《Bank Job Zero》 Chapter 1: Ready or Not We drove over a bump, the old Toyota van made no effort in absorbing the shock, might be due to how vintage it was. The van engine jerked every time it changed gear, almost causing me to fall each time. This time, the driver took no consideration in slowing down before climbing over another bump, I flew off my seat, almost ramming my face on the floor. A hard grip held me from behind. No.4 seemed to have high quality grade augmented arm to have such quick reaction speed. ¡°Thanks.¡± I said with a virtually distorted voice. He nodded, not uttering a word. ¡°So,¡± No.5 said, clearing his throat. ¡°Anyone know where this bloody bank is?¡± There was no response, wouldn¡¯t blame the crew though, considering what¡¯s buried in everyone¡¯s chest no one seemed to be in a talky mood. ¡°Well, screw me sideways.¡± No.5 grumbled. ¡°I''ve got it too y¡¯know.¡± Still, everyone ignored. It''s surprising how he talks without giving as much as shit to what¡¯s going on, considering the fact that we all had bomb implants for lungs. We were all going to rob the most secured bank in Synth city and we didn¡¯t even know which one, yet. Everyone was mentally prepping themselves. Don Montero was fortunate enough to have forcefully assembled these merry men of miscreants and punks to do his dirty work for him. We all had one entanglement or the other with Don Montero. And its because of these ¡®entanglements¡¯, we were forced into a gig like this. No one in his right mind would ever want to give it a go, robbing a bank in Synth city, that is. Synth city is known to be this perfect utopia were the fat and wealthy smug fucks get to relax without any worries of being robbed or attacked. It was considered the safest city in the whole of the south east sector. There haven''t been any form of public crime for the past 5-7 years. The only time I¡¯ve witnessed or saw a crime occur was in 2089, 7 years ago. I can¡¯t really consider it''s as much of a crime, y''know, considering how stupid it was. T''was just some random guy who thought of a genius plan of robbing a server farm, a weird choice, I know. The poor guy didn¡¯t have enough to build a Jack box, probably thought he could get parts from one of the server¡¯s CPU¡¯s, unknown to the bloke, the frames had 2k volts running on the outside frames. Unlike other cities at the south east side, Synth city has a way with updating its security protocols. So, ever since then, there has been tight security all over every street. If you so much as dress out of place or even cough in a wrong way, you get filled with hot sizzling lead. It will, be quite puzzling why anyone would want to live here. Well, it¡¯s simple actually. Wherever there were big pockets, big cash can¡¯t be far off. Synth city is a sort of paradise for HI-jackers like myself. In Synth city, information is quicker to get as long as you had the money for it. It was the daily hustle to reap as much money as you can. And when I say money, I meant either Dules or data. Data in synth city can be quite expensive, in its own way, functions like a form of currency. You¡¯d be surprised on how much length people would go to cover their secrets. Bank transactions, embezzlements, trafficking, drug purchases, you name them. All these and more are sensitive data corporate big-shots would kill to keep secret. But then, with a little mixture of blackmail and a bit of passive threats, you could well out a mother lode. So, you simply black mail, cash out, and dash out. Sounds like a plan, right? Well, not really, might sound easy, but it''s nowhere close. See, depending on who or what you¡¯re trying to hack, risks also tend to follow. You¡¯d have to be extremely careful on who you¡¯re dealing with. If its just a random guy who¡¯s having an affair outside his marriage, then it¡¯s a soft go. But if it was a multi billionaire corporation, then that''s a red zone. Red zones usually mean ¡®keep the fuck off or else¡¯. Unless you¡¯re a rotten head Hi-jacker, like myself, who would do anything risky just for the joy of it, it''s advisable to go for the lesser fries. I mean, it¡¯s how I got myself into this shitty situation in the first place. I checked my Wrist-whiz if there was any form of connection, still nothing. Signal jammer must still be running; wish I had my Meep box here. It¡¯s almost the same thing as a Jack box, only smaller; I could hack an entire network with that little devil. Well, it doesn¡¯t matter now. Whatever we were going to retrieve from that bank would need more than a Meep box to crack it. ¡°Hey, fatty.¡± No.5 spoke again, this time I could tell that he was wearing a sort of stupid smile under his dark hazmat visor with his serial number glowing on it. ¡°You don¡¯t look so good.¡± We didn¡¯t use our names throughout the entire thing. Hell, we didn¡¯t even know what each other looked like. An effort to conceal our identities. ¡°Why don¡¯t I come shut you up once and for all, huh?¡± No.7 replied aggressively, trying to restrain what he had in his guts. ¡°Whoa, calm down, mate.¡± No.5 said mockingly, his Scottish accent stronger than ever. ¡°Wouldn¡¯t want to get on your bad side now, would I?¡± No.7 said nothing but grip his sit tighter with every jerk the car made. Could only mean that he had motion sickness and was trying as much as he could not to spill his guts. ¡°Perhaps,¡± No.5 said leaning towards No.7. ¡°You might soon need a barf bag, won''t you.? And while you¡¯re at it, you could have that McDonalds extra-large burger you¡¯ve always wanted.¡± ¡°Shut up.¡± No.7 said, still constraining himself. ¡°C¡¯mon, it¡¯s gonna be my treat.¡± ¡°Shut the fuck up!¡± No.7 yelled. There was a repeated loud banging from the front of the van, the place went silent. ¡°What the hell is going on back there?¡± No.1, from the shot gun seat yelled. No one answered. He opened a little peephole, large enough to fit a fist in. He peered through, his visor boldly showing scanning his number, as if looking for anything out of the ordinary. ¡°Quit the horse shit and get ready,¡± No.1 added. ¡°We¡¯re 2 minutes to drop point. Pull your shit together.¡± Ensure your favorite authors get the support they deserve. Read this novel on Royal Road. My Wrist-whiz chimed, a green holographic triangle hovering above it. It seemed like the network jammer had been deactivated, partially though. I immediately opened my GPS locator, trying to find any approaching bank ahead of us. I swallowed hard. A large lump stuck in my throat, my heart skipping a beat as I saw the name of the bank hovering above. It was one of Synth city''s most secured deposit bank, HY-MAX. As funny as the name sounded, not every Hi-jacker had ever thought of breaking in, everything was tight, both physically and digitally; it was highly secured for a reason. Most top guns in both politics and private or illicit businesses owned HY-MAX accounts. Sometimes, even jackers too would once in a while own one. All HY-MAX security interfaces were known to be complex in all angles. They were in association with the multinational security company named CLAW, and having branches spread all over the globe. They were globally recognized as being the most private and well encrypted banking system, thus giving an advantage for illegal transactions. Hell, I could bet both nuts that Don Montero had an account too. No.4, seating next to me, saw what I was staring at; he seemed to be unmoved. The others didn¡¯t pay any attention. They were busy concealing all the gears and ceramic weapons to avoid any possible form of detection. I, on the other hand, did not have much to prepare for, all I had with me was my jack box. The van dragged severally before finally halting right beside the bank. This branch wasn¡¯t as flashy as I thought it would be on the outside. It just seemed a bit too average for a top tier bank. We all tapped on the hidden panels located at each side of our hazmat hood. There was a brief facial scan followed by a graphical glitch. Faces appeared on each of our visors; they were a bit distorted, only if you looked close enough. But I was impressed none the less, the visors were quite advanced. The entire crew stepped out of the van and headed straight towards the entrance. There were two security personnel on duty. They were the biggest of all humanoid androids I¡¯ve ever seen. Eight feet tall bullet proof S.C 200s, armed with armor piercing rounds. I''ve never seen one in action and I sure as hell wouldn¡¯t want to see that now. They were the kind of thing you''d see on tv and not hope of seeing any in real life. They were fully automated robots infused with complex security AI, programed with the singular duty