The Astral Hacker (Cryptopunk Revolution Book 1)

by Brian Terenna

  The guard sights his shot as Nav stares at him blankly. My stomach drops.

  A familiar metal robot leaps out from behind shrubs next to the door. My messenger bag is strapped to his back.

  The guard wheels his rifle around.

  Sunny extends the stun baton from his arm and slams it into the man’s groin. Arcs of electricity jolt through the guard. He spasms and drops his gun as he crumples to the ground.

  I stand there, gaping. Sunny? What?

  Sunny picks up the rifle with an extendable arm and runs toward me. I grab him in a big hug.

  “I was worried about you,” he says as he pulls back and hands me the rifle and messenger bag.

  Although I know he’s not capable of real worry, it warms my heart. “I’m fine. But my q-link is out of power. We’re going to have a hard time getting away.”

  He frowns. “That’s never happened before. I brought one, though, in case they took yours.” He hands it to me.

  “We have to get out of here. But first…” I take the rifle in two hands. Although I’ve held guns a thousand times in Silent City, it’s entirely different to handle one in the real world. I get a feel for its weight, raise it to my shoulder, and aim it at the guard’s head.

  My hand shakes, and my finger doesn’t move. He would have killed us all and still could if he gets help. The last time I was in this circumstance, I didn’t kill the mugger. It almost led to Sunny’s death. I can’t let that happen. I grit my teeth and try to pull the trigger.

  My finger still won’t move. Hell. I lower the gun. He’s still passed out at least.

  I charge my q-link with the older and slower Xyphotech XR and check on Nav. She’s still on the ground, looking stunned.

  I sling the rifle on my back and run over to her. “Come on.”

  She rubs a bleeding spot on her head but doesn’t stand.

  I glance toward the prison door to see the guard stirring. A sense of urgency rushes through me. Oh hell. “They’re going to kill us. Come on.” I tug her up by the arm, hoping she doesn’t have a concussion.

  “I’m alright. I was just dazed.”

  Sunny gives Nav a q-link, then motions to us. “This way. I have a car.”

  What? I didn’t even know he could hack.

  “They’re out here,” shouts the now fully alert guard.

  Diablo. I’m going to have to shoot them.

  “Cover your ears and run,” says Sunny. He tosses his sonic nauseator into the prison.

  A shrill, body-vibrating sound sneaks past my hands, but covering my ears and distance prevents most of the nausea. We sprint into the expansive field. The tall weeds smack into my thighs, and my bag bounces on my shoulder. I don’t slow enough to confirm it, but the retching I hear behind me is enough to know the device worked.

  Nav scoops up Sunny, and we pick up our pace.

  “How did you find us?” I ask Sunny between breaths. “And what was that explosion?”

  “I built a tracking device and put it on your back when we hugged. It’s microscopic, sends out a signal they don’t typically search for, and has a low electronic output, so they couldn’t detect it.”

  So that’s why he patted my back.

  “The explosion was from a hydrogen fuel cell. I stole it from a vehicle.”

  Awww. He stole for me.

  “Wow, Sunny, you’re great to have around,” says Nav. “But you’re definitely more dangerous than little Fae let on.”

  “Sorry about that,” I say.

  “It’s fine. We’d be dead otherwise.”

  “Chim, track the area around us,” I say, beginning to breathe heavily. “If any drones power up within a thousand feet of us. Alert me.”

  “The car is parked on a street two hundred feet forward,” says Sunny from Nav’s arms.

  My q-link beeps and says, “Twenty Trexstar LR7 Defense Drones approaching your location.”

  My eyes go wide, fear pulsing through me.

  That’s it. We’re dead. I turn around and freeze as I stare at the distant drones.

  “Fae! We need to run.”

  I know she’s right, but I can barely stand on my shaky legs, let alone run.

  Nav pulls me to her face. “StarFeather. Let’s go!”

  I snap out of it and feel energy re-invigorate me. We surge forward with renewed determination.

  Drones suddenly buzz behind us like a huge swarm of killer bees. Only these can shoot.

