The Astral Hacker (Cryptopunk Revolution Book 1) by Brian Terenna (best ebook reader .txt) 📗

Blaze gasps, then lowers her rifle to let her strap carry it and pumps her arms with renewed vigor. After leaping three more chasms, we reach our target warehouse.

I motion to Blaze. “Over here.”

She follows me across the building, and we crouch down, our guns ready. The twenty-five or so troops land on the other side of the roof and open fire.

Blaze ducks, but the bullets ricochet off a transparent bulletproof wall I previously constructed. One bullet strikes a soldier, and he stumbles back in shock, then falls from the roof.

“Just a little something I set up in case we needed it,” I say.

The other soldiers’ wide eyes narrow to anger.

“Good call,” says Blaze, “but what now?”

“Just relax and enjoy the show.”

The enemies creep toward us, looking side to side, but speed up as they gain confidence.

“Watch this, Sunny,” I say.

“What?” asks Blaze.

“Nothing. It’s someone in the real world.” I pull out a small device and press a button.

A series of directed explosions erupt around the attackers, blowing a square hole in the roof. Flames burn the howling soldiers as they drop to the ground below. Three lay dead. The others have about half their lives remaining.

Blaze gapes at the hole in the roof as the smoke clears, then she breaks out into a big smile. “Wow, genius! Let’s finish them.” She raises her gun.

I push down on the barrel. “Just watch.”

She tilts her head at me, her brow furrowed.

I point down through the lingering smoke. “The explosion wasn’t meant to kill them.”

I press the second button on my device.

Four doors around the room burst open, and a horde of gruesome zombies surge toward the stunned troops. The troops scramble backward, bumping into each other in their panic. Several fall to the ground. The others push back and trample on their guildmates as they raise their rifles.

The mass of zombies engulfs the group, biting and tearing the soldiers apart. Our enemies’ life-bars drain from red to black, and their bodies blink out of existence.

After the last of the DarkTraders vanish, the zombies snap their heads toward us. The holograms look so realistic that their feral eyes and disgusting faces turn my stomach. I can’t even imagine what it would be like to fight zombies in real life.

“Let’s go,” I say, then glance at the ladder on the opposite side of the gaping hole. Oops.

“Good thing I brought my grappling hook,” says Blaze.

We rappel down the building’s side and sprint toward the enemy headquarters and the rest of our group.

“TigerShadow, we’re on our way,” I say. “Hold tight.”

“Yes, Commander.”

Blaze and I reach the others. There are twelve of us versus twenty enemies guarding the flag.

“Everyone but Blaze, get your infrared blankets ready,” I say. “As soon as I tell you, activate them and your heat dummy.”

“But commander, we can take them,” says Dragonfly. “We’re only down two to one.”

I shake my head, suppressing a grin. Every time. “Trust me.”

A group of their troops surges forward as red dots on my radar.

“Now,” I say.

My guild activates their infrared blankets and dummy drones nearly simultaneously. The blankets hide my guildmates, and the drones mimic their heat signatures.

I motion for Blaze and take off in a sprint. The drones, preprogrammed to follow, zip after me.

“Be quick,” I say. “If they see that our people aren’t really with us, this won’t work.”

Fifteen red blips split off to follow us. We take off in a full sprint and speed down streets and through alleyways.

“TigerShadow, hold until I order the attack,” I say. “I’m going to lead them far enough away so they can’t get back in time.”

“Good plan, Commander,” he says. “It will be ten on five. We’re going to thrash them.”

“Commander,” says Scorpion, “two of them fell for the proximity mines. We’re delaying the others, but we can’t hold them for long.”

“Just a little more time,” I say. “Give me a warning if it gets dire.”

We dash around another corner just before they’d discover the ruse. Almost there…

“Maverick is down! I can’t hold,” says Scorpion.

“TigerShadow, attack,” I say.

The thinnest threads hold my plan together. Just one tug in the wrong direction will unravel it. But you have to be bold when the odds are stacked against you.

Ten blue dots, representing my people, pop into existence near the enemy base and move in on the five red dots.

Now you pay. “Scorpion, defend our flag for another twenty seconds.”

“I’ll make it work, Commander.”

The troops that were chasing me recognize their mistake and turn back to the base.

I laugh. “Too late.”

“You dare to rival Commander StarFeather?” shouts Blaze.

A few moments pass and TigerShadow says, “These noobs had no chance. I have their flag.”

The words ‘Congratulations, you have won the tournament’ appear before us. ‘You’ve been promoted, and your champion’s gifts will appear in your inventory.’

My com explodes in cheers.

“FreedomFire! Best guild ever,” says Maverick.

“And you wanted to fight one on two, Dragonfly,” says TinMan.

“At least I killed two of them instead of hiding behind a wall,” Dragonfly retorts.

“Guys, guys,” says TigerShadow. “Watch this replay of me disarming this noob and shooting him with his gun.”

“Well done, Fae,” says Sunny. “Your strategies were very intelligent, as always.”

I turn and nod to him with a smile.

Blaze steps up, and her avatar hugs me. “You thrashed them!”

“We never would’ve made it to the championship if you weren’t looking out for me,” I say as I pull back, embarrassed about the hug even though it’s just a game.

“We made it here thanks to your brilliant plans.”

I love the praise. I’ve felt like a mouse my whole life, but in-game, I’m an owl, fierce and wise.

Everyone logs out until it’s