Cytronica

Fifty-nine

A seventeen-year-old boy sat on the wooden bench underneath a towering tree. Its dead leaves fell to the ground in the autumn wind.

One of them landed on his blazer, almost blending in with the horrid mahogany colour.

He glared at his uniform. He detested it even more than his previous one.

Time passed slowly. He watched as students played in the yard. He held none of them in a high regard. Or any regard, for that matter. He found all of them to be bothersome, for no reason in particular other than that they were different to him.

"Having fun, sitting there?" some asked.

The boy didn't even flinch. He knew exactly who it was. "Sure," he lied.

Justin stepped closer and took a seat on the bench. "I'm guessing you haven't made any friends yet."

"I'm guessing you haven't either," Hunter retorted.

"Nope."

They sat side by side, staring at the sprawling schoolyard of Arcadia Prep. While it wasn't quite as prestigious as Wynter International, it came in at a close second, and it cost both students' parents a hefty donation to bypass the standard waiting time and have their sons admitted immediately.

Especially considering their actions at their alma mater. Needless to say, Principal Ramirez had informed Arcadia's headmaster, who was reluctant to take them on. Ultimately though, it was nothing a second donation couldn't fix.

But both students were subsequently warned about the school's policy regarding such misconduct.

"I hate it here," Hunter muttered.

Justin nodded. "Yep."

"We don't belong here."

"No. No, we don't. It's only for a year though. Less, actually. And then we can graduate and put this all behind us."

Two young boys looked at the duo on the bench and whispered in hushed tones.

"What are they looking at?" Hunter groaned. "Little shits."

"They probably know who we are," Justin explained. "I've already heard rumours."

"What? Already? What rumours?"

Justin laughed. "You don't want to know."

"Yes, I do," Hunter moaned. "Tell me."

"Okay, okay. Chill, will you? Apparently some of them think that you went out in Cytro killing people."

Hunter gripped the wooden bench and shut his fist. "What the hell? Why? That's not even remotely true."

The two nearby boys slowly walked over to the older pair.

Hunter sighed. "Here we go. What do they want?" He purposely said it loud enough for them to hear.

"Hi," one of the boys asked. "My name's Nathan. Are you Hunter?"

The former Legion leader rolled his eyes. "What do you want from me?"

"I want to talk."

Hunter growled and turned to Justin. "He wants to talk. Great, just great."

"Hear him out," Justin pressed. It was satisfying seeing his estranged friend so aggravated. "Maybe he's a fan."

"Yeah," the other boy said. "Totally. We heard what you did at Wynter."

"I didn't kill anyone in Cytro," Hunter spat, leaning forward.

The kid frowned. "What?"

Justin looked away and burst into a fit of laughter, adding to Hunter's frustration. "Sorry, man. I made that up. There are no rumours."

Hunter's jaw dropped. "I hate you," he whispered, his mood sour.

"Anyway," Nathan interrupted, "can I talk to you for a second?"

Hunter glared at the child. "How old are you?"

"Twelve."

"Twelve," he hissed. The students at Arcadia Prep started earlier than his former school. "Alright, what is it?"

Nathan and his friend edged a little closer and looked behind them, ensuring they were alone. "So is it true? What you did at Wynter?"

"Depends on what you heard," Hunter said, shooting a vicious glance in Justin's direction.

"I heard some pretty cool stuff. My cousin goes to Wynter. He told me about the Wynter Legion."

Hunter's eyes lit up upon hearing the name of his now-deceased faction.

"I was wondering," Nathan continued, "do you think you could do it again?"

The question took Justin aback. "Of course we could do it again. The coding was easy. But there's no Cytronica here at this stupid school."

"No, not here. At my dad's work."

Hunter flinched. "What? Your dad's work?"

"Yeah. He's the CEO of a big company, and they have their own Cytro realm. I don't want to wait six years to use a public Cytro, so I was wondering if you'd help me. I already have some cool ideas for what I want to do in there."

Hunter's jaw dropped. He could hardly believe his ears. "You want to alter your dad's company's realm? Are you serious right now?"

"Yeah, of course."

"This isn't some prank?"

Nathan furrowed his brow. "No, I'm totally serious. I don't know anything about coding, and you're obviously a pro."

Hunter leaned back against the wooden bench and stared at Justin. Their eyes met, both of them trying to read the other's thoughts. If the boy's offer was indeed genuine, then the Wynter Legion might just live on.

A sinister grin appeared on both of their faces.

Hunter turned his attention back to the boy. "When do we start?"