  “Surrender, or we’ll open fire,” says one of the drones.

  Sunny points ahead to a sleek convertible. “There it is.”

  We’re ten feet from the car when one of the drones zips down and peppers it with bullets. The hydrogen cell bursts into flames, and the hood explodes open, spewing out thick smoke and fire.

  Hell. I skid to a stop and sprint down the other direction. Nav follows at my heels. A few people scream and run away.

  “Nav, we’ve got to hack the drones.”

  “Cube, bring up the nearest drone’s infrastructure,” she says, holding Sunny in one hand and selecting code with the other.

  I connect to a different one to begin my own hack. The code appears before me, synchronized to my wild run. It’s not too unlike what I just cracked.

  A spray of bullets pelts the road to the left of Nav, sending up mini plumes of gravel. She grips Sunny tighter and pulls ahead of me. I frantically attack the firewall as I try to push out the image of bullets ripping me apart.

  I find an exploit and crack the drone’s code. “Chim, make it target the other drones.” I glance over my shoulder to see it turn on its companions.

  Two explosions erupt behind me as my drone does its work. After a few seconds, there’s another explosion, and the guns stop.

  That must be it for my drone. “Nav, turn right. I’m going to project a holographic wall behind us so they don’t see. Are you close to cracking a drone?”

  “I’m almost through.”

  As she zips down the alley, I project the hologram and follow her. It only takes the drones a moment to see through the ruse and pursue us. I put all I have into my sprint until I realize that a real wall blocks our escape. Nav slows to a jog.

  Diablo. “Take cover.”

  She dives behind a dumpster, Sunny still in her arms. I follow at her heels. The smell of trash reminds me of the last time I ran. That sure didn’t turn out well, but at least I wasn’t caught.

  Nav gasps next to me. “The code just updated itself. It’s got to be twice as difficult now.”

  Hell. “Let me hack. Take the rifle and hold them off.”

  Nav tugs the rifle from my bag. Sunny presses against the dumpster, looking like he hopes to pass inside. I gulp in air as I access the nearest drone. I skim the code like a speed-reader, and a pattern forms in my brain.

  One of the drones zips around the corner. Nav shoots it before it can target us, and it explodes. The other drones pull back cautiously. It gives me time to finish my hack. I crash through a drone’s defenses and program an attack pattern.

  It flies around chaotically while piercing the other drones with bullets. One drone sparks and dives into another before crashing to the ground.

  “Chim, target the next drone.”

  The defensive code is even more complex now.

  My drone still maneuvers around until a lucky bullet tears through it. It flames and smashes into the street. I’ve almost corrupted another drone as it whirls around the corner. It targets me, and its mini-gun spins. I have no time to react as a bullet rips through my shoulder.

  I scream.

  Nav’s metal arm speeds in front of me. Sparks of light flash as bullets ricochet off it. I want to hold my wound and slow the bleeding, but there’s no time.

  The remaining drones zip around the corner as a unit. Nav raises the rifle and lays down on the trigger. The smell of gun smoke puffs around us. Several drones crash to the ground, but there are still too many when the rifle is empty. They target us, their red sensors shining like demons�
� eyes.

  “Chim, initiate cloaking program. Extend it to Sunny and Nav.” It will just hide our fronts but should buy us a little time. “Chim, access all of the drones,” I say as warm blood drips down my arm.

  Ten or so updated codes materialize.

  I switch between them, trying to break them all, but choke on their increased complexity. I swear I could do it with a better q-link and more time, but I have neither. If only I could split my mind into ten cores like a computer, but that’s not possible. I consider other options, but my mind is foggy from blood loss or shock. Maybe I could… No. Or… No, it won’t work.

  And then an idea strikes me like a flashbang grenade. I need to create a network between the drones and then break the link to whoever is controlling them. It’s no small feat, but I’ll have access to all of them. I begin the hack.

  The drones hover around as they try to locate us. I rotate to keep our invisible fronts toward them, as I desperately code. After a few moments, the drones split up and finds us.

