Hacker Academy

Assemble

Their faces contorted in confusion as they saw me running in the opposite direction of our new home and towards Racter station. It pains me to do this to them for the second time, and this time in plain view. It just makes it all the more harder for me to leave them like this. I quickly turn around and embrace mother and sister.

Mother clings onto the back of my jacket. "Where do you think you're going?" She says, hysteria laced in her voice.

"I'll be away for a short while," I mumble in her hair. "I'll come back again. That's a promise."

I sigh and pull away from the hug. Sister has a determined look to her eyes, and it takes me aback. I was so used to having her rely on me, but her gaze makes me wonder if I have always relied on her support to carry on.

She nods. "Do what you have to do."

With that, I run towards Racter station. I hope they didn't see me wiping my tears away.

It seems like a stretch of eternity passed since I took that first step to Racter station, full of naivety and the desperation of providing a better life for mother and sister. Before I had met Domain face-to-face, he was just the message bubbles of a person I had never met. Now, Domain comes off to me as the most annoying, drunk, and considerate person I have met. The people in HackCity are complex, but then again, aren't we all?

I naturally take a seat on the subway train as the PA announces that Racter station is shut down (once again). Before I know it, the train is whisked away. Most people would assume it is off to repairs, but I know better. Just like last time, I close my eyes, faithfully anticipating the burst of light instead of a dead-end tunnel awaiting my fate. A faint glow slowly emerges in my dark vision, and when I open my eyes, I'm back.

I was once submerged in the busy city congestion in the streets of HackCity, the neon lights speaking subliminal messages across my eyes. Now, the city is completely pitch black. The only remaining lights are the fluorescent bulbs in Hacker Academy. I know this is the doing of Miss Tag and her little helper, Cyber.

When the train enters into the admin floor of Hacker Academy, I'm met with a pool of utter darkness. I'm about to shout when the doors open and a blurry figure emerges. I take a cautious step back out of reflex, but the figure reaches forward and covers my mouth. I struggle and try to flex out of their grip, finally getting out with an elbow to their stomach. The figure doubles down over in pain. With little strength left, the figure removes their hoodie. It's Domain.

"Seriously? Were you trying to kidnap me?" I say.

"I was trying to make sure you were quiet."

"Yeah, 'cause I'm known to have a loud voice," I roll my eyes and give him a hand.

"You should be grateful I'm doing all this while I'm still on hangover."

As much as I hate him for scaring the shit out of me like that, I do appreciate that he's an ally in this strange world. Domain motions me towards the exit stairs.

"We have to hurry. Tag shut the entire HackCity after she teleported you. If she finds out that the admin floor is working, she'll flip."

I nod and quickly follow after Domain down the concrete stairs. "Where are we going?"

"Glad to know you have a plan," he says curtly. "We're going to my dorm. There's less surveillance and restrictions cause I work here."

"Yeah, that's smart, give more privacy to a guy that drinks booze every waking moment."

He throws me an exasperated look and shakes his head. "I don't know why I brought you back."

When we enter Domain's dorm, I see the silhouette of Unix. Her ponytails are loose in the small frame of her face, and when she turns her head, she's evidently more exhausted than the last time I saw her, but her face instantly lights up as she dashes over to embrace me in a hug.

"You came back!" She says.

My eyes sting. Her words remind me of what my sister said not too long ago. It seems like ages since I saw my mother and sister, but it has actually been this very same day.

"Of course," I muster.

We gather around Domain's small room. It's perplexing that three hackers are figuring out how to take back an underground world that is interconnected with complex codes. In the darkness of the room, only a dim glow from a lamp lights up between the three of us.

"Let's get us all up to speed, so that we're on the same page." I exhale. "Miss Tag is Mr. Python's ex-wife. Perl is their daughter. Miss Tag has taken over HackCity with the help of Cyber. They could do anything. They could keep us trapped here to do their bidding so that we'll never see the light of day, or they could expose all our private information so that we'd never want to see the light of day. We have to stop this. Our futures depend on this. I'm not waiting for others to get things done while we wait around. Our time is now." I turn to Domain. "Where are they?"

"Control centre of HackCity."

I frown. "Where's that?"

"The tallest building in HackCity."

"Who's in there?"

"All the key people that Tag uses to do her bidding. Celestia, Mr. Python and his wife are hostages. Cyber, Perl, and Tag are in there."

"There's only one floor in the Control Centre building," Unix says.

"They shut down all transportation services too," Domain says. "Elevators, cars, you name it."

I stopped short. How were we going to get to the tallest building in HackCity without a single method of transportation to get there? I think back to the train that took me from Racter station to Hacker Academy. I'll never forget my dreaded fear when I realized we were going to climb the building. I frantically grappled for the seatbelt just as I lurched forward. It almost felt like I was flying...

"How about flying?" I blurt out.

Both of their heads turn in my direction with looks of pure surprise. I wring my hands together, desperate to justify my train of thought.

"If there's only one floor, and all moving vehicles are closed down, I just thought that maybe we could fly with a plane or helicopter... or something."

Domain puts a hand to his chin, stroking a nonexistent stubble. "We could override the system," Domain says quietly. "It's crazy because it might work."

"Really?" Even I don't sound as sure.

Domain opens his laptop. "Let me map out our plan."

As he gets lost in the glow of the screen, I feel cold hands enveloping mine that have long gone cold. In the dim of the light, I can see the concern etched across Unix's face.

"Are you okay?"

"Of course I am," I say a little too quickly. "Why wouldn't I be?"

She hesitates and looks off at the side. Once again, I'm caught off guard by the sudden maturity of people whom I once took as naive. Sister's look of reassurance in her eyes when she told me to come back here. Unix's inquisitive instinct that has thrown me off guard, not because I don't know what she's talking about, but because I know exactly who she's talking about. I sigh and take her hands in mine.

"I'm fine, Unix. I was just caught off guard. I thought he was part of our group and more. I thought he believed that he belonged with us as much as I did." I'm glad for the darkness of the room as a tear slides down my face. "I just want to sort this out quick. You guys are all that I have here in HackCity, and I'm not leaving you guys behind."

Abruptly, Unix lurches forward and cages me in a tight hug. I smile and hug her close.

"I heard about everything from Domain. You're so brave and selfless for coming back to Hacker Academy to help us even though you could've just left us. I just want to say, thank-you."

I smile and quickly wipe my eyes with the back of my sleeve. Unix doesn't miss this, but she doesn't say anything.

"You guys done?" Domain asks.

I nod and turn to the glow of Domain's laptop.