Compared to the pain of his hands burning from the inside, Dante couldn’t help but think getting stunned wasn’t too bad. The only problem was that it brought his thoughts to a halt while locking his body in place. He didn’t pass out, fortunately, but with his eyes yet to recover from the earlier flash, he might as well be.
By the time he finally regained some control over his body, Dante found that the boy was gone. He took the Blue Berry, too, adding to the confusion Dante was experiencing. Was it truly just for the gun?
[Yes, Dante, I am here.] Volcan replied.
Dante leaned against the dumpster and gradually pushed himself up. His legs were shaking, and from the looks of it, his bladder didn’t hold this time. His OAM had been rebooted and the light was gone so the first thing he did was open the Equipment screen and go through his outfit, removing everything before putting on new clothes.
He felt glad that he had done some shopping recently, getting far more clothes than he had just to keep them in the Storage in case something happened. He would have to take a proper bath soon, but for the time being, this would do.
’Tell me you didn’t lose the bastard.’
[I still have a visual on the assailant.] Volcan summoned several screens. [He is likely heading toward Nightsun’s 23 train station. The next train to Moonstone will arrive in approximately ten minutes.]
’What’s... what’s the evaluation?’
[Level 0 Intermediate Cyborg.]
[Dante... that child is a powerful Diver.]
"No shit..." Cursing aloud, Dante slammed the dumpster with the side of his trembling fist, denting it slightly.
[Not only was he able to bypass all my countermeasures, but he also obstructed all of my efforts to infiltrate his NIM. I’m afraid to say my Diving skills are inferior to his.]
The lengthier explanation forced Dante to sober up. The kid had used a Flashbang, one of the simpler tricks Divers employ to incapacitate their opponents. It was common enough that programs that automated it were available on the market, allowing anyone to use the trick with next to no Diving knowledge.
The trick itself wasn’t the problem, but the fact that it was executed in the first place. In order for it to work, the kid had to surpass the protections Volcan created. He had defeated what could be considered a super AI capable of infiltrating almost anything, and in his territory, no less. That wasn’t something the average Diver could do.
’Good thing he didn’t fry my brain.’
[Rest assured, overheating your NIM is practically impossible, since most of the excess processing is handled by a virtual machine inside me, and infiltrating that one can’t be accomplished using human technology.]
’That’s... that’s good to hear...’
It was, even if he didn’t understand what that meant.
’Now, how should I kill that bastard?’
The kid was a powerful Diver, so what? He was still a Level 0, which means a good beating would do the job. First, he would watch from afar and wait till the kid drops his guard. Once it starts to feel like he has escaped, Dante would then crash into his life and make sure he suffers through every last second of what remains of it.
[I will work on new defenses and seal the vulnerabilities that had been exploited in the earlier confrontation,] Volcan said. [I will run simulations to find any remaining vulnerabilities in the system and ensure all of them are removed.]
’Yeah, you do that.’ Dante retreated back into his thoughts until a pungent stench invaded his nose. ’And ensure we don’t lose the little bastard. I will go get a shower first.’
The doors of the car came together and the train took off. Finn sat in a relatively desolate corner, away from the few who chose the same ride. He spaced out for a few minutes, and before he knew it, he had reached his stop.
His first stop, really. He never took the straight route home, even if it ate at wallet. He picked up his yellow bag and fastened its strap over his shoulder. The weight no longer troubled him as much, but there was nothing he could do about the pressure on his shoulder.
With his hood still on, he reached to the back of his neck and felt around, checking the ports at the back of his neck and the cables connected to them.
The sound played in his ears as a string of text appeared on his OAM.
[Jake: Hey Finn! How are you doing, man!?]
"I’m fine." The boy replied just as he stepped out onto the platform. He looked left and right then walked toward the exit with hastened steps, his hands grasping the strap crossing his chest.
[Jake: That was a close one. Who kicks a child in the head!!?]
The boy chuckled, "My head is still ringing."
A tired sigh escaped him, and suddenly all the stress left his body, almost causing him to collapse. He was able to retain his balance and continue Jogging, leaving the station behind him as he slid into one of the alleyways.
[Jake: Finn, I’m glad you were able to get your dad’s gun back, but...]
"I know." The boy replied. "I never thought he was that good."
Coming to a stop, Finn pulled his yellow gym bag to the front, opened one of its pockets, and took out the item stored inside. The handle barely fit in his hand and its weight threatened to break his wrist.
The barrel was long and thick, extending down to the trigger guard. The trigger itself was shaped like a thick crescent and didn’t seem like it would budge, no matter how much force one put on it. The dark blue felt like the natural color of the metallic frame, and the silver lines along the edges seemed more like a stylistic choice and not a sign of decay. On one side, a messy patch was left in place of the manufacturer and serial number.
BEBOOP BEEEEP BOBEEEP
The beeping managed to convey alarm and distress.
[Jake: He wasn’t just good, Finn! If you hadn’t cut the connection back then, he would have conquered the maze and reached my main core! You don’t need me to tell you how that would have ended, right!? Right!!?]
"Yeah, yeah, I know." Sighing, the boy returned the gun to the bag and closed the pocket. "Run diagnosis. I will rearrange the maze and add a few more layers."
[Jake: add more traps and monsters as well! I don’t want that thing getting inside me again!]
"Yeah, I don’t want that either."
Fastening the bag on his back once more, Finn moved his legs. The distant city noise soon faded into the background, making the dark alleyway feel disturbingly silent.
Beep boobeep beeboobeep
[Jake: Finn, is it time?]
Remaining silent for a few moments, the boy tightened his grip on the bag’s strap.
"Yeah." He said. "It’s time."