the city had forgotten about decades ago. The air inside smelled of old paper, dust, and ozone from the humming racks of outd

figure sat at a massive, cluttered console in the center of th

Nyx," he said, with

lines of someone who spent more time in cyberspace than the real world. He was th

, Julian," I said

s, sharp and intelligent, scanned me from hea

," he said, his tone neutral. "Blackwoo

ht with anger. "He stole it and he's tur

tracking it. Funded by the Aegis Corporation. Nasty people. They don't just want

the exhaustion of the last f

show the world what Helios really is. But they've locked me

a rapid, silent rhythm on the keyboard. "They might no

eaches, all prevented. Major banks, power grids, even a near-

ime. You've been the guardian angel for half the city's infrastructure for years. You were protecting OmniCo

g vulnerabilities and fighting off digital threats, all for the challenge and the belief that I was d

ckwood and his company, and he betrayed me. To this hidden world, the world Julian r

e wrong people, in the wrong system. I believed in mentorship, in corporate loya

e sound of it surprised me. The naive, trusting Sarah Mi

ing them. I am done being their victim. From this moment on, my con

a solemn vow. This wasn't just a change of pl

ped a few more commands. A new window opened on his

access keys, your employee credentials, everything tha

id without hesita

street. Once it's gone, it's gone for good

d. "Burn it t

a cascade of meaningless characters, and then vanished, leaving behind a blank, black window. It was a digital

It was liberation. The fi