C0NV3RG3 (Sequel to M3RG3)

Chapter 16

Saturday

"Are you sure about this?" Karen asked through the earpiece. 

"I don't want you blanking out like last time," Oliver added. “What you said was an absolute gem, except you weren’t the one who said that.

"I've made a pact with Lyla and Natasha, they've promised to stay off for 5 hours." I pulled down the sleeves of my hoodie. 

"I really don't understand why you're dragging me along," Lydia complained. “I don’t do fighting. Or running.”

"Cause you're the one apart from Arista who knows to code," Karen stated. "You're the one who helped us set up all the firewalls and stuff." 

"It takes time. I have to decode this in a matter of minutes," Lydia sighed. "But oh well, might as well go along with it.”

"Just so you know, Astrid's the one with all the information," I said. "I just try not to fall asleep most of the time." 

"So, let's just do a quick rundown before the building blows up," Karen interrupted. "Me and Oliver will do our best to disrupt and attract the Security's attention while Lydia slips in. You have your tracker on, yes?"

"What do you think?" I retorted. 

"I'm going to take that as a yes. Lydia will track you down while you run towards the main computer room. You do know where it is, right?" 

"Hang on," I muttered, taking the earpiece off. "Lyla?" I called softly. 

What? She questioned. 

"Where's the main computer room? You know, for shutting down the system?"

You can do all that on your Tabloid. Saves a lot of time for you guys.

"But it's highly suspicious!" I whined. “I’ll be put on the Security’s watchlist once I get caught!”

Fine. Take the elevator to the 27th floor. Take two lefts, then one right. If the door's locked, shove your Tabloid under the sensor. It should open. Do you know how to destroy the firewalls?

"I didn't attend Warwick's lessons." 

I'll help you later, but I'm not so good at them either. Is Lydia good?

"She's the best the Revolution has to offer, so hopefully, yes." I tucked the earpiece back in place. "I've got confirmation from Lyla, so after you guys are done creating a distraction, meet us at the 27th floor. Take two lefts, then one right."

"Gotcha," Karen answered. "You should notice it when our distraction happens. It's quite… Colourful." 

"It’s a rainbow!" Oliver sang. 

It was only one minute later when the window was splattered with a gooey layer of paint, most of it glowing blue. I zipped up my hoodie, keeping my body pressed to the walls as I shuffled towards the elevator. Behind me, sirens were ringing in ear-splitting tones. I tightened the straps around my hoodie and quickened my pace towards the elevator.

"Attention, Republicans," The speaker announced. "We are currently facing some technical issues. Our Security team has been dispatched and will solve this issue immediately. Please stay calm for any further notice." 

With a 'ding', the elevator doors slid open. I stuck an arm in and randomly pressed a floor, then pressed the ‘close’ button. That way, the Republic would think that I had taken the elevator up.

I half sprinted my way to the end of the corridor and veered left, entering a slightly darker hallway. My gloved fingers skimmed the walls, curving left before taking a final right. Hundreds of computers greeted me, some of the screens black and others glowing white.

"Which one is it?" I whispered to Lyla. "There are at least 100 in here." 

"It can be any of them as long as you have the passcode," Lydia interrupted, twirling her fingers through her purple streaked hair. Her pixie hair had grown to a pageboy cut, but Lydia's expression was still as sharp and striking as before. "Which, unfortunately, I do not know of." 

"Are we taking down the cameras?" I gestured to the first one I spotted. "Or are we letting Oliver and Karen do it?" 

"There's no need to if we're hacking into everything," Lydia squatted down at a random computer and began typing furiously. "What's the passcode?" 

"Try merge," I replied, sitting down next to her.

Lydia laughed, her fingers still flying across the keyboard. "I never thought that the passcode would be that predictable and easy." 

"That's the Republic for you," I smirked, watching Lydia log in to the server. "What do we do now?" 

"Ask that person in your head to help you shut down all the cameras. I'll start spreading the Neon virus." She tapped a microchip into the computer before sparing a glance at me. "You'd better get started." 

It's probably best to let me take over. If you need me to back out, just tell me. Instantly, I was dragged backwards, soaring through nothingness until I hit the ground with a thump. 

"Pleased to be your acquaintance, Lydia. What would you like me to do?" Lyla asked pleasantly, pulling off the hood so it wouldn’t obscure her vision.

Lydia's eyes widened by a fraction before settling to a smirk. "Help me shut down all the cameras." 

As Lyla set to work, I averted my eyes from all the dizzying numbers and letters. It wasn't that I didn't have the skills for it, just that I didn't like it to start with. 

The screen soon flashed green as I felt Lyla exit. Instantly, I was sucked back into the array of colours and the blinding brilliance. Karen and Oliver were already here, their eyes sparkling with adrenaline. 

"We're pretty much all set," Lydia stated, manoeuvring the mouse across the screen. "I just need to unleash the virus, and everything will be-"

"What is the meaning of this?!" Warwick thundered, his voice rising. Five Security flanked behind him, and my heart sunk. 

"Astrid, who are these people?" He questioned. The Security surrounded us, pointing their guns right at our throats. I swallowed hard, flicking my gaze towards each of them before steadily staring back at Warwick. 

Lie. I had to lie. 

"They're Revolutionaries," I bit my lip, forcing tears to sprout from my eyes. When it didn't work, I kept my gaze lowered to the ground to feign shame. "They knew that I was good at hacking, so they dragged me in and…" A sniffle rose from the back of my throat. "Forced me to shut down the system." 

Lydia was catching up to my strategy, but I knew she didn’t like it. In one swift motion, the barrel of the gun was pressed against my forehead. "Take one shot at us and she dies. You're losing a prized Republican here." 

Warwick hesitated, and Lydia instantly pressed it to her advantage. She flicked the safety back on but kept the gun on my forehead. "If you let the three of us go, we won't cause you any trouble. Astrid will be returned to you safely. However, you cannot alert anyone else. Otherwise..." She flicked the safety off and pressed the gun against the side of my temple.

"Fine," Warwick agreed curtly. "If you must." He gestured for the Security to clear a path for the three of them. "But you cannot escape for long. We will track you down, and you will get what you deserve." 

Lydia took one last glance at the cameras then smirked. "I'm afraid not." Then, she, Oliver and Karen stalked out of the room, their shadows elongating with every step.

The moment they were gone, Warwick instantly rushed towards me, scanning me from head to toe. "Did they do anything to you?"

"No, they only held me at gunpoint and forced me to hack into the system," I shrugged as helplessly as I could, wiping away the tears with the back of my hand. 

"Do you think they'll come back?" He shuddered at the thought. "They're just so… Twisted, going for innocent people like you.”

"I hope not," I replied, catching sight of the three rushing out of the front door, their shadows melting as they ventured into the darkness.

Next update: 26th April