The shuttle touched down with a soft thud on the platform outside CyberTech Tower. Jack stepped into a sharp gust of wind that whipped his jacket around him. Artemis disappeared as soon as they landed, which only seemed to draw more curious glances from those around him.

  The platform led to a sleek gangway connecting directly to the imposing tower. The building’s massive glass facade refracted the morning light, creating shimmering patterns across the entrance. It stretched over a hundred more stories into the sky, its pristine exterior radiating an almost regal authority. exec suits hurried past, stepping out of parked VTOL cars or rushing toward the entrance. Most ignored Jack, their attention buried in tablets or virtual visors. The real power players—the managers and board of directors—were absent from this crowd of ambitious strivers.

  Jack had no patience for the corporate games these people played. His priority was clear: finding work to provide for Sophia and bridge the growing distance between them. Politicking and ambition meant nothing to him.

  As he walked the gangway, weaving through the oblivious crowd, his eyes caught CyberTech’s glowing logo: a sleek, blue hexagon resembling a circuit board, with a faintly pulsing "C" at its center. Below it, the slogan "Building Tomorrow, Today" flashed brightly, a beacon of corporate dominance.

  Inside, the atrium exuded wealth and power. Floor-to-ceiling windows offered panoramic views of the city’s upper levels, their glittering towers rising above a sea of clouds. Polished obsidian floors mirrored the modern architecture, while a grand staircase ascended to the next level, its railings glowing faintly with electric light.

  The space buzzed with activity—janitors polishing every surface, technicians checking terminals, and professionals moving with purpose. Jack’s eyes scanned the organized chaos until they landed on a reception desk near the base of the staircase.

  “Morning,” Jack said, stepping up to the desk. The receptionist, a young woman scrolling on her datapad, didn’t glance up.

  “It’s my first day,” he added. “I’m not sure where my department is.”

  “Badge,” she said curtly, not pausing in her scrolling.

  “I’m sorry?” Jack asked, unsure if he heard her correctly.

  “Your badge, sir,” she repeated, irritation lacing her voice. “So I can direct you to your department. You were given a badge, weren’t you?”

  “No.”

  The woman sighed, finally looking up at him with a mix of exasperation and mild curiosity. “Name?”

  “Jack Lockley,” he replied, his gaze catching on something small but striking—a delicate figurine of a hummingbird perched unobtrusively on the corner of her desk. The craftsmanship was exquisite, its wings captured mid-flutter, painted in shimmering blues and greens that caught the light. A small scroll wheel, almost like a crank, was embedded at the base—it was a music bird, a rare relic.

  “Did you get that on Venus?” Jack asked, gesturing toward it.

  “What?” The receptionist blinked, then followed his gaze to the figurine. “Oh, no, I wish. My father gave it to me when I was a teenager. He fought in the war. Said it had been given to him by a Navy Officer who was Venusian.”

  “They’re rare here,” Jack said, his voice thoughtful. “I saw one on Venus. Your father sounds like a good man.”

  She softened, a small smile breaking through her professional facade. “He was,” she said, then tapped at her datapad. “Mr. Lockley, it looks like your badge hasn’t been printed yet, but I can contact management to confirm your status.”

  “Did you say Lockley?” a voice called from behind. Jack turned to see a red-haired woman approaching, her hair tied back in a practical bun. She wore a blue technician jacket and cargo pants, her stride confident and purposeful. She was beautiful, but not in a delicate way—her rugged demeanor carried a charm of its own, suggesting she was someone who could hold her own in any situation.

  "Jack, right?" the red-haired woman said as she extended her hand. "Naomi."

  "Nice to meet you," Jack replied, taking her hand firmly.

  "So, you’re the veteran hire," she said dryly. "CyberTech’s really pulling out all the stops to show they care. Don’t get a big head just because you went to the Naval Academy, it doesn’t mean anything here."

  "My merit will speak for itself," Jack replied, catching the undertone in her remark. “I was a street kid, I have no love for the oligarch’s anymore than anyone else.

  "We’ll see," Naomi said dryly, her eyes narrowing slightly. "As far as I’m concerned, grunt, you’re just like any other data leak who strolls in here thinking they’re a hotshot."

