"Again", Sarah ordered. her voice higher than the fan noise.
Sweat was dripping off me, stinging my eyes as I stood in the training room. My jumpsuit was drenched, and my lungs burned.
Across the room, was a silver combat droid with a stun baton circling me, and tracking my every move.
I'm drained, I gasped. I got no energy left.
You're not drained, Glitch said over the speaker system, sounding bored. Your bio battery is at 15%. You're just mentally exhausted.
Sarah walked around the mat and said, Stop thinking of energy like fuel. It's like blood, it's part of you. Don't force it out. Let it flow.
The droid charged at me.
It moved fast, the baton humming with 50,000 volt.
I blocked with my arm, and the stun baton hit me.
ZAP.
Pain shot through me, but I didn't scream or fall this time. I just gritted my teeth and focused on the pain.
Skill: Absorption.
I didn't try to drain the whole droid, that will take time, i just tried to drain the hit.
My skin glowed a little, and the electricity from the baton didn't fry me. Instead, it swirled around my wrist and got sucked into my Class's black hole. It felt cold, then hot, then good.
XP GAINED: 5.
I grabbed the droid's arm.
Skill: Discharge.
I sent the energy I'd just sucked up right back into the droid's chest.
BOOM.
The droid flew backward and smashed into the wall. Smoke came from its chest. It twitched and then shut down.
Not bad, Sarah said, nodding. But you're too slow. A Reaper would've killed you. Reaper don't pause after a strike.
She tapped a button on her tablet.
Two more droids with blades arm stepped out of the alcove.
Level 2 is difficult, Sarah announced, smiling a little. Start.
[TIME SKIPPED: 3 DAY'S LATER]
We stayed in the bunker for three days.
Down here, time didn't matter. There was no sun, no day or night. Just the humming of Glitch's servers and the sound of my breathing.
I barely slept. When I wasn't fighting droids, Glitch was teaching me how the System works.
Here, Glitch said, sliding a tablet across a pizza stained table. Learn this.
It was a map of the Network. Not street maps. but a map of data
Technomancy isn't magic, Glitch said, with his mouth full. It's syntax. Everything in the city has an IP address, the lights, the doors, the coffee machine, and the guns… they all broadcast to each other.
He pointed at my wrist comp, which he merged with a cool black gauntlet he made.
"Your Devourer" ability is a simple hack, it like smashing the firewall with a hammer. It's works, but it's loud, and it set off alarm.
He tapped the screen.
"But you have network sense now". You can see the code. But you need to be smooth. Check this out.
He tossed me a small, locked data pad.
Open it, but don't fry it.
I stared at the pad. I'd usually just drain the battery, but that would wipe the data inside.
I closed my eyes and i reached out with my mind.
At first i saw nothing, then, slowly, the words turned into line of light. I saw the power source of the pad, a small red light.
I felt the lock code, it was like a knot of thorns.
But instead of frying it, I tried to untie it, i followed the flow, found the lock, and then… gently pushed.
Click.
The pad lit up. ACCESS GRANTED.
I opened my eyes.
Level 6, I said, looking at my stats.
NAME: ELIAS
CLASS: DEVOURER
LEVEL: 6
STR: 12
AGI: 14
INT: 18
SKILLS: ENERGY SIPHON, OVERCHARGE, WEAPON HACK, NETWORK SENSE.
You're getting it, Glitch said. Looking impressed, you are not just a hammer, but a scalper to.
Then he looked at me straight to the eyes, and said,..... "the Penitentiary"..... That's the real deal.
[THE NIGHT BEFORE THE HEIST]
I spotted Sarah chilling on the bunker roof, gazing at the gross, smoggy sky. The rain stopped, and the industrial area looked shiny and dark, reflecting the faint neon glow from the upper city.
I went, and sat down next to her. She looked so tired.... The human body wasn't built for the stress she was putting on it. Her skin was pale, almost see through.
You good? I asked quietly.
"I miss the aether", she said, not looking at me. It's so chill there. No pain, no being hungry, just making stuff forever.
Then why did you leave?, i asked. It's sounds like paradise.
She looked at me. Because I saw the logs,..... Elias. I saw what Malachi was doing to those poor people. Then I realized my perfect life was built on a ton of dead folks.
She hugged her knees, shivering sightly.
I've got a daughter, she whispered.
I froze. You do?
She was four when I ascended. I left her behind. I thought...I thought the money I left would keep her safe. I thought i was doing what was best for her.
She stared at Server 9 tower glowing in the distance.
Malachi took her. He put her in the Penitentiary. She's a political prisoner because of me.
That's the reason we're doing this?, I said. Not just for the army, but for her.
Her name is Maya, Sarah said. She's twenty four now. I don't even know if she will recognize me. I haven't seen her face in 20 years
I grabbed her hand. It was freezing.
"We're getting her back", I promised. We'll burn that whole prison if we need to. I don't care about the army, maya comes first.
Sarah squeezed my hand. A soft blue light went between us, not stealing power, but a connection between us. A spark of trust.
Thanks, Elias.
The steel door behind us opened. Glitch poked his head out.
Sorry to bother you lovebirds, he smiled. But the shuttle is ready. And I found a secret way into the Sky Prison's docking bay.
I stood up. I could feel that new armor Glitch made for me. It was dark black and smooth, with blue lights on the arms.
I looked at the city one last time.
Let's roll, I said.