Ameliorate

Chapter 23: The Phones are Ringing

Content Warning: Panic Attack

Glitch had been active in a small town in Wisconsin.

Not only was this completely out of the ordinary, it was where Technopath believed Wilbur Soot and his friends were.

This was about as much confirmation he needed.

He'd been investigating the leads that he'd had, wandering through what felt like kilometers of code before what felt like a flare went up.

"What the fuck is that?" Tommy shouted, clapping his hands over his ears to protect against the screeching.

Toby's mind was ejected from Tommy's due to his alarm. Toby's awareness was thrust into the chaos.

He heard Dave's alarmed thoughts dart towards what would happen to Phil if something had targeted them.

He heard Will's dash of fear for what would happen to Tommy and Toby if they were discovered.

He heard Clay's alarm at the sudden sound coming from the burner phone.

He heard everything.

"Why is it making noise?" Nick shouted.

"I don't know!" Clay yelled in response.

Technopath saw a green outline around the burner phone and dove towards it. His movements slowed as he entered it, and he saw Glitch.

Glitch grinned maniacally at him, winked and leapt from the burner to another phone.

"Guys, what the fuck's hap-" Phil was cut off as the call was dropped.

"Phil?" Alistair asked, his hands over his ears.

"Shut the phone off!" Zak yelled.

"Destroy it!" Elizabeth yelled.

Glitch darted for the phone that the group was using to call their friend, but Technopath was faster.

Technopath ended the call so Glitch wouldn't have the way to get back to whoever was on the phone with the group.

Glitch narrowed his eyes at Technopath and lept towards him rather than a phone.

A jet black knife with a coded green outline materialized in Glitch's hand.

An axe with a long black handle and a green and silver blade materialized in Technopath's.

Technopath blocked Glitch's knife with the handle of his axe.

Nick seized the burner phone, palm glowing before bursting into flame.

"Dude, what the fuck!" Clay barked.

The screeching noise increased in volume as it came from another phone.

Toby heard Addison's anxiety coupled with Weslyn's worry as the girls held their hands over their ears.

Addison's legs were drawn up onto her chair and her face was buried into her knees.

Niki put her hand over her nose to ward off the acrid smell of burning plastic.

Technopath used Glitch's momentum to throw him into the next phone.

Glitch righted himself, hovering in the darkness.

The glow of the green code outlining his knife gave away his position.

Technopath hurled his axe towards Glitch.  As it flew end over end towards Glitch, he dispersed it into a cloud of green code.

Glitch waved his hand in front of himself to dispel the code, but that didn't matter.