  "You’re quite the charmer," Jack said with a wry smile, his tone laced with sarcasm.

  "She’ll grow on you," the receptionist interjected with a wink before returning her attention to her holo-terminal.

  Naomi motioned for him to follow, leading him through the sleek, labyrinthine halls of CyberTech Tower. The corridors were lined with glass-walled offices and state-of-the-art labs, buzzing with activity. Technicians and researchers moved with purpose, their voices mingling with the hum of machinery. The place felt alive, as though the work never stopped.

  After ascending three glowing staircases and passing clusters of open offices, they arrived at a door labeled Department 21. Naomi keyed in a code, and the door slid open, revealing an expansive lab filled with cutting-edge equipment and focused engineers.

  Rows of workstations were dedicated to specific projects. At one, a team assembled a humanoid robot, its skeletal frame illuminated by diagnostic displays. Nearby, an engineer fine-tuned a prosthetic arm, its metallic fingers flexing under precise adjustments. Overhead, robotic arms performed tasks with mechanical accuracy, while 3D printers quietly fabricated intricate components. Holographic schematics floated mid-air, casting soft blue light over the teams below.

  The lab was a symphony of innovation—tools neatly arranged on modular racks, robotic whirs blending with the occasional spark of welding. The sheer scale of precision and focus left Jack momentarily speechless.

  “Let’s get you introduced to the team,” Naomi said. “This department is my show, so if anyone tries to boss you around and it’s not coming from me, you can tell them to shove it. Got it?”

  “Easy enough,” Jack replied, his attention drifting to the array of ongoing projects around the room.

  “Miss Voss,” a voice interrupted from the side.

  Naomi turned, her expression darkening as she mumbled a curse under her breath. A man approached—a stocky figure with dark skin and dreadlocks neatly tied behind his head. His expensive suit, tailored in a sharp, modern style, was accented with glowing blue trim along the lapels and cuffs. Despite his polished appearance, his piercing blue eyes, likely cybernetic, gave him an unnerving edge. But it wasn’t just the eyes. Jack recognized the look in this man—the hollow, dead stare of someone who had long since detached from empathy. It was the gaze of a predator. Jack had seen men like him before in the military and at the upper echelons of rank. They were dangerous.

  “Don’t you have papers to push, Kwame?” Naomi said, her disdain thinly veiled.

  “I need an update on the super core,” Kwame replied, his smile polite but cold, ignoring her jab.

  “I told you not to bother me about it,” Naomi snapped. “It’ll be fixed when it’s fixed. If you’re going to assign me to a project, don’t breathe down my damn neck.”

  “You were put in charge of the project,” Kwame said evenly, his tone measured. “Because of your alleged merit. But remember, it can be reassigned to another promising engineer if necessary. Who’s this?”

  Kwame’s gaze shifted to Jack, assessing him with unnerving precision. When their eyes met, a chill ran down Jack’s spine. There was something predatory in that stare.

  “Jack Lockley,” Jack said, extending a hand.

  Kwame shook it firmly, his calloused palm contrasting with his polished exterior. “Ah yes, I recall your name. You’re the one who submitted the base design for the Artemis System.”

  “I did,” Jack replied evenly. “Hopefully, it proves useful to CyberTech.”

  “CyberTech will not be pursuing further advancements with AI at the moment,” Kwame said smoothly.

  “So my project’s been scrapped?” Jack asked, his tone careful. Kwame said nothing, but his unsettling smile lingered.

  “Miss Voss,” Kwame continued, turning his attention back to Naomi, “I’ll expect a status report by the end of the day. Perhaps your new engineer could take a look—a fresh perspective might be helpful.”

  Naomi’s expression didn’t waver. As Kwame turned to leave, she raised her middle finger in a slow, deliberate gesture. Jack caught the hint of a smirk on her face and felt a flicker of amusement.

  Maybe she’s not so bad, Jack thought.

  Naomi led Jack over to a group of engineers gathered around a holo-terminal, engaged in lively conversation. The terminal projected a rotating 3D schematic, though most of the team seemed more focused on their banter than the task at hand.

  “Are you all just standing around pretending to work?” Naomi quipped, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

  “Pretend?” one of the men replied with a grin. “Come on, Naomi, we both know I don’t work unless I absolutely have to.”

