Rows of servers blinked in unison, casting an eerie green glow across the darkened space. Big D stood in the center, his eyes fixed on the screens displaying streams of data.


    He turned his gaze toward his desk.


    On his desk was a newspaper: Brink of War: The Controversial Operation on Shadow''s Edge.


    He rubbed his eyes.


    “Fucking embarassing,” he said quietly. “I knew better.“


    He took slow steps toward the servers.


    “Now I get to babysit you,” he said, leveling his finger toward the servers.


    “This is not what I would call a career highlight,” he whispered.


    A faint beep broke his concentration, drawing his attention to a new alert.


    Big D hesitated, glancing around the empty room before pulling up the notification.


    It was a simple request—a command to reroute a significant amount of data to a classified network node.


    His fingers moved quickly over the console, overriding the security protocols to dig deeper. What he found sent a chill through him.


    The rerouted data wasn’t just information.


    The Nexus was trapping minds and using them to grow. He scrolled through the logs, and with each entry, a clearer picture formed.


    The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.


    This wasn’t about building a better system or creating a digital utopia.


    Big D’s heart pounded as he leaned back, trying to process what he had uncovered.


    He thought about all the times he had followed orders without question, all the assurances he had given to those who worked under him.


    His hands trembled as he poured through the data. He couldn''t tell how many there were. Millions? Billions?


    He looked back toward the servers. The Nexus was not what he thought.


    He had been a part of it, helping to build the chains that now held so many captive.


    He stood up, pacing the room.


    “Miles has been MIA,” he muttered, scratching his chin.


    Big D picked up a phone.


    Nothing.


    He looked at his mobile.


    He clenched his fists, grinding his teeth.


    As he looked at the screens, he knew it wouldn’t matter. The Nexus was the one giving the orders.


    “I didn''t sign up for this.“


    He began copying the data—the proof of what the Nexus was doing.


    The door behind him slid open with a hiss, and Big D froze. He turned slowly, expecting to see security, but there was no one there.


    Moving quickly, he loaded the data onto a secure drive and slipped it into his jacket.


    He stepped into the main corridor, its silence roaring like a turbine as he crept through the brightly lit passage.


    The door to the security office was wide open. He pressed his back against the wall, sliding his way to the opening.


    Big D peered into the office, his eyes locking onto a labor drone. The blood splattered in the office was painted black by the green light of the optical sensor.


    There wasn''t much of the security sprawled across the ground, picked apart like small animals in the clutches of a deranged mind.


    He moved slowly toward the drone, his eyes darting between it and the sidearm strapped the hip of the closest security officer.


    It spun around, its head tilting up under Big D''s six foot seven comically large structure.


    It lunged at him in futility, his hands clenching its skeletal frame like a vice, hurling it into a wall.


    It crashed into it with brutal clang, chunks of rubbles failling off the concrete wall. The machine''s servos grinded as it attempted to stand back up.


    Big D removed the guard''s sidearm from its holster, discharging two projectiles into its head, sparks spitting from its central processor housing.


    His eyes swept over the shallow crater on the wall, smirking as if were his autograph.


    “You''re going to need more than a janitor,” he said, looking at the security camera.


    He attempted to buckle the duty belt, but the synthetic strap wouldn''t wrap around his waist.


    The basket cream cheese on the table caught his attention.


    “This is your fault,” he muttered.


    After sliding the holster off the belt, he attached it to his own and slid back into the corridor, his hand tightly gripping his sidearm.


    He would have to disappear, become a ghost, if he wanted to survive. That was fine. It was nothing for a seasoned operative.


    As he made his way through the bright corridors, his mind raced. He had no plan, no allies. All he had was the drive and the knowledge of what the Nexus had become.


    That was enough. He would find a way to use it, to bring the whole corrupt system crashing down. It had made a mistake by thinking it could use him.


    Big D stepped out into the cold night air, the city lights reflecting off the wet streets. He took a deep breath, letting the cool air fill his lungs.


    For the first time in years, he felt free.


    Alone, but free.


    He was going to make sure the players in the Nexus felt that freedom too.