of protecting, and killing. Having an S.C 200 meant high chances of being shot for making even the slightest mistake. One among the pair gestured us to halt, stopping the entire crew as we were about to enter. No.1 stepped in to explain things. "The manager called us in, said there were issues with the plumbing?" "Please show us your I.D or any form of clearance." the robot responded politely. "I don¡¯t think that would be necessary." No.1 replied with a slight grin. "The manager was the one that ordered for our services, you could ask him yourself." "I¡¯m sorry sir, it''s against organizational policy. No appointment clearance, no entry." the robot replied gesturing that we leave the premises. The entire gang turned cold, we were nervous, not wanting to go away, but not also willing to get in a pointless dog fight with fully equipped cyber automatons. We all hurriedly stood out of the way, fortunately, I anticipated something like this could happen, now this is where I come in. No.1 approached me with a goober and slotted it into my Wrist-whiz. The safety mode virus was immediately lifted, granting me full and complete access to all hack tools. I was previously looking for a way around the virus, could mean good money If I figured out a way to replicate the computer bug. Don Montero pays good money for all his back-door software, it just turned out that¡¯s how I got caught. Don Montero, you see, is the very king of Synth city, he controlled all of organized crime starting from drugs all the way to body trafficking. The man owned an unlimited amount of information, dark shady secrets anyone would kill to get. And that¡¯s how I got caught. I came across a random leak of data containing information about a highly secured bank account. Now, my dumb ass should have been able to tell that it was a fucking honey pot, trying to lure me in, but then before I knew it, I got tracked down. Normally, you could make attempts to run when you got discovered, but it also turns out that Mr. Montero happened to have one of his lackeys hanging around. It only took mere minutes before they were able to catch me; the man was that well connected. Don Montero was going to skin me alive. But, in his words, said he was in a ''good mood'' that day, so he was willing to let me go, but on condition though. If I did a job for him, he was gonna let me go. I immediately accepted, my dumb ass thinking of ditching him as soon as he''d let me go. Turns out the guy had plans for insurance. And yeah, you''ve guessed it right. The moron planted a fucking bomb in my chest, and with my luck, it turns out that I wasn¡¯t the only one who had recently stepped on Montero''s fat ass. Yeah, starting from No.2 all the way to No.10, we all were potential suicide bombers. My Wrist-whiz chimed as I operated as quickly as I could. The entire crew were on edge, some paced about keeping an eye on the two large humanoid robots, giving us nervous stares. "Please, exit the bank premises," both S.C 200s approached slowly, their guns making a revving sound, warming up. "You have 30 seconds to leave, or else we''ll be forced to use extreme measures." "C''mon man, hurry the fuck up." No.7 said nervously bouncing at a spot, probably about to shit himself. " Hold on," I said operating as fast as I could. The tension was thick enough to be scissored. I didn''t have to see through everyone''s masks to see the sweat all over their foreheads; God knows I was drenched, not from rain though. "Almost done." Chapter 2: Shits hit the fan The entire S.C 200¡¯s system had weak fire walls but dangerous trip wires, one bad move and it wouldn''t take up to 5 seconds before you''re filled with holes. "Got it!" I yelled, clicking the last button. Both androids lowered their ballistics and returned to their posts. "What did you do to them?" No.7 asked, with his AI face tracked glare box visor, displaying a somewhat distorted constipated look. "Bought us a little more time," I said. ¡°Tricked the sensors while I was at it, but I¡¯m not sure for how long it¡¯ll last.¡± The entire crew, a bit unsure, approached the entrance with No.1 leading the way. They all verified if it was safe enough before stepping in, the door¡¯s I.D sensors didn¡¯t trigger, which was a good sign seeing that my trick worked. It was part protocol to carry an I.D issued by the bank with a chip embedded in it to enable safe passage. Fortunately, I found that out while I was breaking into those android¡¯s protocol pallet. Although, the entire ease that came with hacking through their security system kind of seem odd, but i didn''t bother to take it to heart. The bank''s interior was quite unexpectedly bigger than I thought, a bit deserted, but still filled with banking staffs lingering about. The receptionists all wore facemasks, beneath it a squeezed frown. It took me a while to notice the odor that lingered about, it was more horrible than I thought it would be. It all smelt like shit, the entire banking hall, explains the nose masks they all wore. I was pretty sure that those masks weren''t doing anything to prevent the odor. "Heard you have a plumbing situation?" No.1 said with a friendly grin. "Oh, the plumbers." the receptionist replied. "You were supposed to be here 45minutes ago." "My apologies, we had a bit off traffic on the way." "It''s ok," she replied. "If you''d come this way, please." She suggested, gesturing us to follow her down a narrow lobby across the main hall. She rambled on and on, on how they could''nt tend to customers due to the shit smell and other things I did not really bother to pay attention to. My entire attention was on the security cams and sensors. The bank did seem to be secured enough, living up to its expectations. Each door had a chip sensor and a palm print, all slightly old models. Old techs are hard to crack, too many technicalities involved. You will need to have, at least, come in contact with a registered chip or palm print in order to replicate their embedded codes and at this point, we had neither. I was smart enough to get close to the receptionist hoping that my Wrist-whiz would pick up her chip''s signal, then create an exact replica of it. We arrived before the restroom section. there was a large hovering sign, putting the restroom out of order, not that they necessarily had to, the smell was strong enough to ward anyone off. She took out her key card but then hesitates in slotting it in. "Is anything wrong?" No.1 asked. "Uhm, no. Sorry." The receptionist slots in the card but wouldn¡¯t open the door. "Ok, this is where I leave you to it. Please turn on the outlet vents when you''re done." She hurriedly struts away, trying to maintain composure but at the same time fleeing from whatever horror that was at the other side of the door. No.1 pushes the door slowly, then a strong wave of ghastly odor hits in. The entire crew gagged, No.7 not being able to hold it in had to take off his hazmat visor and vomits at a corner. Our reactions weren''t exaggerations, it was so bad you could actually feel it''s bitter taste at the back of your throat. Liquid brown substance oozing uncontrollably out of the door. The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation. "There''s no fucking way I''m going in there." said No.5. "Then you''d better have a much better alternative, then" No.1 responds. "Well, we don''t necessarily have to." I replied, pointing at the CCTV cameras. "I could just loop an empty footage and trick ''em into thinking the Hall''s empty." "How long''s it gonna take?" No.1 inquired. "A minute." I replied, tapping on my Wrist wizz. It might have been less than a minute, but I succeeded in breaking in. Finding the right footage was difficult, and it as turns out that after every minute that passes, the bank''s branch stores the video straight on their head data base. It''ll take a bit to be able to hack that. "We need an empty shot." I said to No.1. "An empty what?" No.1 asked. "We need an empty footage to loop. one without us in it." "So, we''ve gotta be out of camera range then?" No.4 asked from behind me. "Yeah." I replied back. No.1 stood silent for a while, trying to evaluate the entire situation. "Time''s running out boys. Don''t know about you guys but, I''m not ready to die, so if you''d fucking pick it up..." said No.5. "Do you ever shut up?" No.4 responded stepping towards No.5. "What the fuck did you say?" No.5 retaliates. "Stop it!" No.1 commanded. "You both stupid? We can''t attract unwanted attention, not now at least." Both retreated, stepping away from each other while being cautious about the security cameras. They still glared at each other ferociously, willing to reap each other apart but still restraining their selves. ¡°We just have to stay out of frame for a minute. That way, they wouldn¡¯t see what we¡¯re up to.