  “Yeah, John, we’re all painfully aware,” Naomi shot back. “You’re a sleazeball, after all. Anyway, team, this is Jack, our newest engineer. Jack, meet Bella, Amos, and the data leak with the stupid grin—John. They’ll be your primary team, so if you have questions, ask them first.”

  “You’re the one who designed the Artemis System, right?” Bella asked, adjusting her too-big glasses as her curiosity sparked. “Can I see it?”

  “Buy the man a drink first, Bella. Lay off,” Amos said with a booming laugh. He was a big man with broad shoulders, and when he shook Jack’s hand, it completely engulfed Jack’s.

  “I’d be happy to show you Artemis as soon as we get a chance,” Jack said, shaking each of their hands. As if on cue, Artemis materialized beside him, his form rising seamlessly from the floor. His tuxedo was immaculate, his posture poised, and his expression stoic, with his hands clasped neatly behind his back.

  “Oh, that’s mint,” Bella said, leaning closer to inspect the AI with a mix of awe and fascination. “How does he do that?”

  “Nano-technology, ma’am,” Artemis replied smoothly.

  Bella’s jaw dropped as she turned to Jack. “You integrated your omni-core with nano-technology?”

  “Yes, but—” Jack began, only to be interrupted by Artemis.

  “Allow me to clarify, Master,” Artemis said. “The integration of nano-technology into the omni-chip system was not a decision made lightly. Master Jack devised an ingenious solution to mitigate the inherent risks associated with nanotechnology, specifically the risk of nano-silica decay syndrome—a condition caused by prolonged exposure to unstable nanites in biological systems.”

  Bella raised an eyebrow, intrigued. “How exactly does that work?”

  “Through a layered protective system,” Artemis explained. “The first layer involves a biometric shielding protocol embedded in the chip itself. This shield regulates the interaction between the nanites and Master Jack’s organic tissue, ensuring the nanites remain confined to their designated functions and do not integrate into his biological systems.”

  “Essentially, it prevents the nanites from treating me like part of the system they’re working on,” Jack added.

  “Precisely,” Artemis confirmed with a nod. “The second layer is a failsafe called the self-repair nanite restraint protocol. Should the nanites encounter anomalies or external hacking attempts, the omni-chip automatically isolates and neutralizes the compromised nanites before they can cause harm. This significantly reduces the risk of contamination.”

  “That’s… brilliant,” Bella said, her eyes wide. “I’ve read about nano-silica decay syndrome—it’s why so many projects involving personal nanites were scrapped in the past. But you found a way around it?”

  Jack shrugged modestly. “It’s not perfect, but it’s stable. The integration allows Artemis to materialize and de-materialize on command without compromising my health. It took a lot of trial and error.”

  “An understatement,” Artemis chimed in. “There were many late nights of troubleshooting, accompanied by a level of profanity that would make a gray blush.”

  “Jack, if you’re done showing off the size of your prick,” Naomi said, rolling her eyes, her tone dripping with sarcasm.

  “Are we putting him on the super core problem?” John asked, leaning casually against a workstation.

  Naomi sighed, clearly annoyed. “The Osei bastard is breathing down our necks, so yeah, let’s stop procrastinating. Take Jack and see if you can figure out what’s wrong with it.”

  “Follow me, big guy,” John said with a grin, motioning for Jack to follow as they made their way toward the back of the lab. Bella fell in step beside Jack, her excitement bubbling over as she launched into a detailed ramble about the intricacies of nanotechnology and how Jack could possibly have integrated it into his omni-chip without irreparably damaging it.

  Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

  Jack answered where he could, though it became clear Bella wasn’t looking for a conversation; she was lost in her own train of thought, deliberating aloud over theoretical solutions and technical challenges. Jack let her go on, occasionally nodding as they walked.

  As they approached a large set of double doors, Amos stepped in, pulling an engineer’s coat off a wall hanger and tossing it to Jack. “Here you go, boyo.”

  Jack caught it and slipped it on, finding its pockets already stocked with tools. He barely had time to take it in before the doors hissed open, revealing the room beyond.

  His jaw dropped.

