Lagos 2080

Chapter 3: Ejiro and the Ghost Network

Ayo's head was still spinning as he followed Ejiro through the maze of crumbling buildings that made up the forgotten outskirts of Makoko. The alleyways twisted in on themselves, narrow and dark, littered with debris and graffiti that flickered under the neon glow spilling from the upper city. Ejiro moved like a shadow, quick and silent, her fiery hair a rare flash of color against the grime. Ayo had barely caught his breath since the chase, but the urgency in her step kept him from slowing down.

"Where are we going?" Ayo asked, half-running to keep pace.

Ejiro didn't look back, her voice a low murmur, almost lost in the hum of the city. "Someplace safe. Or safer than out here with those Tech-Lord drones after us."

Ayo glanced nervously over his shoulder, though the streets were quiet for now. The encounter with the Sky-Mech squadron had shaken him. He had known the Tech-Lords ruled with an iron fist, but the level of control he had just witnessed went far beyond anything he'd imagined.

"How did you do that?" Ayo pressed, still struggling to process how this stranger had hijacked one of the Tech-Lords' most advanced drones in mere seconds. "The hacking, I mean."

Ejiro gave a half-smile, glancing over her shoulder. "I had help. Welcome to the Ghost Network."

Before Ayo could respond, they reached an unmarked door tucked between two rundown buildings. Ejiro tapped a series of codes into a small, flickering keypad, and the door slid open with a hiss, revealing a dimly lit corridor. Without a word, she motioned for Ayo to follow.

As they entered, Ayo's senses were overwhelmed by the sudden change. Inside, the Ghost Network headquarters was a different world. The sprawling underground space was alive with the hum of servers and the glow of screens. Holographic displays hovered in the air, and people moved with purpose, their faces illuminated by the flicker of data streams and digital code. Ayo immediately recognized the atmosphere — it was the nerve center of something far more organized and powerful than he had expected.

"Welcome to the Ghosts," Ejiro said, finally slowing her pace. "This is where the real work happens."

Ayo's eyes widened as he took it all in. "The Ghost Network... I've heard rumors. People said you guys were just a myth."

Ejiro smirked. "That's the point."

They passed a group of techs clustered around a giant screen displaying maps of the city. Ayo caught snippets of conversation — mentions of drone patterns, security breaches, data dumps — all moving too fast for him to fully grasp. He felt a little out of his depth. This was hacking on a level he hadn't even dreamed of.

Ejiro led him to a private corner of the headquarters, where she sat him down in front of a holographic interface.

"Before we get into the details, there's something you should know," Ejiro began, her voice dropping into a more serious tone. "The Tech-Lords aren't just controlling the city's tech infrastructure. They're developing something... something that could change everything."

Ayo frowned. "What do you mean?"

Ejiro tapped a few keys, and the holographic display shifted, revealing files and diagrams that made Ayo's heart race. "We've been intercepting transmissions. The Tech-Lords have been working on a project called The Ascension Protocol. It's a way to merge human consciousness with AI — permanently."

Ayo stared at the data. "Merge consciousness? Like... uploading minds into machines?"

Ejiro nodded grimly. "Exactly. They've been testing it on the undercity population. People go missing all the time in Makoko, right? We've traced some of those disappearances back to secret labs where they're experimenting on human subjects."

Ayo's stomach churned. He had always known the Tech-Lords were ruthless, but this was something else. "How long has this been going on?"

"Long enough for them to have prototypes," Ejiro said. "That Sky-Mech you found? It's part of the project. The Tech-Lords have found a way to transfer fragments of human consciousness into machines, creating drones with human-like intelligence and the ability to think autonomously. But it's not perfect yet."

Ayo's mind raced as he processed this. The Sky-Mech he had activated... had it been more than just a machine? Had he unknowingly brought something — or someone — back to life? The thought sent a chill through him.

"Why are they doing this?" Ayo asked. "What do they want?"

Ejiro leaned forward, her expression dark. "Control. The Tech-Lords want total domination over Lagos — over the world. They believe that by merging human minds with machines, they can create a new ruling class, an immortal elite who can live forever, free from the limitations of the human body. And anyone who isn't part of their plan... well, they're just collateral damage."

Ayo felt a surge of anger. The Tech-Lords were playing god, experimenting on people like they were nothing. He clenched his fists. "We have to stop them."

Ejiro smiled, her storm-gray eyes lighting up with approval. "That's the spirit. But it's not going to be easy. The Tech-Lords are powerful, and they've got the upper city locked down tight. But that's where the Ghost Network comes in."

She gestured to the buzzing activity around them. "We've been building an underground resistance. We've hacked into their systems, stolen their secrets, and disrupted their operations, but we need more. We need someone like you."

Ayo blinked, taken aback. "Me?"

"You have skills, Ayo," Ejiro said, her tone serious. "Skills we need. You got that Sky-Mech online when no one else could. You have a connection to the tech that the rest of us can't explain. I've seen people hack drones before, but never like you did. That wasn't just skill — it was something more."

Ayo opened his mouth to protest, but Ejiro cut him off. "I'm not saying you're some kind of chosen one, but there's something about you. And if we're going to bring down the Tech-Lords, we need every advantage we can get."

Ayo hesitated, but deep down, he knew she was right. He had felt it, too — that strange connection with the Sky-Mech. And if the Tech-Lords were experimenting with merging human consciousness with machines, there was no telling what other horrors they had in store for Lagos.

Before Ayo could respond, a loud alarm blared through the underground complex, sending everyone into motion. Ejiro's expression tightened. "Damn it. They found us."

The holographic display in front of them lit up with a flashing red warning. Ayo scanned the data and his blood ran cold. A squadron of Tech-Lord Sky-Mechs was closing in on their location, faster than they should have been able to find them.

"How did they track us so quickly?" Ayo asked, his voice rising with panic.

Ejiro's face hardened. "There's a mole. Someone's been feeding the Tech-Lords our intel. And now, they're coming to wipe us out."

Before Ayo could respond, the lights flickered and the walls trembled. Explosions rocked the underground base as the first wave of Sky-Mechs breached the outer defenses. Ayo barely had time to grab his gear before Ejiro pulled him toward a hidden exit.

"This isn't over," Ejiro called out as they sprinted through the chaos. "We're going to find that mole, and when we do, we'll bring the whole system crashing down."

As they disappeared into the shadows, Ayo felt the weight of what lay ahead. He had stepped into a war he hadn't even known existed, and now, there was no turning back. The Tech-Lords were closing in, but with Ejiro and the Ghost Network by his side, Ayo knew one thing for certain: he was no longer just a boy from Makoko. 

He was part of something much bigger — and the fight for Lagos had only just begun.