¡± I said, trying to distract the tension. ¡°Alright then,¡± No.1 said. ¡°You and No.4 will wait here and do your thing. The rest of us will head out towards the truck. Just make sure to stay out of sight. Do all you can to look busy, just in case anyone gets suspicious.¡± The others headed out while No.4 and I stayed back. We were completely clueless on what next to do. We hoped the receptionist or other working personnel won¡¯t come snooping around. It took a while, but we were successful at last. It wasn¡¯t as hard as I thought it was going to be, all that remained was the next phase of the plan and we were done. We were given cause for worry after 5 minutes passed and the others still weren¡¯t back. No.4 headed out to check on them. I tapped patiently on Wrist-whizz, habitually hacking anything I could before they got back. Suddenly, there was a rapid gunshot at the hall way followed by screams. I was conflicted on whether I should go check or remain at my position. Might be the cops, I thought. I cross checked through my Wrist-wizz, all still seemed to be intact. No trip wires crossed, no activated silent alarms triggered, all systems seemed okay. What exactly was going on? A crackling noise distracted me from my contemplation, it was my radio. ¡°No.1 t¡­.do¡­.read?¡± the radio crackled. ¡°Hey, what¡¯s going on out there?¡± I asked as the radio shook vigorously in my sweaty palms. The frequency seemed off; I tried adjusting it while pacing around to get better reception. ¡°Hey, can you hear me?¡± the radio sounded again, this time clearer. ¡°Yeah, I can hear you now.¡± I responded. I couldn¡¯t completely tell, but it sounded like No.1 speaking. ¡°Meet us at the entrance hall way.¡± ¡°What¡¯s going on out there?¡± I asked, trying to keep composure. ¡°Just meet us at the fucking hallway.¡± the radio gave out a deafening yell. Chapter 3: Red mess The entire scenery showed how dire the situation got. With what just happened, we¡¯ll soon have armored vans at the main entrance, guns pointing, waiting to have at it. There was a body on the floor, drenched in its own blood. My heart skipped a beat when I saw a man in a hazmat suit struggling for breath as he gurgled on his blood, with all effort to cling unto life. Several of what seemed to be the man¡¯s colleagues, standing at gun point, all wore hazmat suits with less distorted identical faces exactly like ours. The newly uninvited guests were the people we were supposedly impersonating. The other team were supposed to handle the situation, they were supposed to stop them from ever making it to the bank. Seemed like they lacked in delivering. It¡¯s not been up to 5 minutes and the plan was already blowing over. Nothing I wouldn¡¯t be surprised of, you place several punks together to perform an organized heist, what do you expect? The supposedly original plumbers all stood frightened with both hands up, still standing at gun point. ¡°What the hell happened?¡± I inquired from No.1 who still seemed to be in shock. ¡°Lock all the doors, all the windows, everything, lock it all.¡± He yelled back, sweat displaying all over his face, his pistol shaking uncontrollably. I immediately understood what he was saying, he wanted the entire bank on a total lock down. I immediately accessed the bank¡¯s external security system, shutting down all the bank¡¯s servers that transmitted the security camera¡¯s feed directly to CLAW¡¯s main server. I activated a signal jammer, so there were no incoming or outgoing calls. I didn¡¯t think it would matter anymore. I was pretty sure several other sensors were triggered when there was a gun shot, and CLAW wasn¡¯t an organization to waste any more time, they¡¯ll soon be here, maybe the cops will later on follow. Putting the place in total lock down would merely buy us some time, the only options left was to either run, or finish the job. Of course, no one made any attempts to run for it, it was basically suicidal. The bombs in our chests were meant to trigger the moment we went too far from No.1, at least that''s what Montero said. I¡¯m not sure how it works, but I wasn¡¯t curious enough to find that out. It was a choice of death, whatever option we picked still echoed the same ending. Hacking the bank¡¯s main security vault was the option we had. It was one terrible odd against a more terrible odd. No.1 paced around a bit, checking his watch, as if expecting to find his answers there. ¡°Ok, we continue with the plan.¡± No.1 instructed suddenly, doing his best to maintain composure. ¡°No.3 and 4 will go crack the safe, while No.6 and 5 will head towards the roof, they¡¯ll alert us of any incoming¡± ¡°Wha¡¯ about us?¡± No.5 asked. ¡°What are we supposed to do?¡± ¡°We wait down here, crowd control.¡± No.1 responds. ¡°We¡¯ll also be welcoming any unwanted guests, just in case.¡± ¡°Hold on there, mate.¡± No.5 said adjusting his stance, sounding slightly aggressive than usual. ¡°So, you¡¯re saying that while we wait here, front line, the others will be having fun catching a view and breaking in where the cash is?¡± No.1, for a while, shook his head as he approached towards No.5, merely inches away from each other¡¯s digital faces. ¡°Let''s get one thing straight.¡± No.1 said sternly. ¡°For one, I am not your mate. Second, you fucking do as I tell you to without questioning or else I¡­¡± Before No.1 could complete his statement, there was a loud thudding sound of a gun''s butt ramming into someone¡¯s jaw followed by a small crack sound. No.1 dropped to the floor unconscious, his visor glitching. ¡°What the fuck do you think you¡¯re doing?¡± No.4 yelled from behind pointing his gun at No.5, No.5 turned and did the same. ¡°Oh, you shouldn¡¯t do that mate.¡± Said No.5, while wearing a mischievous grin at the edge if his lips. He pulled back the safety switch, his index finger gradually pressing on the trigger. ¡°Ok, that¡¯s enough.¡± Yelled No.7, trying to intervene. Then a loud bang echoed through the hall once more. It all happened so fast. It was within a plank of a second, brain matter splattered all over the shiny white-tilled floor. No.7 dropped to the ground, lifeless. ¡°What the fuck, man?¡± I yelled, both hands behind my head in distress. No.5 immediately pointed the gun towards me. No.4 stood still, his gun still pointing at No.5, not shooting or making any form of action. He just froze there. I stood still, trying as much as I could not shit myself; there was enough shit the bank could handle at this point, I wouldn''t like to add to it. ¡°Shhh¡± he crossed his finger over his lips. ¡°Fatty¡¯s got a loud mouth don¡¯t ya think? I wouldn¡¯t want to see that beautiful Jacking brain of yours all over the floor now, would I?¡± ¡°If you won¡¯t shoot him, I will.¡± No.9 stepped forward pointing at No.5, but then No.5 reacted just in time to point at No.1, still unconscious. You could be reading stolen content. Head to the original site for the genuine story. ¡°Oh, easy there lad. You know what happens if I shoot him, right?¡± No.5 asked in a raspy voice. ¡°Well, that means you¡¯ll be dead too, deep shit.¡± No.9 replied. ¡°Ah,¡± responded No.5. ¡°I don¡¯t mind dying mate. In fact, us dying all comes down to what happens next. You pull that trigger and his head gets lead. Then all of you, he said pointing his gun at the hostages all crouched on the floor. ¡°There¡¯s no way you¡¯ll be able to make it out of here alive.¡± Said No.2. ¡°Nah mate, I think I¡¯ll live.¡± No.5 responded, wearing a smug smile on his face. Then there was a sudden shuffle beneath where No 5 stood. ¡°Nah, I don¡¯t think you will, mate.¡± No.1 spoke, his gun beneath No.5''s jaw. We were caught off guard by No.1 regaining consciousness. He must have been awake the whole time, pretending, no one knew for sure what exactly was going on at this point. No.1 had his gun pressed beneath No.5¡¯s chin. ¡°Oh fu..¡± No.5 never got to finish his statement before the trigger went off. His body fell lifeless on the ground, red mist lingered for a brief while before dispersing. No.1 got to his feet a bit dazed, feeling his jaw and wiping off the brain matter that sticked on his glitching hazmat visor. His display visor seemed to flicker from time to time, there was a small crack from where No.5 hit him. ¡°Fucking douche bag.¡± Said No.1. ¡°Almost knocked my teeth out.