  The room was circular, dimly lit, and dominated by a massive silver sphere suspended mid-air by mag-tech. The surface of the sphere was impossibly smooth, gleaming faintly in the low light, and it rotated slowly within its invisible cradle. The hum of the mag-tech filled the room, subtle yet omnipresent, giving the entire space a sense of raw, contained power.

  “Where did you get this?” Jack asked, stepping forward, his eyes fixed on the sphere. “I’ve seen smaller and far less advanced cores aboard fleet ships. The Hammerhead had one of the newer models, but this…” He trailed off, craning his neck to take it all in. “I’ve never seen anything like this.”

  Super cores, Jack knew, were technological marvels. Typically housed aboard ships or massive stations, they were the pinnacle of computational capability. These supercomputers had a wide range of functions—on ships, they were crucial for precise jump calculations, while stations relied on them for tasks like auto-docking coordination and orbital path computations. They were, in every sense, supercomputers on steroids.

  “We built them,” Amos said, his voice steady, carrying a trace of pride. “Well, Odyssey Corps is credited with the original design, but somehow, CyberTech managed to secure the licensing rights to enhance it. Not sure how, but CyberTech has its tendrils everywhere. Odyssey Corps is usually pretty protective of their technology.”

  Jack frowned. The Odyssey Corps—one of the first space exploration groups in Sol—was legendary. Founded by Dr. Lyria Synclair, the woman often hailed as the Mother of Worlds, they had pioneered the earliest advancements in planetary colonization.

  Dr. Synclair’s greatest contribution had been the Synclair Catalyst, a breakthrough in terraforming technology. She had integrated it into terraforming towers across every potentially habitable planet in Sol and several moons in the far space of the rim now controlled by the Federation.

  “Them?” Jack asked, eyebrows raised.

  “There’s three of these cores right now,” John explained, gesturing toward the massive sphere. “Eventually, there’ll be a total of five, all linked to a central hub.”

  “You said you enhanced the original design?” Jack asked.

  “We added a Quantum Disruptor Array,” Bella explained. “The Quantum Disruptor Array is a next-generation terraforming and destabilization system designed to manipulate environmental variables at both localized and planetary scales. It utilizes quantum-resonance fields to induce controlled disruptions across multiple spectrums, including seismic, electromagnetic, atmospheric, and biological. By interfacing with existing computational infrastructures—such as the super cores—the QDA can execute precision-targeted anomalies ranging from electromagnetic pulse emissions to large-scale alterations in atmospheric jet streams.

  “Furthermore, its capabilities extend to micro-biological interference, allowing for engineered soil destabilization, pathogenic vector manipulation, and synthetic climate variation. The array’s scalability is a function of both its power source and the computational framework guiding its activation—meaning, in layman’s terms, the more advanced the system controlling it, the more devastating and precise its applications can become.

  “In essence, the QDA is an instrument capable of rewriting the fundamental equilibrium of an environment, with consequences that range from isolated disruptions to full-scale ecological collapse.”

  “Bella likes her fancy big brain talk,” John said rolling his eyes. “In essence it is a-”

  “Synclair Catalyst,” Jack interrupted, knowing full well what Bella had described. “You took the original design for the Synclair Catalyst and retrofitted it for the super cores.”

  Amos looked impressed. “Exactly.”

  Jack’s mind raced. He had never heard of a network like this before—five linked super cores of this scale? The sheer computational power boggled the mind. The possibilities flickered through his thoughts: a centralized network capable of managing the entire Empire’s infrastructure, controlling systems from planetary logistics to interstellar navigation. But the idea sent a chill through him. Such a network would destroy the independence of the cyber world, placing everything under one all-encompassing system. In the wrong hands, this could become the ultimate weapon—capable of surveillance, control, or worse. But with a QDA integrated into the core, if linked to a planetary atmospheric tower this tech could destabilize a planet in many ways.

  He pushed the unsettling thought aside as Bella began speaking again, snapping him back to the present.

  “The problem right now,” she said, gesturing to the massive sphere, “is that we can’t get the supercomputers we’ve already cabled to it to stay online. Every time we boot them up, they shut themselves down almost immediately.”

  “A virus?” Jack asked, his voice sharp with concern.

  “No trace of one,” Amos said. “We’ve scanned the systems repeatedly.”

