There Really Ain't no Rest For The Wicked.

I Need Some Assistance on Something

Shit. Shit, SHIT.

This was not supposed to happen. The alarm system was supposed to go off, not self destruct the whole building in less than 5 goddamn minutes!

Usually, dealing with armed systems is no problem for me, but somehow the one I was dealing with was an old atlas tech which I had CLEARLY underestimated.

A ticking noise beeps throughout the warehouse I'm situated in, red blinking lights invading my field of vision. I started to panic. I had no idea what to do. My brain wouldn't focus, and the doors were locked. I had to find a way to get out or else I was gonna die.

I paced around the room, re-checking all the doors that I have already tired not even 30 seconds ago. When I realized that the doors weren't gonna budge for me when I checked the second time, I looked back to a panel as I watch the clock count down.

4:21

I whipped out my ECHO watch, a gift that Jack had given me, desperate to call for help, even though it was highly unlikely for someone to race to my unknown location in less than 4 minutes.

My breathing begins to quicken, as I find it harder to breathe by my anxiety. I force myself to take a deep breath, and mindlessly call Jack.

"Please, please pick up..." I whisper to myself. Within half a minute, he picks up.
"Hey kiddo, what's up-"
"Jack, I don't know how much time I have left to explain this whole situation but I need help." I immediately start as I look around the room to help explain my situation.
"I'm at an old atlas warehouse and I attempted disarming the security field but something I did set it off and now I'm stuck in the warehouse with 3 minutes on the clock and I'm gonna die in-"
"Hey, hey, kiddo. Calm down and take a deep breath, you're hyperventilating and it's not gonna do you any good." Jack hushes me with a concerned tone. "You said it's atlas tech? I can help you bypass the self destruct system. There should be a small panel on the wall, find it and open it up." I look towards a small panel on the wall and sprint towards it. "Okay." I say quietly, still trying to get control over my breathing. "Okay, tell me what the circuits look like." Jack instructs. "It's two circuits, a relay core, and a switch and button. The bottom is blinking red though." I reply. I quickly glance at the clock.

2:43

"Okay." He goes silent a moment, leaving me to worry about the time running out. "It's a series circuit if it's for the alarm system. Cut the wire near where the two wires meet, that should interrupt the power supply for at least 30 seconds before the emergency power comes on. That will buy you some time." He explains. I take out a pocket knife and cut the two intertwining wires. Immediately, everything powers down, leaving me to see nothing. "Okay...what next?" I ask, bringing out a flashlight and placing it in my mouth as I continue to work. "You said there's a relay core? Is there a flip switch beside it?"
"Yeah. Should I flick it?" I ask, my finger hovering over the switch.
"Yes, turn it off so that the relay contact is open. That's gonna stop supplying energy to the whole system." I flick the switch, hearing a tiny click. "What about the button?" I question.
"Hang on a second. This next part is gonna be tricky." Jack replies. I look at my watch and furrow my eyebrows. Jack continues. "So wherever you tried to hack into the system, there should be a pop up message about the power down, go back to the terminal and retry executing the alarm system. What you did before had most likely worked, but the power prevented it from doin' its magic." I walk over to a terminal on the opposite side of the room and retry my entry into hacking the system. "Once you repeated that, you have about a 10 second window to push that button in the panel or the whole building will immediately shut down. Meaning you won't be able to get out." Jack explains as I work my way through the system. "What a way to put pressure on the situation." I huff, typing fast on the screen. "We'll pressure or not pumpkin, you will die if you don't act fast. I'm just telling the truth." Jack says bluntly.

I stop typing, looking at the button to override the atlas security defence system. I take a deep breath, then press it as I bolt over to the panel. An internal countdown beeps in my head, my heart rate beating faster than it ever had been, as I stumble over my surroundings to reach the box.

5

4

3

2

I slam my fist into the button, and the room remains silent. I hold my breath to listen for anything, and Jack speaks up. "You still alive? Or are ya dead?" I let out my breath, hearing the doors open to outside. I let out a joyful sigh of relief, and grin largely. "We did it...WE DID IT! Jack, thank you! You saved my ass!" I say, touching my face, feeling in denial that I'm actually alive. Jack says nothing as I praise him with compliments through the call.

I run out of the building, and sitting myself against a rock, a safe distance away from the warehouse. I still felt paranoid that it could still blow up. I let out a deep sigh. "How did you know what to do? It seems like you're experienced." I ask.
"Well, I am. Wayyy before I took control over the company, I was quite the code monkey. Used to deal with a variety of tech from several corporations." Jack rambles. "Could be asking you the same, cupcake. Where'd you learn to hack old atlas ware like that?"
"Well..." I rub my neck. "I kinda learned when I was little. I guess I just found a hobby out of it." I smile to myself, rethinking some memories from my childhood. "I never would have pinned you for a code monkey. The big, strong and handsome Jack; a total jockey that's secretly a nerd on the inside." I say amused.
"Well, if you decide to tell anyone that, I'll have to kill ya kiddo." Jack warns, with humour in his voice. He knew I was teasing him.
"No need. I know you have to maintain a reputation."
"Hey, you're lucky that I was on break, otherwise I would have missed your call and you would have been toast." He says, leering out a sigh. I can only imagine him laying back in a chair.
"Yeah, I suppose I am lucky. I'm sorry for interrupting your time, mr. CEO." I reply, with alittle more guilt than humour.

"Don't be sorry. You needed help, and I was the hero yet again. It's cool." He says back plainly.