He rolled his cleaning cart into the room, and I took advantage of the noise to palm a syringe into my hand. It was a night of crap choices. But he wheeled past my workstation and kept going to the other end of the lab. I observed his retreating back and slipped out of the room, running toward the elevator at a crouch. My clock read 2:49 a.m. in helmet.

The elevator seemed to take much longer to arrive. By the time I exited out the same door I had entered, it was past three a.m. Leaning against it, I slowly let the tension in my muscles go. I’d been sweating without realizing and dialed my suit temp down with a thought command. The moon had all but disappeared behind Taipei’s polluted haze, so I used my helmet’s glow to light my way. I stopped for a moment and withdrew the vial when someone shoved me hard from behind.

I spun around and saw a you boy in a red suit, illuminated with deep purple designs.

“Why did you break into Jin Corp?”

I was so stunned, the boy got another shove in. This time, I glimpsed Daiyu’s friend’s face behind the helmet: Joseph Chen.

“I didn’t break in,” I replied in a calm voice.

“Why aren’t you connected to the com sys, then?”

He tried to push me again, and I stepped out of the way. “I don’t owe you an explanation,” I said.

Joseph ripped his helmet off. “Let me see you.”

I knew what Joseph was itching for—a fight. Ignoring him, I turned to leave. He slammed into me from behind and I spun around. Smacking a palm against my chest, he grabbed for the vial still clutched in my hand. Afraid the vial might shatter between our wrestling over it, Joseph swiped it from me. He held it up, triumphant. “What did you steal?”

Pissed, I removed my helmet too. “You followed me.”

He grinned. “I live in the 101 too. Saw you in the garage taking off on your airped. I was curious.”

“I didn’t take anything,” I lied. “That’s mine. Give it back.” My words echoed ominously in the dark alleyway.

“Bullshit,” Joseph said. “I knew you couldn’t be trusted. What is it . . .” He twisted the vial’s stopper. “Some kind of drug?”

I clamped my hand over his wrist, gripping hard. He tried to jerk his arm back, but I was much stronger. For all of Joseph’s bravado, I was certain the guy’d never been in an actual fight before.

“Whatever,” he said and dropped the vial.