As much as he hated to admit it, Shark wasn’t someone who could get into Blue Ember without looking suspicious. Being an overweight giant made it impossible for him to lie low, and with half of his diving equipment installed directly into his body, there is simply no way for him to get through the security checks unnoticed. That’s where the other members of the heist crew come in.
The chick with purple hair and the guy who likes suits were scheduled to enter the hotel sometime that evening. Once inside, they will connect their NIMs to the local network to access some of the features of the hotel. That would cause a hidden file to be sucked into it like a spec of dust falling into a whirlpool.
The file itself couldn’t be very large or complex, which is why they can’t just dive into the network from an inside connection, despite it appearing as the more logical choice. It only served as a beacon to guide the real diver who had a way to track it through the data ocean.
Having caught the scent of his hidden file, Shark began following it deeper into the coral formation. He still had to hide in the shadows from time to time so the local Divers wouldn’t catch him, but after a while, he made it into an area where very few of them were around.
At the center of the entire formation was a palace made from the most vibrant of the coral, separated from everything else with another translucent red dome. Several streams were flowing through it, going in and out of the palace’s openings, but unlike the streams outside, the ones down here weren’t invisible but instead were formed from countless specks of light.
The red thread was leading into the palace as well, but now that he had located it, Shark no longer needed the guidance of the thread. All he had left to do was infiltrate the palace, leave an imprint somewhere unnoticeable, then swim back to the surface and leave.
Messing around in the hotel’s main computer was far from a great idea, specifically because it’s the main AI’s territory. Though he was one of the best divers in the entire city, one thing the great blue Shark still couldn’t do was gain control over higher-level AI without exposing himself or outright destroying the AI.
’Alright...’ Taking a deep breath, Shark advanced. ’Here we go...’
Once again, he enveloped his body in the red aura and approached the barrier surrounding the coral palace. With not a single Diver in sight, the area looked safe enough for the infiltration. Shark avoided the white streams formed by the countless specks of light, finding an empty area with relatively more shadows than the rest. Anxiousness tortured him all the way through, and even once he got to the other side, he didn’t allow himself to relax, sticking to the shadows as he approached the coral palace.
Finding an opening without a stream of light flowing through it was much more difficult. Eventually, Shark had to time his movements to one of the streams, waiting for it to be cut so he could get in. All that remained was the final step.
Finding a relatively desolate part of the interior, he spread his jaws open and bit a chunk of the coral. Before the damage could be noticed, he opened his jaws once more and spat out a spec of light, pushing it toward the damaged area with his nose. As soon as it touched the coral, it transformed into a nearly identical replica of the piece he had swallowed, erasing any signs of the coral being tampered with.
The gate had been set, and the key was in his stomach. All that’s left is to leave the coral formation. Once he’s back to the surface, his part will be complete, and he could finally stop eating frozen pizza and dine at a proper restaurant.
As he prepared to leave the palace, something caught Shark’s attention and he stopped to take a look. The streams of light were gathering at the center of a grand hall, all of them pouring into a massive cauldron. A sphere of blue flame floated right above it, feeding on the light gathering in the cauldron while producing a different kind that would turn into the streams flowing out of the palace.
Shark recognized the blue sphere as Ember, the main local AI that controls every facet of the hotel’s system. Though it appeared weak and harmless, Shark could tell how monstrous its true capabilities are, which is why he was leaving their confrontation for the day of the heist when the chaos would allow him to go all out without having to worry about being exposed.
Sneaking out of the palace turned out to be much easier than sneaking into it. Exiting the dome surrounding it, Shark was about to start his journey back to the surface when he noticed something in the corner of his eye. Afraid that he was about to be discovered by one of the local divers, he rushed to search for a patch of shadow to hide in, but it was too late.
A sharp pain pierced his body, and before he could check its source, it multiplied. He twisted his body and saw that three long harpoons pierced his scales, each from a different angle.
An ambush. The realization hit him like a bolt of lightning, but that wasn’t the reason why he remained in the same spot, stunned and unable to move. His mind was quickly heating up, and so was his body.
’Data... overload...’
Shark twisted his body and attempted to remove the harpoons, but before he could manage, three figures jumped out of the shadows and blasted toward him like a bunch of torpedoes.
One look was enough to tell him that they weren’t a part of the local divers. Though humanoid in shape, their bodies were covered in scales, their mouths were full of vicious fangs, and their hands were lined with dagger-like claws. The way they swam showed their adaptability to the data ocean, and the fact that they remained hidden until the very last moment spoke of their skill, revealing that they aren’t an enemy that can be underestimated.
Full of rage, Shark shattered the three harpoons piercing his body and shot toward one of the three humanoid sea monsters. He ignored the claws swinging at him and spread his jaws wide, snapping them shut the next instant and ripping the first assailant apart.
He then turned just in time to face the second one, intending to do the same thing again, but the sharp pain flashed through his mind once more, and he realized another harpoon had pierced his body.
Another followed, then another. Shark lost count after six, but that didn’t truly matter. All he needed to know was that he fell into an ambush that was set not by three, but by at least a dozen other divers all working in unison.
Like a swarm of piranhas, the humanoid sea monsters rushed Shark from every direction, each one sinking their jagged teeth into his flesh. They ripped his scales with their claws, scattering his blood into the surroundings and turning it into a cloudy mist.
In no more than five seconds, the great blue shark was no more. The only thing left behind was a small piece of coral, which was then grasped by one of the humanoid monsters before their swarm scattered once more, disappearing into the shadows just as the local divers arrived.