¡± No.1 checked his wrist. He looks up at everyone and then looked down again. We were all frozen at a spot, no one was shocked or bothered by No.5 biting a bullet, on the contrary we were all glad. He was a wild card, right from the beginning no one liked him. The guy killed one of his team mates without any hesitation, he could turn on anyone again. No.1 sighed and paced around for a bit, then looked at the hostages all on their knees, some, with their hands clasped together praying. Others just sat, staring, the others, the guys in the yellow hazmat still at gun point. ¡°This complicates things a bit,¡± No.1 said, pointing at the bodies then at the Bank''s staffs. He looks at his watch again, then approached me. ¡°The security alarms, they were triggered right?¡± ¡°Yeah,¡± I replied. ¡°I couldn¡¯t disable it completely, cause if I did then¡­¡± ¡°I know,¡± he raises his hand stopping me from explaining further. ¡°I guess we¡¯ll just have to go with plan-B then.¡± ¡°Plan B?¡± No.4 inquired. ¡°What¡¯s plan-B?¡± He approaches me again, this time pulling me aside. ¡°How long is it gonna take you to crack the safe?¡± He whispered quietly. ¡°Am not sure,¡± I responded hesitantly. ¡°But probably 30 minutes.¡± ¡°Ok,¡± he nods his head reassuringly, as if finding reason to be hopeful again. ¡°30 minutes should be enough.¡± ¡°Although,¡± I added, scratching the back of my head. ¡°I¡¯ll have to be completely jacked in.¡± ¡°I don¡¯t understand. You mean like a dive log?¡± No.1 asked. ¡°Yeah.¡± I replied. ¡°So, what¡¯s the problem?¡± ¡°Well, I¡¯ll have to take off the visor.¡± I replied. He kept still for a while, considering the risks involved in this. It would be deadly revealing my identity to the others. This entire heist was supposed to keep us anonymous to each other, but for one to make use of a jack box, I¡¯ll have to take off the hazmat hood. ¡°Alright, everyone, take of the hazmat suit.¡± No.1 ordered. ¡°What?¡± No.6 asked. ¡°No questions, just do what i tell you to do.¡± The others stared at each other, not sure on what exactly to do. No.1 unzips his suit and takes it off. The entire scene went from intense to absolute chaotic confusion¡ª No.1 was a lady, a quite tall lady. ¡°Everyone, take off your masks.¡± No.1 ordered again a bit sternly. No one made a move to obey, our jaws were all over the floor in surprise. ¡°Take the fucking mask off!¡±She yelled once more, this time, able to shake off the flabbergasted look we all had on our faces. ¡°What about the hostages?¡± No.6 asked, ¡°They¡¯ll see our faces.¡± ¡°Yeah?¡± No.1 responded. ¡°Well, your face should be the last thing you should be worrying about right now.¡± ¡°Look, I''m not gonna put my safety in no bitch¡¯s hands.¡± No.6 responded with a sneer. ¡°In case you forgot,¡± No.1 responds heading towards No.6. ¡°This bitch already has your life in her hands.¡± ¡°Nah, not you. You don¡¯t have the controls.¡± Said No.6 confronting No.1. ¡°Last I checked, Don Montero¡¯s got the controls, not you.¡± ¡°You really wanna test that theory?¡± No.1 responded in an intimidating tone tapping at some buttons on her watch. The atmosphere once again grew tense everyone adjusted their stance, others swallowed harder than they could. From the way I was looking at it, no one was left with the choice of complying, or not. If what Montero said was true, and if she really was his right-hand man, then she served as a representative to Don Montero and I was sure to assume that Don Montero would certainly give her the bomb implant controls. Chapter 4: Into the Deep It took a while but No.6 eventually complied, we all did. It was like, once again, working with strangers. The entire crew, without the hazmat masks on, felt like a whole different team. The virtual visor and voice manipulating tech really did a great job of masking everyone¡¯s identity. It turns out that we all sounded like the direct opposite off what we all actually looked or sounded like. No.6, 9 and 2 all had black dragon tattoos at the left part of their faces followed by buzz cuts baring their serial numbers, could only mean they were sleepers (killers for hire). No.8 was more slender, scrawny even. He looked like he hasn¡¯t had any sleep in days, I suspect he¡¯s an addict. No.10 was the normal looking one amongst us. He had no tattoos or body status that made him seem like a punk. He was an average looking guy, he was the driver, but I still couldn''t wrap my head around how he got himself into a situation like this. Everyone except for No.4 took off their masks. He seemed to not have any interest in revealing his identity. "What about him?" No.6 asked pointing at No.4. "Isn''t he gonna take his off?" "He''s less important in this case." No.1 replied sharply, trying to avert any further questions. "You two are with me, the rest of you will..." "What the fuck is that supposed to mean?" No.6 asked, his voice reverberating throughout the hall way. "Why does he get special treatments, huh?" "We all took off the masks, risking our ID''s. It''d be fair if we all shared the risk." No.10 spoke out with a slight hesitation in his voice. "If am getting fucked by the authorities or CLAW, everyone should share in the consequences," No.6 added. "So you better take off the mask or I''ll do it myself." said No.6 pointing at No.4. I don''t know if it was just purely based on instinct or a well calculated strategy, but No.4 pulled his gun out on No.6. No.6 immediately draws his in response. No.1 followed also, but pointing hers on 6. The two other sleepers pulled out on both No.1and 4. It was only a matter of time before everyone had their guns out. It was basically a Mexican standoff. I had no idea who to pull out on, so I just stood there, cluelessly staring. "Put the gun down." Said No.1 through clenched teeth." "You know I have no problem dying right?" No.6 responds. "I won''t tell you again." said No.1flipping the safety switch. "Then why don''t you tell him to do that first?" he said nudging his head towards No.4''s direction. No.1 knew it would cause more ruckus if she allowed No.4 keep his mask on. "Take it off." No.1 said, her gun still pointed at No.6. No.4 still stood, his gun pointing at No.6. "Take the fucking mask off, now!" No.1 yelled once more. Hesitantly, No.4 puts his gun back in its holster, everyone did the same. No.4 unzips his hazmat hood and takes it off. "What the fuck?!" No.6 commented. It was like staring at a mirror. No.4, for some reason, looked exactly like No.1. She was the absolute flawless copy of her. "What the fuck is this thing?" No.6 asked in amusement. "She''s my sister," No.1 replied defensively. "So everyone should back off with the questions." It took us a while before everyone recovered from the unexpected surprise, but we all still stared. I''ve seen identical twins before, but this just seemed beyond that. No.4 and 1 seemed way more identical, almost like a perfect clone. "No.8, 6, and 9 will come with me towards the roof. No.4 will go with 3 to the vault. the rest of you will be on crowd control." No.1 ordered. "Any questions?" she asked. No one seemed to oppose, the plan seemed ok to some point. "Sooner or later, that door''s gonna get stormed by either CLAW or the cops. Our top priority is buying more time for No.3 to break into the vault. The sooner we''re done, the quicker we can get out of here." No.1 further elaborated. "If the door gets blocked, then how are we gonna get out?" No.6 asked. "I''m already working on that." No.1 replied. "Working on that?" said No.9. "So, there was no escape plan to start with?" "In case you forgot," No.1 responds. "I''ve also got the same stick up my ass, if you haven''t noticed. You think any one of us wanna get caught?" No.9 stays silent. "Alright then boys," she added. "Let''s get to work." No.4 and I headed straight for the vault. I hacked through the first door then disabled the electrical counter measure for the vaults entrance. The room was poorly lit with a greenish hue that seemed to glow periodically. There were so many deposit boxes covering all walls, all in hexagonal shapes, it was like a bee hive. "Help me look around," I said to No.4. "See if you can find any port-hole." She nods in response. I began searching on my side. We looked around for what seemed to be over 10 minutes. "Over here." No.4 yelled; I rushed towards where she stood. She was somehow able to pry open a floor board, and concealed beneath it, was a port-hole. "Whoaw!" I explaimed silently. "How did find that?" I asked. "No one could have seen that." "The floor felt empty under here when I stepped on it," she replied blankly. I put down the tool box and took out My Jackbox. "How long have you been doing this?" No.4 asked. "For as long as I can remember, I guess." I responded. She stared quietly as I setup the gadget with the port inlet. "So, you and your sister," I said a bit careful on my next words. "You''ve done bank jobs before?" "Not really, no." she