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

know what to say. My stomach flutters, and my face feels hot.

The man stares at me. They all do, their eyes boring into me. I want to bolt from the room, and it takes everything I have to stay in place.

“This is our investigation, Mr. Williams,” says Nav. “Please answer the question.”

Thank God for Nav.

“We’ll have to get that information,” says Mr. Williams.

“Can we get that on the way out? We have all we need,” I say.

Mr. Williams squints at me. “That’s it? I thought you’d be asking more financial questions.”

Nav looks at me again. “Umm. I need to consult with my partner for a few minutes. If you could get us that information while we wait, we’d appreciate it.”

Mr. Williams frowns. “Let’s take a five-minute recess.”

Nav motions to me, and we exit the room. We walk a ways away from the secretary’s desk to talk.

“Do we need anything else?” asks Nav.

I’m just happy to be out of there. What else could help, though? I pace around while I think. “I’m sure we could use way more information, but I don’t know how to ask for it. We definitely want the news story, though.”

Mr. Williams bursts through the door. “I called the Federal Trade Commission. Agents McMillan and Blane are at a hearing in Ohio.”

Crack this. “Run,” I say to Nav.

“Suzie, call security,” he says. “And lock this place down.”

I sprint toward the stairs, Nav close behind me. We practically fly down them and explode through the door into the lobby.

I make it two steps before a security guard grabs me in a rough grip. I tug my arm, but I can’t free it. Nav seizes the guard’s arm and, with a flick of her wrist, tugs it off mine. She slams her cybernetic hand into his chest.

The man flies backward and crashes into a potted plant. The pot shatters, dumping dirt onto him.

I try the exit, but it’s locked. “Chim, access the building’s network,” I say in a panic. “Search for anything referring to door locks.”

The holographic code pops up in front of me. I scan through it, desperate to find a weakness. After a frantic search, I realize it’s too complicated to breach quickly enough. Hell, we’re trapped!

 Wait, the sprinkler system! The doors have to open if there’s a fire. I could breach that easily. “Chim access the—”

Another guard sprints toward us. Nav grabs him and launches him across the room. He crashes into a wall.

“There’s no time to hack,” she says. “Move aside.” She smashes her cybernetic fist into the thick plexiglass door. Cracks spiral outward. She strikes again, and the entire door shatters.

Diablo, she’s strong!

We sprint into the warm streets toward Nav’s car. Someone shouts to our left. I twist to see three giant cybernetic police officers sprinting toward us, their red eyes shining.

Oh hell no. “This way.”

We dash down an alley, unfortunately away from our car.

The officers’ inhumanly powerful legs propel them three times faster than ours do. And in moments, they’re on our heels.

No. Not again. I dodge right just as an officer grabs for me. “Nav, save yourself. Get home to Sunny.” I drop to the ground in front of the first man’s legs.

His foot smashes into my side, and I grunt in pain. He trips and flies forward to crash onto the ground.

Another one of the cyborgs collides into the first man and tumbles down. The third stops just before me and growls, his enhanced vocal cords amplifying the noise.

I scramble backward, panicked.

He grabs my arm and lifts me off the ground, level with his face. It’s inhuman and unforgiving.

I grunt as pain tears at my shoulder. “Chim—”

His other hand clamps over my mouth. At least Nav will get away.

Nav roars and slams into the cyborg with her enhanced shoulder. He stumbles to the ground, dropping me.

Nav hoists me up as if I weigh nothing. “Come on.”

We turn to run again, but the other two cyborgs are in our path.

“Chim, target the two men in front of me and activate protocol three.” A program I made in case Nav changed her mind about Sunny.

The two cybernetic police collapse on the ground, their limbs temporarily paralyzed. We speed around them and continue to run.

“Cube, contact the Loyalists,” says Nav. “Tell them the police are after us.”

“Who’s that?” I ask between huffing breaths.

“A group that can help.”

“Freeze or I’ll shoot,” shouts someone behind us.

I glance over my shoulder to see how dire the threat is.

Five regular cops point their guns at us. Their laser sights are like stars on my black suit. I freeze, not ready to die. Nav stops next to me, and we slowly wheel around.

The three cybernetic cops are up now, circling us. Two walk over and throw Nav and me to the ground. My face smacks into the street and grinds into it while they cuff me. Someone rips off my q-link for evidence.

A police van screeches to a halt beside us. One of the cyborgs snares me, slides a hood over my head, and tosses me inside. I crash into the van’s wall, and then Nav collides into me.

  CHAPTER 6

∶ CHAOTIC DANGERS ∶

Two men, probably cybernetic, based on their iron grips, escort me along. My teeth are gritted against the pain, but I say nothing. I heard other men take Nav somewhere else as she cursed in defiance. I demanded to know where they were taking her. Their only answer was to punch me in the stomach. It doubled me over with blinding pain. I’m used to being hit, but a cybernetic punch is on another level.

My fear and unease increase with each step. Who puts a hood on you? I’m a minor, and