The Liberation Paradox

Meltdown

Marcio

18:37

(2hrs, 31min left)

Marcio couldn't take it anymore. He needed to get out of the server room and away from everyone. He needed to be alone. All hope was lost. He was screwed.

Sitting at his desk, he'd watched as Sky, Camilla, and Ivan, had gotten closer and closer to breaking into his last layer of encryption. They all suspected him now.

He watched on Mr. Daniau's creeper cams as henchmen had taken up hidden positions outside of Mika Claire's apartment. He watched as Danny Jake, now inexplicably dressed in a tuxedo, blundered right into their trap. Marcio watched as Danny, hopelessly and foolishly caught, handed over Mika's cell phone to the mob boss. And as if all that wasn't enough, Marcio watched as Mr. Miles led the frightened-looking, half-naked, and obviously brutalized Mika out of her own apartment. What had Danny done to her? Had he hurt her? Had he raped her? Whatever the brute had done to the innocent woman, Marcio knew that he himself bore part of the responsibility. Marcio watched on the cameras as they cuffed Danny and escorted him down to room 1608. Marcio was watching as that arrogant jerk, Danny, even winked at the hidden camera in Mr. Daniau's torture chamber.

It was all over now. It was only a matter of time before Mr. Daniau sent his goons after Marcio. There was no hope. Even if he could somehow escape, the Boaters would kill him. Worse, now that he had failed, his debts would be transferred to his sister. His unique skill set as a hacker had made him valuable to the Boaters, but Lyssa had no such useful skills. She was a mechanic. The Boaters had no use for a swarthy, foul-mouthed mechanic. How would they make her pay back his debts? He dared not imagine.

Sky said something nasty just then, directed at Marcio, but Marcio barely processed what it was. He just told Sky "to do his work and get the job done" but it came out weakly.

Marcio felt the need to be alone. He was fighting back tears by that point. He was determined not to let that vile, bigoted toad, Sky, have the satisfaction of seeing him cry. He decided to go back to his room and see if he had the courage to end it all himself.

Vice, the goon keeping an eye on them, tried to stop him, but Marcio threatened to be sick there in the server room. Vice didn't want to deal with that, so the big man ultimately let him pass.

Once free of his babysitter, Marcio went straight to his room at the other end of the 14th floor.

Marcio knew there was nothing for it.

He was screwed. Lyssa, was screwed.

He had let her down. He had failed at everything.

He had placed his trust in that stupid Danny Jake or Sid Stone or Ethel Kundertson or whatever that idiot's name was.

Alone in his room, he briefly entertained fantasies of escape, but he knew they were just fantasies. He looked at his personal data terminal set up on his small, hotel room desk. Its display was showing an offline icon. It was unable to connect to the exnet. Marcio wished it could connect. He would like to go into the datasphere one last time. He would like to see his meadow, to see Clovis again. Marcio longed for the tranquil escapism of his meadow and his feline friend.

He wished he could call Lyssa one last time. He wished he could tell her to get on the first transport out of the Darklands. He wished he could tell her to just go somewhere, to not tell anyone where she was going, to change her name, and to never look back. He wished he could tell her he loved her, but Mr. Daniau had taken his phone early that morning.

Overcome with rage, he screamed. "ARRRGH!" Marcio raged at the futility and the failure of his situation. He picked up his data terminal and slammed it back onto the desk once, twice, thrice, but the terminal proved more robust than he'd expected. He slammed it onto the floor and stomped it.