replied. "So this your first gig then?" I asked again. "You could say that." she replied hesitantly. Her response gave me hints on how I was over stepping my bounds, I had to stop with the questions. I successfully set up everything, what''s left was to Jack in. "This thing must be running with tons of data per second" I mumbled. "Is that a bad thing?" No.4 asked. "Sort of." I replied. "I have no idea what''s in there, so I''ve gotta be really really careful." The Jackbox whined as I switched it on. It took a bit of a minute to give the green light, I never thought about it, but I was invading an unpredictable mainframe so it took me a while to mentally prepare myself. I tried to control my trembling hands, but failed at all efforts. Not from fear though, but from excitement. "Hey," No.4 said. "You ok?" she asked. "Yeah." I replied with a nod. "You got this." She said reassuringly. I connected the headgear then put it on. It was all black at first, then a sudden jolt dragged me in, as if pulling me out of my body and drowning me in a deep dark ocean. I looked at my transparent hands just to be sure I jacked in successfully. There wasn''t much activity going on, there were a couple of strings intertwined, moving wildly at different angles. There was nothing above or below, but the data string went all the way downwards. I had to Jack deeper. Jacking can be quite dangerous at times. You''ll come across security protocols and commands stationed to restrain direct access into a database. The entire process made use of signal transmitters wirelessly connected directly to your brain. Depending on the type of head gear you''re using, you were limited to how deep you jacked in or what you did in there¡ª go too deep, and that can lead to you exceeding your device''s limit and then bricking your brain. Bricking either means you''d go mental or probably die, it''s like loosing your mind to the deep web, there was no way of recovery after being bricked. I jacked a little deeper, then a glint of light sparkled from a far distance. I jacked in a bit towards the glinting light. It was the most rarest thing I''ve ever seen, spider-network. A spider-network was considered a gem in the world of cyber space, gain access to one, and you gain access to data beyond imagining. For an individual or organization to own one, you''d have a lot of dirty work you want to keep hidden, things that can never be found except by you. A spider-net is well secured due to it''s ability to change encryption codes at an instant while simultaneously transferring data at high speed. The entire net was quite more unpredictable than I thought. I reached in closer, but the more I did, the strands kept pressing towards me. it seemed like a defense mechanism of some sort. To me, it only meant one thing, I have to avoid the the strands of strings else, the consequences could be dire. I didn''t know what it would do to me, but it sure as hell would hurt. I scanned the entire mainframe for a pathway, or maybe a small crack I could slip through. The gaps were too small for me to go through, even if I tried a compression program in the Jackbox''s virtual utility tool, it still wouldn''t work. This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it I analyzed the network of strings and made an unexpected discovery. There was a pattern, but there has to be an external stimuli for it activate. I tried several viruses and bots but they didn''t seem to do much effect to it. It was a smart system, what ever program it was that controlled the entire system. I''ll have to trick it into thinking I was trying to breach in, without having to breach in myself. I accessed the Jackbox''s utility and made a bot infused with a short AI code. It''s a little trick I once used. although I got shut off using it, but this time, there was a bit of a modification to it. The idea of it was to trick the computer into thinking that I was striking from the front while I sneak in through the back. It previously failed because of the AI codes running through the bot. The security AI was able to identify my decoy as a fake and imediately pulled a safety switch shutting down all systems. Now, in the newly improved version, I ran a short line of code. The code was written in an old programing language called ''JAVA'', it was considered a big deal back during it''s age - now, it''s just a bulky load of laggy trash. I crossed my semi translucent fingers, hoping it works. I wrapped the bot in a code similar to my virtual form. The Trojan decoy sailed closer to the webbed walls of the system. It touched a strand and the entire system''s strings all concentrated and wrapped around the decoy, leaving enough space for me to pass through from the back. Upon successful entry, I immediately came across an anti-malware bot. I froze still, trying not to attract its attention. I accessed my Jack box utility tools and scrolled as fast as I could, looking for something I could use, anything. If I was caught by this malware bot, it could mean the end of the line for me. With immediate urgency, I applied a code around me, a false identity. Remember the code I stole from the receptionist? Yeah, it was a life saver. The anti-malware bot immediately identified me as a staff and ignored me. It would have been easier and safer if I just used the I D code from the very start to just get in, but there was a problem with that technique. If I did succeed in doing so, I might trigger suspicion from the system''s main server seeing that I''m using an identity that wasnt given deep access to the database, which will later on pull a failsafe on me. But since I''m already in the system''s core. it''ll just do a recognition scan rather than a permission scan. Easy right? All the strands of data flowed to a central inner circle. The core of the computer''s mainframe. If anything, I could just tap directly from it, but that would be way too risky, and stupid. I enabled a medium to link myself and the mainframe so as to tap from it without having to overload. A medium is more of like a stabilizer, it regulates the amount of data you access directly to you. Think of it as a step-down transformer regulating electricity. If you get too much power, you die. It usually isn''t advisable, as at so many instances, mediums tend to be faulty. The moment I tapped from the mainframe, instantly, a sharp jolting pain ran through my head. It was the worst I''ve ever come across. Usually, connecting into a mainframe came with a minor discomfort before it gradually recalibrates within a few seconds. This one didn''t seem to be regulating anything. The entire place gradually glowed red, I didn''t know what that meant, but I sure as hell knew it wasn''t a good sign. I checked the Jackbox status, I had my suspicions but I needed to be sure about it. I was right, the Jackbox was over heating, it was being pushed beyond its limits trying to regulate data flow, but it just couldn''t keep up. Meanwhile, my head kept frying. I tried as much as possible to maintain my sanity and get the access codes before the Jackbox gives out. Fortunately, it was easy to get. At first, I was hesitant on what it was, but then it became even more clearer. This safety deposit box we were trying to open carried the most powerful and most dangerous object ever known to exist within the 30th century. They were Chroma-rocs, powerful tiny crystals, when fused together, make a big ass reactor capable of powering the largest blaster(nuke) to ever exist. I''ve only heard about it, but have never seen one before, and not to even mention how there were so many gathered at a spot. I didn''t have enough time to think it through, so, I just pried it open. Then I caught a glimpse of something else, I immediately knew what this was, it was a shorter. It just turns out It came at the most convenient moment it could ever. I turned it on and scanned around for tiny signals within the bank, it was like a more specific form of an EMP. It wasn''t at all hard to use, so, it was successful, time to ball out. The strings were up again. It''s like I thought. getting out was going to be harder than I thought. I tried my old decoy trick again, but it just didn''t seem to work. I was running out of time, I needed to Jackout as soon as I could, my brain was already frying at this point. I used the medium once more, the pain was far worse than before, I triggered the fail safe, but this time, giving me a 10 seconds head start. Immediately, the spinning web froze still. I dashed out as quickly as I could. It was the fastest I had ever swum. I focused more on reaching the top than bothering about the consequences of triggering the fail