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

Nav’s eyes widen. “Aww, Fae. I didn’t know it was that bad.”

“My first foster father, the Archfiend, is worse than all the others. I was only seven when it happened, but my fear and memories are just as real today.”

Nav squeezes my hand. “What happened?”

“The Archfiend probably wasn’t as big as I remember, but I’m sure he was as mean. He was a raging alcoholic, although I didn’t realize it at the time. I had a sister then. Her name was Nyx.”

Nav winces.

“She was younger than me, and I always tried to protect her. One day, when we were home alone, Nyx ate leftover chocolate cake but dropped some frosting on the carpet. I helped her clean her face and brush her teeth, then I did my best to get the stain out. It wasn’t enough. When the Archfiend came home and saw the smudge, his temper exploded. We tried to blame it on the dog, but he didn’t believe us. I took the worst of it at first as he beat me. I didn’t tell him the truth until he burned me with boiling oil.” I show her my wrist.

“Oh my God. He did that?” she asks, incredulously. “What did he do after that?”

“He pummeled my sister. I tried to stop him, but I was small and weak. Then he held me down and poured liquor down my throat. It was so much that I got sick for hours.”

Nav gasps.

“When I could move again without the world spinning, I left the bathroom to find my sister. She was on the carpet, blood coating her face, her arms sprawled out. I shook her, and when she didn’t respond, I kept shaking her. She was only five.”

“That son of a fascist.”

“He tied me up next to her when I wouldn’t calm down. It took me hours to escape the ropes, all while next to my poor silent sister. I called the cops, and the Archfiend is still in prison today. If he wasn’t, I might have gotten revenge by now.”

She rubs my back. “It’s horrible you had to go through that.”

Her kind eyes and support make me feel more connected to her than ever. “I think I’m finally ready to move on.”

“That’s why Ty and I wanted to start a counseling agency, to help people deal with things like that.”

“Soon this will be over,” I say, “and we can live the lives we want, but for now, we need to fight. I can do this, but I need my Blaze.”

“You have me,” she says, her eyes burning with determination. “Let’s do this.”

I grab her gun from my bag and hand it back. At least part of the team is ready. Now for Alexander.

I exit the tent into a humid, sunny day and shield my eyes. I head over to our rations. A squirrel scurries up a thin pine tree to escape me.

I gather up breakfast and make some tea, then walk up to Alexander’s tent door. “Knock, knock. Mind if I come in?”

“Come back later,” he says, his voice hollow.

“I have breakfast.”

A moment passes, then he says, “Come in.”

I enter to see him propped up on his cot, his head lowered. What’s left of his hair covers his face.

I hand him his tea, put mine down, then remove the breakfast bars from my pocket. We eat in silence for a while.

Eventually, I ask, “Feeling better today?”

He shrugs. “I’m not in pain.”

“That’s not what I mean.”

He rubs the bandages covering his chest and sighs. “What are your darkest fears?”

The question surprises me, but I know the answer. “I’m most worried about losing Nav, Sunny, and you.”

He meets my eyes and holds them for a moment, then gives me a fond, if somewhat sad smile. “Mine was failing Americus.”

It’s more honest than I thought I’d get from him. He doesn’t like to show vulnerability. “Do you want to talk about what happened?”

“Not really.”

But we need to if we have any hope of moving forward. Maybe if I open up about myself, he’ll follow suit. “Can I tell you something?”

He turns to me, looking interested. “Of course.”

At first, I think I’ll just tell him some small parts of my past, but it’s not long before I open up about everything. He listens intently, asking follow-up questions and grimacing at the details. When I’m done, he squeezes my hand.

“I had no idea things were so bad for you,” he says. “I don’t think I could have dealt with all of that. It must have been hard.”

I squeeze his hand back, grateful for his empathy. “Thanks again for saving me. When I saw you get hit by that rocket…” I shake my head. “I just don’t know what I’d do if I lost—”

“You won’t lose me that easily.”

“Still, I’m sorry I didn’t hack the Obliterator suit in time.”

He lowers his head, a gloominess washing over his face. “I had two dreams. To win gold like my father, and to save America. I can’t do either if I can’t see.”

I fidget with one of my curls as I consider what to say. He’s always been the confident one. How do I bring him back? He can’t get unfair vision enhancements, but… “Can’t you just get an unenhanced eye or one that can be set to normal for the Olympics?”

He shakes his head with a huff. “Oh, duh. I guess I could. That accident must have scrambled my brains.” He sits up straighter, and the shadow seems to recede under his eye. “But even that pales in comparison to losing Americus and failing to free the country.”

He’s right, but I need to convince him that this isn’t over. “I’ve been thinking about what you said before…about creating your reality.”

He frowns and lowers