  My time is done. I grab Sunny’s little metal hand and Nav’s warm human one. I’d need to be ten times better to save us. Maybe if I had the Evo…but no, I’d never do that. It killed my mother and Barbra. Even if it didn’t, I swore an oath.

  Everything slows down, and I catch Nav’s kind brown eyes. She holds my gaze, and I feel energy connect us. I can’t imagine a better way to die than with my friends.

  CHAPTER 7

  INSANITY

  A gunshot crashes through the air, and the nearest drone shatters. I peek around the corner to see where the bullet came from.

  Outlined by the evening sun, a tall, thin man dashes forward, his long hair streaming behind him. He raises a high-tech sniper rifle. “Take cover,” he shouts, his voice resonant and commanding. He fires again while running, a burst of flame puffing from the barrel.

  A drone explodes and crashes to the ground next to me. We all scramble back to the graffiti-strewn brick wall behind us.

  The man sights and fires over and over, almost robotically. Each time he pulls the trigger, a drone clatters to the ground in flames. The remaining three drones turn on him and fire. He runs in a zigzagging pattern, just barely avoiding the death raining toward him, but still, he shoots. Two more drones explode and plummet.

  He fires at the last drone, but the bullet cracks into the brick wall above it. He curses and pulls the trigger again, releasing a flash of fire and a bang. The drone bursts into flames and careens toward us.

  I push Sunny out of the path and shield myself from the impact. Nav swats it away like an insect, and it crashes into the dumpster, ringing it like a bell.

  Four other people round the corner just as the gunman lowers his rifle.

  I push myself up with a groan and press my hand over both sides of my wound. Oww. Warm blood seeps through my fingers. The smell of it rips me back to the last time I saw Barbra.

  I squeeze my eyes to forget. The wound hurts, but my second chance at life dulls the pain. I can’t believe it. I thought I was finished.

  Sunny squeezes my leg. “Fae, you’re injured.”

  “I don’t think it’s that bad,” I say through gritted teeth.

  Nav tears off her prison uniform’s sleeve and presses it against the hole in my shoulder.

  I take over, putting pressure on it. “Sunny, analyze my wound.”

  He scans me and says, “Your shoulder muscle is damaged. No arteries were hit. You have lost eight percent of your blood, but your current rate of blood loss is minimal. As long as you receive medical treatment within two hours, you should be fine.”

  “It’s remarkable that you could hack the updated code,” says Nav. “We never would have lived otherwise.”

  “Thanks, but it wasn’t good enough. If we weren’t rescued, we’d be dead. Who are these people anyway?”

  “The Loyalist Militia. They’re loyal to Navin Briggs’ original government and formed after Congress established the NIA. They were worried about the loss of liberty. This is the main brigade, but there are several more throughout the country. The one that shot all the drones is Alexander. He’s full of himself, but he’s skilled.”

  Sunny picks up a few pieces of the drones and puts them into the bag that hangs on my other shoulder. Nav takes the bag, puts the rifle inside, and helps me walk to the group. Their faces morph into new ones as I approach.

  They have a face-shift program. Impressive.

  Alexander stands tall and proud in a military vest. As he disables his face-shift, his complexion tans from pale to olive, and his wide smile shows off his straight, white teeth. His long wavy hair, square stubbly jaw, and the inch-long scar on his cheek fit the image of someone who’d charge into danger to save you…or someone who’d rob you in the street.

  Alexander pumps a fist into the air. “Did you see that?”

  I’m not sure if he wants a response, but before I can form one, he keeps going.

  “You were like, I’m going to be killed.” He throws his hands up as if scared. “And I was like, nope! I’m a boss.”

  I’d think he was joking, if not for the seriousness of what just happened. Still, he did save us.

  “You did miss once, Alexander,” says Nav.

  He shrugs. “Hitting targets with a sniper rifle while running isn’t as easy as it seems,” he says with a chuckle. “Even Olympic course shooters miss the mark sometimes. That’s why I never stop training.”

  At least he’s dedicated.

  Nav shakes her head with a laugh. “Thanks, by the way. I’m not too proud to say I’m grateful you came.”