safe. The entire strings started to snap. Little by little, the Spider-net began crashing. I successfully reached Porting range then immediately Jacked out. I hastily took of the helmet and fell to the ground; my vision was blurry. No.4 wasn''t there. there were loud muffling sounds. They sounded like gunshots, and lots of it. I tried to sit up. The little i could make out were the few dark drops on the now white tilled floor. I felt a bit of wetness on my nose. it was blood, and it didn''t seem to stop flowing. I looked around, the Jackbox box was at the exact corner where I left it, only that there was a faint flickering flame on it. I wasn''t sane enough to understand everything, but I could tell there was a lot going on. I crawled towards the door, barely reaching the main hall. The banging got louder. The jolting pain kicked in again, blood streamed out of my nose once more. I fell to the ground, surrendering to what seemed to be a forcefully induced sleep. I could see lots of heavy boots clopping, approaching me, some surrounded me, touching me. I couldn''t make out everything, but they were the last thing I saw. Chapter 5: Jack Mystery I found myself, once again, drifting within the port. This time, I was at the middle of the net. I wasn''t sure how, but I seemed to access the mainframe without using any medium, and it didn''t hurt this time. Before me, were files scattered all over the place. Confidential files that were all heavily secured individually, I tried prying one of them open, but the locks seemed to be holding quite well. Then a green hovering orb floated right before me, reaching straight for me. I backed off a little, cautious of this alien object. I observed it closely, it seemed to mirror my head''s movement. I had absolutely no idea what this thing was. "It wouldn''t hurt if I found out, would it?" I thought. I reached for it and touched. Immediately, a chilling sensation ran through me, jolting me inwards. I tried to take my hands off it, but couldnt. In mere seconds, I was sucked into some sort of port. My vision was a bit hazy, the only thing I could make out was the bright ultra-light, beaming on my face. I glanced around, trying to make sense of where I was. I tried moving my body, but couldn''t. There were restraining straps clipped all over my body. A whirring sound activated, the platform which I was strapped to seemed to bend and adjust into a chair like position. There was huge glassed wall in front of me, beeping computers and life support equipment on each side, beeping endlessly. I looked harder by the far-right corner, there was a man, he seemed to be sitting at the extreme corner of the room. I couldn''t make out his face, the room was poorly lit. But I did make out the hem of his trousers. He was dressed in corporate outfit, black suit pants and a blazer, I could only assume how he looked like. "It''s about time, No.3" said the man at the corner. "Or should I say Jason Scotch, alias, JXon339." I was still yet to recover complete awareness of the situation or how I got here in the first place, but the moment my name was mentioned, I got more fixated on what his next words would be. "Oh, don''t act all so surprised." The man added, nonchalantly waving away his hand. "We know all about you. I''m a big fan of your work, you see." The man added enthusiastically. ¡°Who would have thought that the great JXon339 was just a young 22-year-old boy, strapped to a recliner in a lab. The world would be quite disappointed, you know.¡± ¡°Oh yeah?¡± I responded. ¡°Seriously, how did you do it?¡± The man asked sharply. ¡°Am curious.¡± ¡°Could you be more specific?¡± ¡°How did you break into a 700-yottabyte computer mainframe and even get the chance to disable the bomb implants in your chest, with this?¡± the man asked revealing a damaged Jackbox on a small table. ¡°This piece of ancient junk isn¡¯t normally capable of even hacking¡­ anything for that matter.¡± He added mockingly. "Who are you again?" I managed to ask. "Oh, where are my manners?" The man in suit responded, approaching the glass wall that separated us. "I believe you''ve heard of us before. We are the Cybernetic Enforcement Agency" "What?" I mumbled still dazed. "I''ve never heard of you guys before." "Oh?" The man said raising an eye brow. "Months of frequent hacking of our systems and you''ve never heard of our real name? We are commonly known to your kind as CLAW." I had nothing in mind to say. All I thought of was what exactly did CLAW want with me? Was their plan to do away with me? If so, why was I still alive? "I bet you''re wondering why you are still in our custody and not dead." He said, walking back to his dark corner again. "You plan on jailing me?" I guessed wildly, while I squinted my eyes, trying to avoid the light that shone directly at my face. "Ha!" the man yelped, amusedly slapping his lap. "Why would we want to lock you up? What good would that do us? It''d be better if we just shot you at the spot where you lay, it''d be way more satisfying that way." "What is it then? You want your Chroma-roc, well I don''t have it.¡± I spoke. "Oh, you mean this Chroma-roc" he said, waving a very small familiar container. "Yeah, we pried it from your almost dead body, I believe it was your objective, wasn''t it?" "Then what the fuck do you want?¡± I asked. "Well, you have something else of ours." said the man in suit, adjusting his blazer. "Something far more valuable than Chroma-rocs" Stolen story; please report. "What''s that?" I inquired curiously. "To be honest, I''m not quite sure myself." "What?" I asked again, this time more pissed off. "You see, you stole something from us just recently." "Then just tell me what it is god damn it." I yelled with the little strength I could muster. "Please do calm down Mr. Jason." "Just tell me what you want, and I''ll give it to you." I said, trying to exercise restrain. "And can someone get this stupid light off my face." The man waved a hand, then someone walks in. A lady wearing a quite familiar face, it was No.1, maybe No.4, I couldn''t tell which, but it sure was one of them. "No.4?" I said with my jaw dropped. "What are you doing here?" I asked. she said nothing but adjust the light, taking it off my face. "What are you doing here?" I demanded again, but got no answer. She walks out as quickly as she could, avoiding eye contact. "What is she doing here?" I asked the man. "Oh, you mean No.4?" The man asked cheerfully, as if expecting me to ask. "Or was it No.1? I honestly find their identity confusing. She works here, you see." "Works here?" I asked even more amused. "I¡­i don''t understand" I stuttered. "Well, simply put," the man said clearing his throat. "Don Montero, you see, owes HY-MAX a huge, very huge sum of money. Seeing that he couldn''t get to pay all of it at once, we decided to give him a chance to settle his debt. We simply wanted him to assemble a team of people like you¡­¡± he suddenly breaks off. ¡°Scratch that. Miscreants like yourself, to rob HY-MAX." ¡°Hold on,¡± I said, trying to process everything. ¡°I don¡¯t get it. Why would you do that?" I asked curiously. "Well, to test our recent prototypes." "Prototypes?" ¡°I don¡¯t think I owe any further explanation to you, Mr. Jason.¡± The man sighed. ¡°Well, I think I deserve one.¡± I responded sternly. He made a long sigh and spoke. "The lady who just came it, you see, is an AI infused android, capable of mimicking human behavior. We wanted to see how it''ll behave in terms of leading a whole team, and how it''ll react if it was in a real team. All was supposed to go as planned, until you ruined it with your little exploits. Results didn''t come as it was supposed to, but we''re still working on it." ¡°Wow,¡± I said with a weak laugh. ¡°That¡¯s some serious BS right there.¡± ¡°You don¡¯t believe me?¡± he asked. ¡°If you¡¯re gonna lie, at least put in the effort.¡± ¡°Oh, so you think I¡¯ll intentionally expose a partnering company as HY-MAX at the mouth of jeopardy, just so I could lure you out? Send a band of unpredictable thugs inside a highly secured vault filled with priceless data and still later on lie to you about this little thing?