the ultimatum ↬ elliot alderson ✔

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Romero has been found dead in his flat. Mobley says he found him in a pool of dried blood. Dawn's been pacing around the bedroom for an hour now. She's panicking. So am I.

"God. I just can't believe this even happened," she says, running her hands through her dirty-blonde hair. "Shit," she whispers. 

"What do we do?" I ask, gazing at her from the bed. She came over last night after Darlene left. I asked her to. I couldn't stay alone after the Cisco thing. I needed a distraction. 

"I-I don't know. Maybe we should ask Darlene," she says, sitting down next to me with a sigh. I grab my phone, sending Darlene a message on Lockchat. Shit. I forgot to keep cracking the code from last night. 

"Do you think the Dark Army was behind this?" I ask, gulping. Why was Romero killed? There has to be a reason. There always is.

"I have no idea. God, I don't even know-" she says, fear in her tone. I wrap my arms around her from behind. She tenses for a second, before loosening again. I stroke her hair to calm her down, just like she does to me when I'm nervous. 

My phone buzzes. It's Darlene. 

Let's meet at the arcade. 

The message auto-destructs within seconds, erasing any evidence proving it ever existed. 

"She said to meet at the arcade," I say, letting go of Dawn. I get up from the bed, putting my hoodie and my shoes back on. 

"Where are you going?" she asks.

"I'm gonna get a head-start. I'll meet you there in an hour," I reply. 

"Okay. I'll see you then," she says. It's better if we arrive at different times, for safety. I kiss her, a pout on her lips before I leave. 

I get on the subway, heading towards Coney Island. How did Romero get shot? He played a minor part in the hack, but his role was still significant. Darlene helped us connect with the Dark Army through Cisco, Trenton helped me make the malware, Dawn prepared the final dat file, while Mobley and Romero cracked Evil Corp's security base. 

We kept everything low-key for a reason. Maybe the Dark Army was behind this. Maybe it's their way of getting rid of the evidence of the hack. Killing us off one by one. 

Maybe Mr Robot knows. I haven't been able to talk to him since last night, where he took over me and cracked the biblical passage. 

I make my way out of the subway, following the usual route I take to get to the arcade. I don't have much time to find out what Plan V is. What if Whiterose released me so I could take down the US? No. I want Evil Corp dead, but I don't want my whole country to be. This is a war- and it only gets worse from here. 

My gaze focuses on the amusement park, furrowing my brows when I notice cop cars parked at the entrance. Shit. They're looking inside the arcade. I can see them from here. 

I text Darlene to eject the plan. It's not safe here anymore. 

I know we have to find a new hideout. Darlene was lucky to have organised the End Of The World party last night. I remember that's why she came over to my house so late. Fingerprints from hundreds of people will be all over the arcade. We're clean. 

I need to find a hideout. But for now, we need to meet at the pier. 

I know it's risky. I know even Mr Robot would be against this. But we don't have a choice. Not until we find a better hideout. 

Dawn texts me, confirming she'll be at the pier in 15 minutes. I have to get a head-start. 

***