  “If I didn’t save you, Americus would’ve had my head,” he says with a grin. He puts a hand on her shoulder and says in a more respectful tone, “Sorry to hear about your husband.”

  Nav nods with a frown.

  Her divorce must be recent. I guess it’s not just the accident that made her sad.

  The other four soldiers greet Nav, with various levels of familiarity. One of them with a full bushy beard and a green flannel shirt squints at Sunny. I step in front of Sunny, protectively.

  Alexander holds his hand out to me. “I’m Alexander, but you can call me Alexander the Great,” he says with a wink and a smirk.

  I blink at him, still trying to decide if this is some kind of joke, or if he’s crazy.

  Nav frowns. “No time to mess around. She was shot, and more drones will come.”

  He nods at my shoulder, his joviality dimming. “Let’s get you patched up. We’re parked on the cross street.”

  We turn the corner and stride forward as a tight group onto the busier road. We pass by people, drone pets, service robots, and advertisement holograms.

  Thunder sounds, and I turn in its direction. Ominous clouds hang in the sky, and a gust of wind ruffles my hair, bringing the fresh smell of rain. A dog barks behind me.

  I spin around.

  An older man shouts at the dog, “I’ll never forgive you for cheating on me. I want a divorce.”

  The yellow lab lowers its head with a whimper.

  “To each their own,” says Alexander.

  A woman screams from across the street. We all turn to look.

  A bearded man with a knife slashes around wildly in the air. “Ghosts. They’re everywhere.”

  Down the road, an old woman runs into the glass window of a thrift store, then gets up and runs into it again.

  Alexander gapes at her. “I don’t know what’s happening, but let’s get moving.”

  We jog forward with increased urgency. The sky darkens, and rain pours down.

  Alexander calls someone on his q-link. “Everyone’s freaking out in the streets, Boss.”

  “We’ll figure that out later, just get back here,” says someone on the other end.

  A woman in a sundress clutches her head, screaming as her eyes bleed. We dodge around her. Another shout, and a man falls to the ground, spasming.

  “Oh my God,” yells a woman nearby. “I’m blind. I’m blind.”
>
  Suddenly, people are wailing, dancing, screaming, and running in all directions as the day shatters into chaos. Gunshots followed by more screams cut through the pelting rain.

  A thin woman darts in front of us and jumps on the back of a muscular man. “I’ll kill you. I’ll kill you.”

  Diablo.

  He spins around and falls on her. She grunts from the impact.

  A wrinkled man in shorts points at me. “It’s President Toscano. Look, everyone.” He runs toward us.

  Oh hell no.

  Nav scoops up Sunny, and we all begin to sprint. Rain drenches the ground before us, and a crash of thunder splits the sky.

  Nav slows when she sees a young boy smashing his face into the ground, blood splattering around him. “We need to help him.”

  I stop to turn back for him when something heavy lands on me and smashes me into the ground. I struggle to rise in a panic, but the man who’s on me is too bulky.

  Nav dashes over, and with her cybernetic arm, grabs the man off me. The man flails around, and his fist connects with Nav’s cheek. She grunts and tosses him into the building next to us.

  He slumps down, but his eyes are wide and crazed as he yells, “But I love you, President Toscano.”

  Nav stands like a gladiator, rain clinking off her metal arm. Blood drips from a new cut on her cheek, and her eyebrows are dipped in anger.

  I look at my wrist in horror when I see that my q-link is crushed. Nav’s notices and hands me hers.

  “Access cloud,” I say. “Download Chim. Password D7LR21B85.”

  Two more men, one bald, the other short come charging toward us. One shouts, “He’s right. It’s President Toscano. Let’s teach her a lesson for being so weak on South America.”

  Nav faces the men with a scowl and adjusts her balance, like she’s ready to fight.

  Alexander runs back and pulls on her arm. “We have to get out of here.”

  She hesitates, then relents as another gunshot sounds. We sprint down the wet streets, cool water splashing on our legs.

  One out of three people we pass is screaming, flailing, crying, fighting, or laughing like lunatics. The rest are running like us or trying to help the people around them.