¡± Said the man in a more serious tone. The place went silent. It took me a while to process the entire thing. It started to make more sense now. The anonymous tip I thought Don Montero lured me in with, it was an S graded account, only a select few had access to an S graded account. When I thought about it deeply, even Montero wouldn¡¯t have access to such data. And even if he did, he would have used it for himself. How could I be so careless? I was so caught up on how terrible the situation was that I forgot to think it through. "So how do I come into all this?" I asked, my throat slightly dried. "You," the man said crossing his legs. "Went outside of the plan. You touched something in our highly secured mainframe. You were able to, somehow, drain data directly from our database without even knowing it. 35% of everything stored there,¡± he snaps his finger. ¡°Gone in an instant." "But I didn''t do anything, I didn''t take anything from there. all I did was access the safe''s access codes" I replied, more confused than before. The man pointed at the damaged equipment on the table. "Well, your Jackbox thingy said you did." "Then take, the damn thing. If what you want is in there, take it." The man smirked and sat back on his sit. "You of all people know that Jackboxes don''t store data. they only interpret them. What we are looking for is right inside..." The man said nothing but tap his temple twice. "My head?" I asked puzzled. "Bingo!" "But that''s not possible, it''s never happened before..." I said stuttering in confusion. "Oh, but in your case, it did." the man said. "Look, I don''t have time for all these long stories, but you''ll have to collaborate with us sooner or later.¡± He added buttoning his blazer. ¡°Do you know that millions have been spent on research, trying to accomplish what you did? Somehow, you were able to accomplish generations of research in a single instant, you were able to accomplish a complete and perfect Biocomputing. You''ll have to tell us how you did it, whether you like it or not." The man heads towards the door. "I''ll be back. So, think it through." "Then what do I get from all this?" "I don''t think you get it, Jason." The man turned towards me. "You''ll get to keep your life." he said more sternly. "She''ll keep you company while am away," He gestures in No1/No.4; I didn¡¯t know which one it was at this point. "You kids play nice." He said with a smug smile then walks out. No.1 stared at the floor, not wanting to come in contact of me. "So, if I''m guessing, you''re No.4." She nods, still staring down, playing with her fingers. "You''ve gotta be fucking kidding me." I said laughing. "Well, they did a great Job making you." I added. She finally looks up with a much more blank expression. "I know you feel like am not the same person as before but..." "That''s because you''re not." I yelled. "You''re just a program." She says nothing but stare at the floor again. It honestly was an uncomfortable situation, considering the fact that I was used for a test experiment. It still felt awkward speaking to a robot like it was an actual person. Hell, I even felt guilty for yelling at her, to some point. "What is he talking about?" I asked in a gentler tone. "He knows you''re dangerous." she said. "And you kinda know a lot about CLAW already, so it''s gonna be hard for him to let you go." "I told you people, I don''t know shit." I responded sternly. "Well, he doesn''t believe you, but I do." she replied. "Yeah, like that counts for something." I said with immediate regret. "So, what are my options?" I asked. "You have none." She said, this time staring straight at me. "It will be logical if you accepted." I sat quiet. I''ve never been caught in a situation as this. I always had my way around things, but this time, the only path I saw was a straight single lane highway leading to so many possible events to come. And I am one who hates to leave my life to chances. Chapter 6: The meeting The elevator chimed softly, its metallic hum a stark contrast to the tension building within Mr. R. He adjusted his tie, straightened his lapel, and took a deep breath before stepping out into the corridor. The walls were sleek and reflective, lit by cold, white LEDs that seemed to stretch endlessly. At the end of the hall stood a door etched with the company¡¯s logo, a clawed hand clutching a globe, its fingers twisting like wires. He paused before the biometric scanner, his hand hovering over it for a moment. Composure, R. They¡¯re waiting. With a sharp exhale, he pressed his palm against the panel. A soft beep and a hiss later, the door slid open. Inside, the conference room was bathed in an artificial glow, the kind that strained the eyes but left no shadows. The absurdly wide rectangular table dominated the space, flanked by holographic screens displaying live feeds of global news, market trends, and data flows. Five holographic figures flickered at the far end of the table, their forms translucent and glitching slightly as they moved. Conversations halted the moment he entered. All eyes¡ªor rather, simulated representations of them¡ªturned toward him. ¡°Ladies and gentlemen,¡± Mr. R said, bowing slightly. His tone was formal, almost mocking, as he walked toward the table. ¡°You¡¯re late,¡± snapped the gruff figure on the left, his hologram leaning forward as if to emphasize his displeasure. The table rippled faintly as his projection slammed a ghostly fist onto it. ¡°My apologies,¡± Mr. R replied, his voice smooth as silk. ¡°It seems I underestimated how long your collective rage could simmer.¡± The gruff man¡¯s form flickered violently. ¡°You¡¯ve got a lot to answer for.¡± ¡°I¡¯m sure I do.¡± Mr. R slid into a chair near the table¡¯s corner, his posture casual. ¡°You¡¯re aware of what happened at the bank,¡± the feminine figure said. Her voice was icy, each word sharpened to a blade¡¯s edge. ¡°If you¡¯re referring to the breach, then yes, I am.¡± ¡°Breach?¡± the gruff man spat. ¡°We lost 300 million dules¡¯ worth of critical data because of you! That¡¯s not a breach¡ªthat¡¯s a disaster!¡± ¡°And,¡± the figure at the far end of the table added, his voice calm but carrying an unmistakable weight, ¡°you authorized the deactivation of security protocols that allowed this to happen.¡± Mr. R leaned back, crossing his arms. ¡°I did.¡± ¡°You¡¯re admitting to it?¡± the feminine voice cut in, her hologram tilting slightly as if leaning forward. Help support creative writers by finding and reading their stories on the original site. ¡°I am,¡± Mr. R said. ¡°Because it was necessary for the test run. I never accounted for a foreign variable entering the equation.¡± ¡°A variable?¡± The gruff man¡¯s form buzzed with anger. ¡°You mean to tell us you didn¡¯t see this coming? You, of all people, caught off guard?¡± Mr. R¡¯s expression hardened. ¡°What I mean to tell you is that no system is perfect, no algorithm flawless. The breach wasn¡¯t a failure of foresight. It was an anomaly, one that no amount of planning could have predicted.¡± ¡°You sound remarkably defensive for someone who¡¯s under scrutiny,¡± said the feminine figure. ¡°Enough,¡± the leader interrupted. His calm voice silenced the room. ¡°R, we¡¯re not here to trade barbs. We need solutions. You mentioned an asset in your initial report. Explain.¡± Mr. R stood and reached into his pocket, retrieving a small, round device. He placed it at the center of the table, and a beam of light shot upward. The hologram of a human brain materialized, glowing faintly as data points blinked across its surface. ¡°This,¡± he said, stepping back, ¡°is our asset.¡± ¡°What are we looking at?¡± the gruff man asked. ¡°A live scan of a human brain,¡± Mr. R replied. ¡°This individual¡¯s mind absorbed the data during the breach. Every byte of it.¡± The room fell silent. ¡°Impossible,¡± the feminine voice said at last. ¡°No one has ever achieved Cyber Brain Dyad. Not even with the most advanced implants.¡± ¡°That¡¯s just it,¡± Mr. R said, gesturing toward the hologram. ¡°This wasn¡¯t achieved with implants. The brain is completely organic.¡± ¡°How?¡± the leader asked, leaning forward slightly. Mr. R pointed to the glowing yellow spikes across the hologram. ¡°These represent neural activity during the breach. The brain essentially acted as a sponge, pulling in data from the digital stream. We¡¯re not sure how, but it seems this individual has an unprecedented ability to interface with technology.¡± The gruff man grunted. ¡°And yet, you let this person walk away?¡± ¡°Not exactly.¡± Mr. R¡¯s lips curled into a faint smile. ¡°The subject is under observation. Discreetly, of course.¡± ¡°And what do they know?¡± the feminine voice asked. ¡°Nothing,¡± Mr. R said. ¡°The individual is completely unaware of what happened.¡± The leader straightened. ¡°Good. This remains classified. No one outside this room is to know about this.¡± ¡°Agreed,¡± the feminine figure said. ¡°Ay,¡± grumbled the gruff man reluctantly. The leader nodded. ¡°You have full approval to proceed. Focus all resources on this project. Everything else is secondary.¡± ¡°As you wish.