The drone dropped into Sector 2, the old Industrial District. It was a graveyard of factories and smokestacks that hadn't been used for like, 50 years. The air here, was bad.
We flew into this huge, rusty drainage pipe. That's sticked out of a sea wall. The drone lights shined in the dark, and we saw graffiti that glowed.
They were big write-ups on the walls saying;
THE SYSTEM IS A LIE.
WAKE UP.
MALACHI watches all.
Nice, i muttered.
The drone slowed down, hovered around, then landing on a hidden concrete platform. The drone door opened with a hiss, . I got off, catching Sarah as she almost fell while getting off the drone. She was pale and burning up. The fight was over, but her body was feeling the effects of using Admin powers.
"I got you", I said, crossing her arm over my shoulder.
We went inside the bunker.
The bunker, looked like a teenager's messed up room inside a NASA control center.
It was a mess of tech and trash. Monitors everywhere, showing code, camera feeds, and energy stuff. Pizza boxes were stacked in the corners like buildings. Cables all over the floor, glowing blue.
Glitch was in a swivel chair, right in the middle of it all.
He turned around.
He looked younger than i expected. Maybe fifteen, with green hair, like the color of codes on his screens. He wore a hoodie that was way too big, and his fingers were flying across a holographic keyboard.
"Welcome to the Bat cave", He said, smiling. Or..... the Rat Cave. Still deciding on the name.
Got a med-bay? Sarah asked, with a weak voice. She leaned on me. My sync rate is dropping, i need help.
Glitch smiled disappeared. Down the hall, the second door on the left, Glitch replied. The auto doc is on. But don't use the blue needles, those are for adrenaline, not for healing. "Use the green ones".
"Go," I told her. I'll handle things here.
Sarah nodded and went down the hall.
So it was just me and Glitch.
He looked at me, and scanned me up to down, with his eyes.
You look awful, he said. You have three broken ribs, a mild radiation burn, and your energy is leaking.
Thanks, I said, walking over to a chair. So, this is the resistance? A kid in his basement?
Yep, this is it, Glitch smiled. Me, myself, and my robot army. Quality over quantity.
I will show you my robots and stuff. Glitch typed and a little robot brought me a bottle of water. I drank it quickly, crushing the plastic bottle.
Okay, I said, wiping my mouth. Tell me what's going on. What am I? You called me a "Devourer".
Glitch turned his chair to face a huge screen.
Look at this code, he said.
The screen showed what a human soul looks like. or, at least,... a digital one. Most of them were like, neat, organized balls of light.
Then he pulled up my file.
It looked like a black hole. All jagged and messed up, and it was sucking in the light around it.
Everyone in the System has a Class, Glitch said. Most people are Workers, Soldiers, Managers. Some are rare like Technomancers, Hackers, Infiltrators.
Glitch pointed at my black hole.
A Devourer breaks the rule. You don't use the system. You eat it. You're a leak with no limit! You can drain a battery, a robot, and anything with digital signature.
He paused, and looked at me seriously.
The System runs on Energy. XP, Mana, and Money it's all energy. The System goes in a circle. You give energy, you get reward. But you can eat it all.
And.... people? I asked, quietly.
Glitch paused for a while. And said, Maybe? If a person has a neural link, they have energy. If you touched them... you could drain their XP, or their life.
I looked at my hands. They were shaking. I'm just a monster.
You're a weapon, Glitch corrected. A weapon don't have moral just has triggers. And right now, you're the only one who can hurt Malachi.
Why? I asked, standing up. Why is he special? He's just a CEO. I can put a bullet in his head like anyone else.
No, you can't, Glitch said. He showed me a picture of the CEO.
Malachi isn't human anymore, Glitch said. He Ascended ten years ago. But he didn't go to the Aether. He uploaded his consciousness into the Corporation's Mainframe. He is the building. He is the security system. You can't shoot him or hack him.
Glitch leaned forward.
But you can eat him.
The med-bay door opened. Sarah walked out. She looked better. face all clean and hair tied back. She was wearing a clean jumpsuit, she must have found in the lockers.
He's right, Sarah said. Malachi is just data now. A big pile of energy.
She walked over to the map of the city on the table.
But we can't just walk into Server 9 and touch the Core. The defenses are too strong.
So we need a plan, I said.
We need an army, Sarah said
She pointed to a red area on the map. Sector 5: The Penitentiary (prison).
That's where the Corporation locks up freethinkers (protecter or dissident), Sarah explained. Hackers, political rebels, Technomancers who didn't want to join the Security Forces. Five hundred top users are just wasting away in there.
Glitch's eyes got big. You want to break them out? That's crazy! The Penitentiary is like a drop pod in orbit, floating really high up.
I know, Sarah replied, her eyes starting to glow. But I've got the flight codes.
She turned to me.
Elias, you're only Level 5. That's not bad, but to hit the Sky Prison, you gotta be at least Level 10.
How do I level up quick? I asked.
Glitch smiled, he pushed a button, and a wall slid open to show a training room full of combat droids.
Time to grind, Glitch said. Welcome to the Danger Room.