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

tickles the back of my mind, a memory trying to surface. I focus on it to see the NIA blimp crushing a man and his wife. A wave of anxiety weakens my knees, and a sickening realization strikes me like a comet.

My impetuous blimp hack was two weeks before Nav asked for help, just like her accident was. The blimp killed the groom and injured the bride. Her husband is dead, and Nav has a cybernetic arm. She had said she couldn’t afford her medical bills from her accident.

I suddenly remember where I recognized Americus from. I wish it weren’t true, but the entire news report is burned into my mind. He was the protesting father.

I stare at Nav’s face in horror. It’s the same dark shade as Americus’, and their features are too similar to be a coincidence. I swallow bile, hoping that, somehow, I’m mistaken. “Is Americus your father?

“Yeah, unfortunately,” says Nav.

Oh hell no. My stomach twists, and acid stings my throat. My blimp hack killed Nav’s husband.

  CHAPTER 10

PROFOUND CORRUPTION

Over the next week, the only news about the countrywide war was by the press secretary. She said, ‘Until the war is over, everyone must stay in their homes, except for essential activities. More information to follow.’

Americus and the others were surprised that the usually very freedom-oriented president would sign off on it and debated whether it was constitutional.

There was no news about the Evo hack and subsequent insanity, which is no surprise since Infoworld bought out most media companies.

Based on social media reports, things seem horrific. Gang activity and recruitment are up. There are countless images of bleeding people, crying kids, and destroyed homes. The disruption of food supply chains has led to rampant looting and mass arrests. Businesses are closed, and people aren’t working. I can only imagine the damage this will do to the economy.

I chatted with Sunny when no one was around, but it took me two days to tell him what I did. He stuck up for me as always and assured me he’d never let it slip to anyone.

The rest of the time, I trained with Alexander, shooting, running, and now lifting weights. After we started lifting, the newcomer, Gabriel, joined us, and hell, he could lift a house with those burly arms.

Each night, when all the Loyalists sat in the main hall, I saw Alexander polish and admire his gold medal while having engaging conversations with Americus. I’m not sure what they talk about, but if it’s anything like my conversations with Alexander, they’re probably discussing historical battles and their commanders.

Surprisingly, Americus apologized to me for how he was when we first met. He said he was irritable and burned out from the situation and worrying about Nav. After he apologized, he made sure I had everything I needed and even thanked me for helping out Nav.

If he only knew.

Unfortunately, what I did to Nav and her late husband overshadowed everything else. The memory will haunt me forever. I was in the middle of programming an app when their disrupted wedding appeared above my other q-link on a live feed.

I was appalled the NIA would disrupt a wedding, but when I thought about how my father abandoned us because of them, I got unreasonably angry. And as the impulsive teen I am, I boosted my signal to reach the blimp.

I never thought I could really breach the pilot’s Evo. Besides, I just wanted to turn the blimp away. I only broke through the driver’s defenses for an instant, but that’s all it took for him to lose control.

I’ll always remember the moment of horror when the blimp plummeted on the wedding guests. I hoped that it somehow missed them, or it would turn out to be fine, but it didn’t. Nav, Blaze, my only real human friend, lost her arm because of me. Worse, she lost her husband, her chance at happiness and love.

What’s wrong with me? I swear I’m cursed. I’ll stay here as long as it takes to make it up to her now…if that’s even possible.

I pull my head back to the present, where I stand at the end of the gun range. Sunny sits next to the wall behind me, playing with his seal hologram, Bean. Alexander lounges on the bench next to him.

I fire off several rounds, then lower my still smoking Torg nine-millimeter. I rub the scar tissue on my shoulder where the bullet struck me, then roll in the paper target.

Three bullet holes are clustered together in the target’s head. I nod to myself, satisfied.

“Don’t get too puffed up,” says Alexander. “You’re shooting from seven yards. And you’re supposed to be shooting their chests, remember?”

He’s right. I’m still nowhere near what I was in Silent City. I turn to see Alexander, polishing the gold medal that he has a million times.

I can’t take it anymore. I need to know. “What’s that medal you keep polishing?”

Alexander laughs.

It’s what I expect from him now. Something natural.

“You noticed that?” he asks with a smirk. “It’s the last thing I have of my dad,” he says, looking at it with reverence.

That really changed the vibe. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have—”

“Not at all,” He says with a flick of his hand. “I’ve come to terms, but this medal means a lot to me.”

Phew. I have to be more careful. That’s why you don’t ask people things.

“He was a course sharpshooter. Won the medal in the Olympics. I’ve always looked up to him for that.”

“You want to follow in his footsteps.”

He looks down sheepishly, a few strands of hair falling in front of his eye. “Yeah.”

The motion is strange coming from him. “So that’s why you shoot all the time.”

His sharp green eyes meet mine again. “I’m going to