¡± Mr. R bowed slightly as the holograms began to fade, one by one. When the last figure vanished, the room felt colder, emptier. Mr. R glanced at the drones hovering near the walls, their weapons powered down, now idle. Reaching into his pocket, he retrieved a small device and flicked it on. A faint smile tugged at his lips as he read the encrypted message displayed on the screen: //Subject secured. All systems operational. Awaiting further orders. ¡°Checkmate,¡± he muttered, slipping the device back into his pocket. Without another glance, he strode out of the room and into the elevator. As the doors closed, he tapped the back of his neck. His face shimmered, morphing; his short hair elongated, cascading down to his shoulders. His chest subtly shifted, broader and fuller. By the time the elevator hummed into motion, it wasn¡¯t Mr. R standing there¡ªit was a woman. Clearing her throat, she spoke, her voice a rich, confident tone distinct from before. ¡°It all went as planned, Mr. R¡± she said, her words calm and composed. ¡°They bought every bit of it.¡± ¡°Well done, No. 1,¡± came the reply through the concealed earpiece. ¡°Head back to base. We have a lot to discuss.¡± ¡°Aye, captain,¡± she replied, ending the feed with a satisfied smirk as the elevator continued its descent. Chapter 7: White Cell Jace''s POV My semi-translucent fingers hovered over the scattered files, each one floating weightlessly in front of me. I scrolled through them carefully, conscious of every tap and swipe. One wrong move, and I might trigger something I wasn¡¯t ready for. ¡°You¡¯re running out of time,¡± a familiar voice echoed in my head. Urgent, insistent. ¡°Hasten up!¡± I exhaled sharply. ¡°Well, your nagging isn¡¯t helping.¡± I hoped she heard me, though I doubted it made a difference. For one thing, she wasn¡¯t wrong¡ªI was running out of time. The problem was, I hadn¡¯t gotten anywhere useful. Nothing substantial. Nothing relevant. The more I searched, the more hopeless it all seemed. Frustration burned inside me. I wasn¡¯t just out of time in here¡ªI was out of time out there too. My success in retrieving these files dictated how soon I could regain my freedom. And at this rate? I wasn¡¯t going to see the sunlight anytime soon. ¡°I¡¯m pulling you out,¡± the voice announced, firm and decisive. ¡°Don¡¯t!¡± I yelled in desperation. ¡°Just give me one more minute!¡± I hastened my search, but there was only so much speed I could push without consequences. Too fast, and I¡¯d fry my own brain. Too slow, and I¡¯d run out of time. Either way, I was walking a razor¡¯s edge. ¡°Stop! You¡¯re rushing it!¡± The voice now carried absolute concern. A sudden jolt shot through my entire body, like a thousand volts of electricity surging through my nerves. My head snapped back, my vision darkened. For a few terrifying moments, the world around me ceased to exist. Then, slowly, the haze lifted. My sight returned, though blurred. My ears rang, muffling the worried voices surrounding me. My body felt numb, sluggish. Silhouettes loomed nearby, their mouths moving, but the words were lost in the fog clouding my senses. I reached out, fingers curling around the cool surface of a glass. I took a small sip of No.4¡¯s latest attempt at making lemonade. It wasn¡¯t as bad as her previous attempts. Either she was getting better at it, or my taste buds were simply giving up. ¡°How is it?¡± No.4 asked, her tone bordering on concern. I rubbed my temples, my head still throbbing. ¡°Well, my head feels like¡ª¡± ¡°The lemonade,¡± she interrupted, narrowing her artificial eyes. I smirked. ¡°Oh. I wouldn¡¯t say it¡¯s entirely bad¡ªI wouldn¡¯t want to hurt your feelings.¡± I downed the last of it. ¡°Not like you have any to begin with.¡± She sighed, as if expecting my usual sarcasm. Wordlessly, she removed her white apron, revealing a simple navy-blue gown that reached just below her knees. Her slippers matched the outfit perfectly¡ªNo.4 always had an eye for coordination, a detail that sometimes made me forget she wasn¡¯t human. ¡°You know you shouldn¡¯t rush it,¡± she said, picking up a syringe from the tray beside her. ¡°It¡¯ll only kill you.¡± I scoffed. ¡°If I don¡¯t rush it, I¡¯m as good as dead either way.¡± ¡°No,¡± she corrected, gently injecting the syringe into my arm. ¡°He only said you¡¯d be kept under supervision.¡± ¡°As a lab rat,¡± I muttered. ¡°As an asset,¡± she corrected sternly. With practiced ease, she withdrew the syringe and placed it back on the tray. ¡°We¡¯re all assets,¡± she added, her voice devoid of emotion. ¡°Everyone in this city belongs to someone. Whether it¡¯s a corporation or the government, there¡¯s no real difference.¡± ¡°Out there, I can live how I want,¡± I said, leaning back on the reclining bed. I moved slowly, careful not to aggravate my headache. ¡°Go wherever I want.¡± No.4 said nothing. She simply smirked and walked toward the door, tray in hand. But she didn¡¯t leave immediately. She paused at the threshold, hesitating. I knew that hesitation well¡ªshe always did this, as if she had something to say but couldn¡¯t quite bring herself to voice it. Then, just like before, she turned and left. Support the author by searching for the original publication of this novel. Despite her flawless human mimicry¡ªher sense of humor, her preference in music, the way she hesitated¡ªI had to remind myself: No.4 was not human. Living in this confined space should have felt like a dream. I had everything¡ªunlimited food, entertainment at my fingertips, and even the occasional sexy nurse in a ridiculously short uniform checking up on me. But the reality was suffocating. Every moment of my life was monitored. They saw everything. When I ate. When I showered. When I... handled my loneliness. No privacy. No control. And on top of that, the entire room was painted a stark, lifeless white, matching the sweatshirt, pants, and shoes they gave me. It was a prison. A lab. And I was the test subject. Every three days, they jacked me back in. Another dive, another search for whatever it was they wanted. To make that possible, they surgically implanted a hardware connector in me. A personal jack-in port. Sure, having a built-in interface with HUD displays was cool, but I hated knowing there was something unnatural lodged inside my body. I lay back, staring at the white ceiling, trying to force myself to sleep. It wasn¡¯t working. My new augmented vision meant I saw everything¡ªevery sensor, every scan, every silent component keeping this cell operational. I was running out of options. The last time I spoke to the man in the suit, he made a deal: retrieve the data, and I walk free. I didn¡¯t trust him, not entirely. But it was the only deal on the table. I had a life out there. A family. A girlfriend who deserved an explanation. I had to get out. I closed my eyes. This time, sleep came swiftly. I stood before a man dressed in white. A prisoner, like me. For a moment, I thought he was me, but his face was different. Deep, dark circles lay beneath his eyes¡ªhe looked like he hadn¡¯t slept in days. His breaths were heavy, frantic, as if he¡¯d been running. But he had nowhere to go. I reached out to touch him. My hands didn¡¯t respond. I tried again. Nothing. Panic set in. I could see everything happening in real-time, yet I couldn¡¯t interact with any of it. I tried to speak. Shout. Nothing came out. Then I saw it. A shadow moved behind the man. Its form was indistinct, shifting, unnatural. The dim light barely illuminated its presence, but every instinct in me screamed that it was something terrible. I tried again to warn the man. He didn¡¯t need my warning¡ªhe already knew. His eyes were wide with terror, his lips muttering something under his breath. Prayers. At first, it seemed to be working. The darkness hesitated. Then it advanced. The shadow consumed him. A scream tore through the air. No¡ªnot a scream. A shriek. Loud, piercing, inhuman. It wasn¡¯t just fear¡ªit was agony, despair, a sound that didn¡¯t belong in this world. I jerked awake, my body drenched in sweat. My HUD flickered, displaying warnings of elevated heart rate and fatigue. A recommendation: Rest. I ignored it. I glanced around. The corner of my room looked... familiar. Too familiar. A chill ran down my spine. I had seen this place before. In my nightmare. This dream¡ªI¡¯d had it too many times to count. And every time, it felt new. The fear was fresh, like d¨¦j¨¤ vu in its worst form. I exhaled slowly, willing my nerves to settle. The doctors should have noticed my vitals spiking by now. Any moment, they¡¯d come in with their clipboard, asking if I felt any different. If I had noticed any changes. I already knew what I¡¯d say. ¡°No, I¡¯m good.¡± It was a lie. But I wasn¡¯t about to give them more reasons to keep me trapped in here.