Jax's Gambit

The hum of the Current was a lullaby Elara had known her entire life, a constant thrum beneath the city’s skin. But lately, the melody had been punctuated by dissonant chords, sharp stutters that sent a shiver down her spine. It was Jax’s doing, she suspected, though the information broker’s motives were as murky as the city’s deepest conduits.

She found Jax in their usual haunt, a dimly lit alcove tucked away in the labyrinthine market district, where the glow of bio-luminescent fungi cast an eerie, shifting light. The air hung thick with the scent of exotic spices and something metallic, a tang that always seemed to cling to Jax. They were hunched over a holographic display, fingers dancing across the projections, a symphony of code unfolding before them.

“Jax,” Elara’s voice was a low murmur, barely audible above the market’s din.