  “Well,” John said, moving to a nearby holo-terminal, his casual demeanor hiding the gravity of the issue. “Let’s see if we can figure this out before Naomi loses her mind and decks someone.”

  A few hours later, the lab was a cacophony of frustration and determination. The team had tried every approach they could think of to diagnose the issue with the super core, but nothing had worked. Bella was hunched over a holo-terminal, her glasses sliding down her nose as she furiously typed commands into the interface. Amos paced back and forth, muttering under his breath, while John leaned against the far wall, throwing out sarcastic comments that only added to the rising tension.

  They had run every diagnostic tool available, from deep system scans to network integrity checks. They had re-cabled the connections to the core, testing for physical faults, and even replaced several key components in case of hardware degradation. Nothing made a dent. Every time they tried to activate one of the connected supercomputers, it booted up, ran for a few seconds, then abruptly shut down again. No logs, no error codes—just silence.

  Jack stood back, his arms crossed, watching the team spiral into frustration. His own mind worked furiously to make sense of the problem. There was something they were missing, some piece of the puzzle buried deeper than the surface-level systems they had been probing.

  Bella slammed her hands onto her workstation. “This makes no sense! It’s like the system doesn’t want us to access it.”

  “Maybe it doesn’t,” Jack said thoughtfully, stepping closer to the core. He studied the faint rotation of the massive silver sphere, its smooth surface glistening under the dim lights. “What if the problem isn’t with the supercomputers or the core itself, but with how they’re connected?”

  “What are you thinking, Lockley?” Amos asked, pausing mid-stride.

  Jack knelt down, his hand brushing over the metal grating of the floor beneath the core. “These systems are old-school mag-tech, right? They’ll be using an internal cable network that routes under the flooring. If there’s an issue with those connections, it could explain why the supercomputers are failing to stay online.”

  “Under the floor?” Bella asked, raising an eyebrow.

  “Yeah,” Jack said. “If the core’s internal systems can’t send or receive proper signals because of a faulty physical connection, it might default to shutting down anything it can’t properly communicate with.”

  “You might be onto something,” Amos said, his expression shifting to cautious optimism. “But how do we get under there? That grating is reinforced.”

  Jack smirked, already tugging at the corner of one of the panels. “Give me a crowbar.”

  Amos grabbed a tool from the nearby rack and handed it over. Jack pried open the grating, revealing a dark, narrow crawlspace lined with bundles of glowing cables and small control nodes embedded into the walls. The hum of energy from the mag-tech was louder here, reverberating through the confined space.

  “Alright,” Jack said, pulling his handheld tablet from his jacket. “I’ll crawl in and manually hook this up to one of the nodes. If the core’s logs aren’t accessible through the main system, I might be able to get a direct readout from here.”

  “You sure about this?” John asked, arms crossed. “Doesn’t look exactly spacious down there.”

  “Don’t worry,” Jack said, grinning. “I’ll try not to get stuck.”

  With that, he slid into the crawlspace, his tablet in hand, the faint glow of the cables lighting his way. As he moved deeper under the core, the hum of the machinery grew louder, filling the space with an almost oppressive energy. Jack’s pulse quickened—he wasn’t sure what he was about to find, but he had a feeling it would be important.

  Jack wriggled further into the crawlspace, the faint glow from the cables illuminating the narrow space ahead. The hum of the mag-tech felt almost alive here, resonating through the walls. His tablet was balanced carefully in one hand, the other gripping a nearby bundle of cables for support as he moved toward the control node embedded in the crawlspace wall.

  Finally, he reached the node. It was a sleek panel with a faintly glowing interface, its surface pulsing softly in rhythm with the core above. Jack flipped open a small port cover, connected his tablet, and waited as the system initialized. The tablet’s screen flared to life, scrolling through lines of code and diagnostic data at an incredible speed.

  At first, everything looked normal—voltage levels, signal integrity, and data flow all appeared within standard ranges. But as Jack drilled deeper into the node’s logs, something caught his eye.

  “There it is,” he muttered, his brow furrowing. Anomalous data spikes in the signal history. The repeater node wasn’t just malfunctioning—it was infected. A virus had embedded itself deep within the system, corrupting the signals sent between the tower’s mainframe and the core. The virus was subtle, masking its presence by mimicking normal operations while subtly sabotaging the communication flow.

