keyboard and the monitor wentdark.
“Make it come back!” Pan whined. “Don’t be so sneaky. I don’t like secrets,remember?”
“Maybe I don’t feel likesharing.”
“Be like that, and I’ll have to tellSnow.”
“That sounds like a threat.” Jo side-eyed thegirl.
“That’s because it is!” Pan clapped her hands together, clearly pleased withherself.
Jo’s side-eye turned into a full-blown scowl. “I’m not doing anything wrong. We’re allowed to use the recreation rooms as weplease.”
Pan hummed, bringing her index finger to her chin in thought. “I guess that’s true. . . But ‘as you please’ looks a lot like trying to affect the outside world. . .and that’s a big no-no.”
Her back went rigid and Jo balled a hand into a fist. She’d fight Pan if she had to. The woman-child wasn’t taking Jo’s work fromher.
“How did you know what I wasdoing?”
“I didn’t.” Pan stilled, a smile widening across her cheeks as if trying to touch each of her ears. “Not until you kindly confirmed it forme.”
“Isn’t the job of the Society to change the outsideworld?”
“Only forwishes.”
Jo opened her mouth to speak again, but was interrupted a second time. She never thought she’d be glad to see Wayne, but she was. The fact must have been plain on her face, because Wayne’s attention shifted from Jo to Pan, and the first question from his mouth was, “What trouble are you gettinginto?”
“Me, trouble?” Pan gasped. “Wayne, you know I’d never. You should be askingher, not me.” Pan threw an accusatory finger in Jo’sdirection.
“Back away, Pan.” The bass in Wayne’s voice startled Jo, and planted a warm feeling of endearment in the space her surprise vacated. “Go take a nap, orsomething.”