  Jack tapped at the tablet, isolating the malicious code. The more he studied it, the more uneasy he felt. This wasn’t a simple disruption—it was a deliberate intrusion, carefully engineered to blend seamlessly into the system. The code didn’t just disrupt communications; it also sent false error signals to make the core believe the supercomputers were failing.

  “This is sophisticated,” Jack said, his voice echoing faintly in the crawlspace. “Too sophisticated for an accidental breach.”

  “Jack, what’s going on down there?” Bella’s voice crackled through his comm unit.

  “There’s a virus in one of the data repeaters,” Jack replied, his voice steady despite the unease tightening in his chest. “It’s masking itself as normal traffic while messing with the signal flow. Whoever put this here knew exactly what they were doing.”

  “A virus?” Amos said, his tone sharp. “How the hell did that get in?”

  “Good question,” Jack muttered, his fingers flying across the tablet as he isolated and analyzed the code. The more he dug, the more intricate the virus revealed itself to be. It was decentralized, with components spread across multiple systems to make removal difficult. Worse, it seemed to be actively adapting to his attempts to probe it.

  “Jack,” Bella’s voice crackled over the comms, “can you purge it?”

  “Not from here,” Jack admitted, his frustration evident. “It’s too deeply embedded. I’d need access to the central hub to pull the whole thing out—assuming it hasn’t already spread beyond this node.”

  “Stand by, I’ve got it,” Bella called back confidently.

  Before Jack could reply, his tablet went dark. He cursed under his breath, tapping the screen several times to no avail. Panic flickered in his mind for a moment. Had the virus jumped to his tablet? He quickly dismissed the idea—it wasn’t designed for that level of mobility. Still, the abrupt loss of function was unsettling. With a sigh, he let his head rest flat against the cold metal grating, only to nearly jump out of his skin as he caught movement in the corner of his eye.

  Artemis had materialized further down the crawlspace, his face hovering inches from Jack’s as he lay on his back. The AI’s calm demeanor and perfectly composed expression only added to Jack’s irritation.

  “Damn it, Artemis!” Jack snapped, nearly hitting his head in the cramped space. “Give me some warning next time.”

  “My apologies, Master,” Artemis replied smoothly, rolling onto his stomach to match Jack’s position. “Unfortunately, I have no other means of communication outside of direct materialization. Might I suggest a microbe ear piece for future use? It would allow us to speak discreetly.”

  Jack glared. “What do you want?”

  “I detected unusual activity on your tablet,” Artemis said, gesturing toward the device. “It is currently connecting to an external source.”

  Jack frowned, lifting the tablet. Sure enough, the black screen now displayed a connection icon. As he stared, the screen flickered again, and text began to appear.

  Jack Lockley.

  The message sent a chill through him. His heart caught in his throat, and his fingers hesitated over the tablet.

  “Where is this coming from?” Jack asked, his voice low.

  “Already initiating a trace,” Artemis replied, his tone uncharacteristically serious.

  Another message appeared:

  Do not raise any alarms. I know who you are. I know everything about you. You’ve been chosen, Jack. You’ve fought your whole life for what you believed was right. Will you fight again?

  Jack’s blood ran cold. His thoughts raced. Who is this? he typed

  Bella’s voice crackled through the comms. “Jack, did it work?”

  Another message appeared:

  A friend. I trusted you to find the virus. It wasn’t designed to harm, only to disrupt. Hidden within the trace code, I’ve left a gift. Decode it, and it’s yours. We will speak again soon, Jack. Stay quiet—I know where you live, and I am watching.

  As quickly as they had appeared, the messages vanished, replaced by the familiar data logs he had been analyzing earlier. Jack stared at the tablet, his heart pounding in his chest. The virus was gone, purged from the system, but the ominous messages lingered in his mind like a shadow.

  “Jack, can you hear me?” Bella’s voice called again, snapping him back to the present.

  “Yeah, sorry,” Jack replied, trying to steady his voice.

  What just happened?

  “Did it work? Did I purge the virus?” she pressed, impatience creeping into her tone.

  Jack double-checked the logs. The virus was gone. “It’s clear,” he said. “Wait for me to get back up before you activate the system.”

  Crawling out of the confined space, Jack felt Amos’s strong hand pull him through the hole in the grating. As he stood, Amos frowned, taking in Jack’s pale face and the sweat beading on his forehead.

  “You prime, man? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Amos said, his voice tinged with concern.

  “Just claustrophobic,” Jack lied, brushing it off as he straightened his jacket. But inside, his thoughts raced. The cryptic messages, the implied threat—they weighed heavily on him. He thought briefly of telling the others but hesitated. The warning about staying quiet hung ominously in his mind, and his thoughts turned to Sophia. If these people knew about him, they could know about her too.

  “Booting the system up now,” Bella announced, her voice cutting through his thoughts.

  Jack forced himself to focus. Whatever had just happened, it wasn’t over. And for now, he would have to play along.

  The system hummed to life and a faint chime echoed through the room, signaling the successful boot sequence. The holo-terminals around the room lit up in unison, displaying diagnostic data that confirmed the supercomputers were back online.

  “Yes!” Bella cheered, throwing her hands in the air. Amos clapped her on the back, and even John let out a satisfied whoop.

  “Naomi’s going to love hearing this,” Amos said, grinning as he glanced at the glowing core. “Good thinking, Jack.”

  Jack nodded, but his expression remained distant, his jaw tight. As the others celebrated, Artemis materialized beside him, his appearance as sharp and composed as ever. Jack glanced at the AI, who returned his gaze with a knowing look.

  “Go ahead and let Naomi know the system is back online,” Jack said to the group, his tone calm but firm. “I’ll fix the grate and double-check that I didn’t knock anything loose while I was down there.”

  “Got it, man,” Amos said, giving him a thumbs-up. Bella and John followed, their excited chatter echoing as they left the room.

  “Maybe she will get us another day off for this,” John said excitedly and Bella nodded in enthusiasm.

  Once the doors hissed shut, Jack exhaled, turning to Artemis. “Did you get the trace?”

  Artemis’s normally confident demeanor faltered slightly as he shook his head. “Unfortunately, no, Master. The signal was running a destructive code—designed to obliterate itself after transmitting the message. There was no residual data to track.”

  Jack clenched his fists, frustration bubbling beneath the surface. “So, nothing? No trace, no origin point?”

  “Correct,” Artemis said, his tone grave. “Whoever sent that message knew exactly how to remain anonymous. It was an elegant piece of coding—dangerously so.”

  Jack paced for a moment, his mind racing. “They knew my name, Artemis. They knew about me. And that message—it wasn’t just random. This isn’t a coincidence. The message said I was chosen.”

  “I agree,” Artemis replied. “The specificity of the message and its knowledge of your background suggest a deliberate targeting. This individual—or group—clearly has access to resources and information far beyond what is typical. That’s is if their claims are true.”

  Jack ran a hand through his hair, his fingers tugging slightly at the strands as he stared at the glowing core suspended in the center of the room. Its smooth surface rotated with an almost hypnotic precision, the faint hum of its mag-tech filling the space. Normally, the sight of such a technological marvel functioning perfectly would have filled him with pride or at least a sense of accomplishment. But now, it felt hollow, like background noise against the storm of thoughts raging in his mind.

  The success of the system boot was a fleeting victory, overshadowed by the cryptic messages burned into his thoughts. His heart still beat faster than it should, and a chill lingered at the base of his spine. Someone out there not only knew his name but claimed to know everything about him. The implication was staggering if true. Whoever they were, they were toying with him, testing him.

  “Keep this between us for now,” Jack said after a moment. “If they’re watching, I can’t risk Sophia getting hurt until we know what this is.”

  “As you wish, Master,” Artemis said, his tone returning to its usual calm. “But I must caution you—if this entity is as dangerous as they appear, secrecy may not be enough to protect you.”

  Jack nodded, his jaw tight. “I’ll handle it.”

  He crouched down, pulling the grate back into place and securing it as best he could, his mind still spinning with questions. Who was this “friend”? What was the purpose of the gift hidden in the virus trace? And, most importantly, how much danger had he just stumbled into?